ultegra 6800 rhs shifter locking up - dead?

mr.b-campag
mr.b-campag Posts: 413
edited September 2017 in Workshop
My shifting started to go a bit last night on the way home, and then at some point the rhs shifter pretty much locked up completely (leaving me to cycle home in 34*11!). I've not had a chance to look at it yet (internal cabling doesn't help) but what do ppl think - has the shifter died or cd it be something less dramatic? I've not had any problems with it until now and it has only been used fairly lightly for about 12 months or so.

Thanks

B

Comments

  • jermas
    jermas Posts: 484
    The inner cable might have frayed or snapped. Peel the shifter cover (rubber) back, loosen the cable from the derailleur and take a peek at the head of the cable running through the shifter.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    If it's anything like my 5600 RH shifter it will be the cable fraying / snapping inside the STI. It eats a cable every 18 months or so. Far easier to rectify if I catch it early. Quite tricky to fish out the remnants if I leave it till it actually snaps.

    And that's on a shifter with external gear cabling. I imagine it's a bit more of a faff on newer levers where the cables run under the bar tape.

    Good luck!
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    Yeah, sounds like the cable has frayed/snapped inside the shifter. A bit of a faff but should work fine once you've extracted all the strands and fitted a nice new cable :)
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • Olas
    Olas Posts: 54
    On 6800 there is also an access panel that you can unscrew when you peel back the hood.
    Same happened to me last week. shifting became locked.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Happened to me - cable hadn't snapped but had jumped over the cable stop inside the shifter - you could see it through the access panel.

    Had become so stuck that you couldn't get it out so I drilled alongside the existing hole at the side of the shifter and slipped it out.

    Shifter now works perfect.

    Obviously new cable needed.

    Happy to post a piccie if you need.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Thanks everyone, will take a look at it today. Hopefully no drilling required as that is beyond me!
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Mr.B-Campag wrote:
    Thanks everyone, will take a look at it today. Hopefully no drilling required as that is beyond me!

    Don't do yourself down; anybody can drill a hole in a plastic shifter!

    The skill is in making sure it still works afterwards...
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    If its anything like the 5800 make sure it has the guide tip for the cable fitted. This is often omitted when OEM shifters are paired with non original cable sets.
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Thanks DHL. I'm not sure what that means exactly though, can you elaborate (I'm not very techie/practical but could change cables on my old 9 spd campag set up without issue)?
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    the cap on the end of the cable outer has a guide tip (tongue) about 3/4" long which helps guide the cable inner past any sticky outy bits as it enters the shifter housing. if the shifters were oem they would come without the cables and correct end cap. The correct cap has a key or ridge on the edge that helps it stay in place but you should be able to just use the normal 6800/9000 cable end cap with tube on the end to do the job and trim to suit. It is more important to get this part fitted than worry about special polymer coatings etc.
    Check page 10 of the shimano document here: http://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-ST0002-04-ENG.pdf
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Ok so the calbe had indeed snapped inside the shifter; managed to replace it without too much trouble, cable guides and all. Only now I have to try and get the cable through my frame which has no internal guides or large ports :-( Anyone had any lucj with hairdryer or other methods?!

    Thanks again.

    B
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Tie some cotton ont the end of the cable, feed it all in, get a really good hoover (Henrys are brilliant) and suck the cotton out.

    Bizarrely it actually works really well.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Yeah I meant Hoover! Ok will give it a go, hoover doesn't get used much in these parts!
  • mr.b-campag
    mr.b-campag Posts: 413
    Got Decathlon to fix it in the end - £7 + £3 for a cable. The mechanic threaded an outer through the frame and made it look really easy. Will try that next time.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    remove old outer, leave cable in place.

    thread on new outer, remove old cable.

    thread in new inner.

    job bobbed, simple.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    Matthewfalle wrote:
    remove old outer, leave cable in place.

    thread on new outer, remove old cable.

    thread in new inner.

    job bobbed, simple.

    You ve not done too many internal gear cable jobs have you :lol:

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