5700 Vs. 5600 shifting ache vs. ease

macleod113

I recently returned to the road after 6 weeks off recovering from a broken thumb. i should add its the front chainrings/shifter i am talking about here.

my newer 5700 equipped bike was a right pain to shift. its always been stiffer to shift needing a lot of force rather than a feather push. this means i don't fancy the commute (60 mins plus)

My 5600 shifts with ease and i have commuted on this today so fingers crossed my summer bike will be ok

my question is that as i have changed cabling inners and outers at least twice on each bike, is there a way to make the shifting on my 5700 lighter or is that the nature of 5700. i am loathe to pay a shop to tell me i am doing something stupid but you guys can feel free....

ugo.santalucia

I owned a pair of 5600 and they do wear out, meaning the shifting becomes "easier" as you say over time... but that's only one step before they stop working altogether. The internals are poor quality and not meant to last.

That might well be the reason of the difference you experience.

arlowood

Could also be a cable routing issue.

As you are aware the 5700 routes both brake and shifting cables "internally" to allow a neater appearance as you can follow the bar profile and wrap both cables under the tape. This however will inevitably mean that the shifting cables have tighter radii to negotiate than with the 5600 design. That in itself could introduce an element of stiffness when comparing the two.

With the 5700 - have you wrapped the cables in front of the bars or behind? If they are wrapped in front, try re-routing them to the back of the bars where the bends are shallower, This might give you less drag and improve things

macleod113

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I owned a pair of 5600 and they do wear out, meaning the shifting becomes "easier" as you say over time... but that's only one step before they stop working altogether. The internals are poor quality and not meant to last.

That might well be the reason of the difference you experience.

Cheers Ugo, maybe the birthday fairy can stretch to £300 for 5800 in March?

macleod113

arlowood wrote:

Could also be a cable routing issue.

As you are aware the 5700 routes both brake and shifting cables "internally" to allow a neater appearance as you can follow the bar profile and wrap both cables under the tape. This however will inevitably mean that the shifting cables have tighter radii to negotiate than with the 5600 design. That in itself could introduce an element of stiffness when comparing the two.

With the 5700 - have you wrapped the cables in front of the bars or behind? If they are wrapped in front, try re-routing them to the back of the bars where the bends are shallower, This might give you less drag and improve things

Another good idea, thanks

ugo.santalucia

MacLeod113 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I owned a pair of 5600 and they do wear out, meaning the shifting becomes "easier" as you say over time... but that's only one step before they stop working altogether. The internals are poor quality and not meant to last.

That might well be the reason of the difference you experience.

Cheers Ugo, maybe the birthday fairy can stretch to £300 for 5800 in March?

The solution is an older pair of Campagnolo... the early 2000s ones were awesome quality across the range, from Veloce 9s to Record 10s... which is the reason even now they flog on Ebay for extraordinary money... worth every penny

alihisgreat

How old are the cables on your 5700 bike, new cables can make a huge difference.

mr_evil

The under-the-tape cable routing definitely increases friction. Using PTFE-coated inner cable helps a lot.

macleod113

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

How old are the cables on your 5700 bike, new cables can make a huge difference.

They have been replaced as new, outer and inner. it may be the quality of components of course but have tried decathlon and jagwire brands with no difference.

ElectronShepherd

Have you made sure that it isn't the derailleur itself that's stiff?

alihisgreat

MacLeod113 wrote:

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

How old are the cables on your 5700 bike, new cables can make a huge difference.

They have been replaced as new, outer and inner. it may be the quality of components of course but have tried decathlon and jagwire brands with no difference.

Well I replaced mine on Saturday and my 5700 front shifting seems to be pretty light and smooth (although of course I can't compare to your 5600 setup) - I used Shimano ptfe lined cables, and apparently you have to be wary of some brands/cheaper cablesets, where they don't pre-lubricate the outers?

Bozman

5600, 6600 and 7800 all shifted better than 5700, 6700 and 7900 which was probably down to the cable routing, but the new eleven speed is a damn sight better though.

Matthewfalle

If it doesn't get any better you can buy my 5700 of me - shifts as smooth as and I'll even chuck in new Shimano cables.

macleod113

i think i'll try replacing for new cables and outers first and see how it goes. i have a spare front mech so could try that too.

thanks all

mulletmaster

I have owned 5600 6600 5700 6700 7900 (and campag veloce, sram red and 6870 on a tt bike)
Worst shifting was 5700 and 6700, 7900 was in the middle 5600 and 6600 were the lightest most precise shifting of the mechanical shimano. I put this down to having a much cleaner cable route so it may not be something you can entirely fix. As above the internets say 5800 etc is the business.

DKay

The PTFE inner cables are the older Shimano model and have now been overtaken by the new polymer coated type, which are much better. Just be careful handling and installing them, as the polymer coating is pretty fragile.