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Lost gears

nellsbellzznellsbellzz Posts: 61
edited August 2018 in Workshop
Hi guys was out today 20 miles into a ride when all of a sudden gears became difficult to change unable to change up lever felt as if it had lost all its movement checked rear derailer cable all seemed ok by the time I got home unable to change up or down its a Tarmac with shimano 105 any ideas

Posts

  • Mad_MalxMad_Malx Posts: 4,709
    I’d guess the gear cable is frayed at the nipple and about to snap in the shifter.
  • svettysvetty Posts: 1,904
    Mad_Malx wrote:
    I’d guess the gear cable is frayed at the nipple and about to snap in the shifter.
    ^this
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • Vino'sGhostVino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Svetty wrote:
    Mad_Malx wrote:
    I’d guess the gear cable is frayed at the nipple and about to snap in the shifter.
    ^this

    This and that above :)
  • nellsbellzznellsbellzz Posts: 61
    Thanks all in lbs shop going away for two weeks should be done on return :)
  • cougiecougie Posts: 22,512
    Dude this is something you could probably sort in seconds.

    If it's fraying ok it's a new cable you need to put in.
    If it's just pulled through you need to make it tight again.

    Learn skills that could help you out in the road. It's easier than a puncture.
  • nellsbellzznellsbellzz Posts: 61
    cougie wrote:
    Dude this is something you could probably sort in seconds.

    If it's fraying ok it's a new cable you need to put in.
    If it's just pulled through you need to make it tight again.

    Learn skills that could help you out in the road. It's easier than a puncture.
    Hi tried pulling cable through but it was tight
  • svettysvetty Posts: 1,904
    cougie wrote:
    Learn skills that could help you out in the road. It's easier than a puncture.

    Really?

    A puncture is a 5-10 minute job. With most bikes now having internal cabling and cables under the bar tape it can take ages to properly check - and then replace a gear cable inner, and that's without having to extract snapped cable strands from inside the shifter. Yes this is a skill worth acquiring for home maintenance but a quick roadside fix it certainly isn't.

    Incidentally earlier this year a ride companion had a rear cable snap inside the shifter. We rode 10 miles to the nearest town, bought an cable and re-fitted it. Then rode back. Took best part of 2 hours to get back to where we were...
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • cougiecougie Posts: 22,512
    I'm not saying do it at the roadside. Obv if it snaps then it will take a while but if you don't even know how to change cables - you'll be screwed.
  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I might moan about my exposed gear cables getting in the way of my light, but if I need to replace one it's a doddle, even at the roadside.

    (Assuming that I haven't let it get to the point of fraying badly / snapping inside the shifter again...)

    Under bar tape routing and internal cables can make it much more of a faff and a fix it at home job.
  • Mad_MalxMad_Malx Posts: 4,709
    I've twice had cable frayed and snapped at the nipple (which is why I suspect this is the OP's problem). It's a big pain rethreading with internal cables, and in particular fishing out shredded cable from the shifter.

    It isn't so much difficult as fiddly. A LOT more than 10 minutes (for me) and I couldn't have done it at the roadside.
    I'm much too stingy to pay for bike servicing and enjoy the satisfaction of sorting stuff out, but I understand that isn't for everyone and if it keeps LBSs in business all the better.
  • Vino'sGhostVino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    i find quite a lot of pleasure in building and maintaining bikes.

    Ive done more than usual over the summer and many times its friends who want to know how to do stuff so they can do it themselves in future.

    I show them, and it keeps me in beer. Its not about saving money for most of them but saving time. The time taken to get to and from the bike shop. Much easier if they can order parts on line and fit them especially since most jobs dont take half an hour.

    I'm not sure all bike shop mechanics know which way is up anyway.
  • nellsbellzznellsbellzz Posts: 61
    nellsbellzz wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    Dude this is something you could probably sort in seconds.

    If it's fraying ok it's a new cable you need to put in.
    If it's just pulled through you need to make it tight again.

    Learn skills that could help you out in the road. It's easier than a puncture.
    Hi tried pulling cable through but it was tight

    Hi the bike has internally threaded cables but I’m away for two week so thought best leave it with lbs so all done when I get home he’s an independent trader so he’s never ripped me off before and I can trust him so why not :D
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