Ultegra 6800 gear cable question

jswba
jswba Posts: 491
edited April 2015 in Workshop
Hi folks

I'm doing my first proper build with Ultegra and am having a small problem with the gear cables. I can't get the ferrule which guides the cable into the shifter to sit flush with the shifter unit. I've tried to wiggle both of them but they still stick out about 8mm. When I pull the shifter cover over, they don't stick out but it does seem a little weird to me that the ferrules don't go in a little further. Does anybody know whether I've done something wrong here, or should the ferrules stick out a little? (Sorry, I forgot to include a photo.)

I've had a search online and can't see any hints or tips elsewhere (and the Shimano dealer manual didn't have any help either). Any thoughts much appreciated!

Comments

  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    Some pics would help so that we can establish what you describe as the "ferrules"

    I have just completed a build with 105 5800 11-speed and the shifter and cableing set up is the same as for 6800

    For the gear cables at the shifter end you should be using the small black plastic caps with the tube like toungues sticking out. There are some with short tongues and some with long tongues. You should be using the short tongued caps to cover the cable ends that go into the shifter housing. I had no problems getting them to fit into the profiled "dock" in the shifter body.

    They do supply a metal ferrule but that is supposed to be used to cover the cable end that goes into the rear derailleur. I think that ferrule would be too big to fit into the STI .
  • jswba
    jswba Posts: 491
    Cheers! I'm using those short-tongued black plastic caps (sorry, I thought they were also called ferrules). They fit into the housing, but seem to get stuck halfway in so the end of the cap sticks out of the housing. I'll get some pictures tonight.
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    Are they new or second hand shifters? Second hand ones could have an old cap stuck in there from the previous owner.
  • jswba
    jswba Posts: 491
    Brand new, so there shouldn't be something else in there!

    5w9ruq.jpg

    Hope this works. You can see the cap to the right (photo taken of the bike hanging on my wall, so it's at 90 drugs to normal).
  • tincaman
    tincaman Posts: 508
    That looks OK to me, I personally don't bother with the caps, but I don't think the depth is there for them to go fully in
  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    jswba wrote:
    Brand new, so there shouldn't be something else in there!

    5w9ruq.jpg

    Hope this works. You can see the cap to the right (photo taken of the bike hanging on my wall, so it's at 90 drugs to normal).


    Yeah - that's fine. Don't think they're meant to go all the way in as I think the housing is slightly tapered towards the inside. Contrary to tincaman's suggestion, I wouldn't dispense with them. I think the revised design of 5800 'and 6800 where they have the tongues on the end caps and the coated cables contributes a fair bit to the operational smoothness. Just my thoughts tho
  • jswba
    jswba Posts: 491
    Thanks for putting my mind at rest folks. They're definitely staying!