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Front mech not changing consistently

sailesysailesy Posts: 1
in Workshop
So I have ultegra r8000 levers and da 9000 front mech. The r8000 wasn't compatible with frame

When I change up to big ring, 8 out of 10 works perfect. Then the other times lever feels as if already in big ring, when you press it doesn't change up and lever feels locked.

I have to lean down, manually push mech with hand and press lever. Even after that....if I change down and back up it works.

Really annoying and can't figure. It was like this when swapped group set, got replacement lever and still same. So either 2 faulty levers or something else.

Pretty sure not cable catching, taken BB out and no obstruction.

Any idea guys? Am lost to be honest

Posts

  • MattFalleMattFalle Posts: 10,096
    Not 100% but sounds like lever failure - sorry. 8000 levers are like cheese (mine went less than 500 miles, returned and replaced under warranty) - the dealer said Madison were getting so many back they had run out of stock.

    Hopefully its just some cable related though.

    Soz.
  • singletonsingleton Posts: 2,234
    edited March 2021
    Sorry if this is stating the obvious...

    The end to end process is a lever moving which mechanically pulls some cable, which then moves a mech at the other end of the cable.

    So potentially:
    Lever issue
    Cable getting stuck / caught
    Issue with the mech getting stuck / caught

    Can you do anything to isolate or eliminate one or more of these potential sources?
    Maybe a drop of lube on the cables to help them move smoothly?

    I've had similar issues with my 105 mech in the winter, but that was when it was freezing and getting stuck.
  • ibr17xviiibr17xvii Posts: 1,004
    I'd put money on what @MattFalle says being the issue, mine does exactly the same.

    I find pressing the inner leaver (as if you are changing down onto the small ring but obviously it's already on the small ring) a few times frees it up & it changes eventually.

    Really frustrating though, works fine 1 minute & seems stuck the next.

    If it's still in warranty I would be going down that route although I'm on my 2nd & it still does it.
  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 19,946
    I'm waiting on a new lever arriving for exactly this reason. The ratchet is shot.
    Mine is 6 years old with plenty of use though.

    I'll be stripping down the old one to see how easy it is to replace parts once my bike is up and running again.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • aberdeen_luneaberdeen_lune Posts: 540
    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.
  • skeetamskeetam Posts: 175
    edited March 2021
    Sounds a bit like what happened to my r8000 lever, which got progressively worse until it made a crunching noise, and that was that. It's been with Shimano for weeks and no response yet other than they've received it.

    https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/13114649/shimano-left-shifter-wont-shift-up-to-big-ring#latest
  • Mad_MalxMad_Malx Posts: 4,630
    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.

    And electronic systems never, ever, go wrong.

    On my older model fd the outer plate started to bow out leading to poor shifting, possibly depending where I was on the back cassette. Sorted with a bit of brute force, but eventually bows again so needs replacing.
    But I agree levers or cable also likely culprits.
  • singletonsingleton Posts: 2,234
    aberdeen_lune said:

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.

    I've switched to a single ring on the winter bike and it's worked fine for me. A 42t front with an 11 speed 11-32 cassette gives me a low enough climbing gear for round here and spinning out at 55 kmh isn't a problem in the winter.
  • ibr17xviiibr17xvii Posts: 1,004
    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.


    I've always been tempted by electronic shifting on a winter bike.

    The thought of the easier changes by just pressing a button with big thick gloves on (I wear them a lot as I suffer badly with cold hands) & no cables getting stretched or gunked up really appeals.

    What doesn't appeal however is the upfront costs & the price of replacement bits should you stack it.
  • david37david37 Posts: 1,313
    ibr17xvii said:

    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.


    I've always been tempted by electronic shifting on a winter bike.

    The thought of the easier changes by just pressing a button with big thick gloves on (I wear them a lot as I suffer badly with cold hands) & no cables getting stretched or gunked up really appeals.

    What doesn't appeal however is the upfront costs & the price of replacement bits should you stack it.
    Ive come to the conclusion that re cabling every spring at a cost of a tenner is infintley better than paying a thousand pounds for something that wears away anyway and still suffers from bumps and bangs and corrosion in pivots.

    Since the only way to avoid the corrosion is to wash regularly then youre no further ahead with an electronic gear set than a cable one bar an infrequent cable change.

    On the other hand its very nice to have DI2
  • ibr17xviiibr17xvii Posts: 1,004
    david37 said:

    ibr17xvii said:

    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.


    I've always been tempted by electronic shifting on a winter bike.

    The thought of the easier changes by just pressing a button with big thick gloves on (I wear them a lot as I suffer badly with cold hands) & no cables getting stretched or gunked up really appeals.

    What doesn't appeal however is the upfront costs & the price of replacement bits should you stack it.
    Ive come to the conclusion that re cabling every spring at a cost of a tenner is infintley better than paying a thousand pounds for something that wears away anyway and still suffers from bumps and bangs and corrosion in pivots.

    Since the only way to avoid the corrosion is to wash regularly then youre no further ahead with an electronic gear set than a cable one bar an infrequent cable change.

    On the other hand its very nice to have DI2

    Hard to argue with any of that.

    Electronic shifting certainly falls into the “want” category rather than the “need” for a winter steed but if you can afford it why not?!?!
  • singletonsingleton Posts: 2,234
    ibr17xvii said:

    david37 said:

    ibr17xvii said:

    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.


    I've always been tempted by electronic shifting on a winter bike.

    The thought of the easier changes by just pressing a button with big thick gloves on (I wear them a lot as I suffer badly with cold hands) & no cables getting stretched or gunked up really appeals.

    What doesn't appeal however is the upfront costs & the price of replacement bits should you stack it.
    Ive come to the conclusion that re cabling every spring at a cost of a tenner is infintley better than paying a thousand pounds for something that wears away anyway and still suffers from bumps and bangs and corrosion in pivots.

    Since the only way to avoid the corrosion is to wash regularly then youre no further ahead with an electronic gear set than a cable one bar an infrequent cable change.

    On the other hand its very nice to have DI2

    Hard to argue with any of that.

    Electronic shifting certainly falls into the “want” category rather than the “need” for a winter steed but if you can afford it why not?!?!
    Surely it's in the "want" versus "need" for a summer bike as well??

    I may be one of the few, but I had a di2 bike in 2013 and all the bikes I've bought since have been mechanical - and I'm in no rush to go back to electronic gears.
  • ibr17xviiibr17xvii Posts: 1,004
    singleton said:

    ibr17xvii said:

    david37 said:

    ibr17xvii said:

    aberdeen_lune said:

    I agree these levers have reliability issues. I have the same problem on my winter bike with Ultegra levers.

    My opinion (FWIW) is change it out for an electronic version. The switch on my Di2 lever works so much better. It’s reliable and never needs adjusting. I just charge it up every month or so when I’m charging up my power meter. It’s a game changer.

    I just need to bite the bullet and invest in electronic shifting on my winter bike or go single ring with a big cassette.


    I've always been tempted by electronic shifting on a winter bike.

    The thought of the easier changes by just pressing a button with big thick gloves on (I wear them a lot as I suffer badly with cold hands) & no cables getting stretched or gunked up really appeals.

    What doesn't appeal however is the upfront costs & the price of replacement bits should you stack it.
    Ive come to the conclusion that re cabling every spring at a cost of a tenner is infintley better than paying a thousand pounds for something that wears away anyway and still suffers from bumps and bangs and corrosion in pivots.

    Since the only way to avoid the corrosion is to wash regularly then youre no further ahead with an electronic gear set than a cable one bar an infrequent cable change.

    On the other hand its very nice to have DI2

    Hard to argue with any of that.

    Electronic shifting certainly falls into the “want” category rather than the “need” for a winter steed but if you can afford it why not?!?!
    Surely it's in the "want" versus "need" for a summer bike as well??

    I may be one of the few, but I had a di2 bike in 2013 and all the bikes I've bought since have been mechanical - and I'm in no rush to go back to electronic gears.

    Without a doubt.

    No one "needs" Di2 or similar but that doesn't stop you wanting it.
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