Hi All - Took my bike in for new shifter cables. Even though the old cables were corroded and grody it was shifting flawlessly. Group is DA-7700 9speed on a 2003 Trek 5200. When I pick it up mechanic says rear shifter must be getting ready to die as it is shifting badly. I took it for a ride and it is indeed shifting like crap. Seems to snap hard on next cog shifting big to small. Worse problem is btw 4 and 5 cog it can't seem to find a home. It will bounce btw both or stay on one but chatter the whole time. So the question I ask is do you think it is a "shifter dying " issue or a badly tuned derailleur issue? Going to run it back by the shop later and ask them to please take one more look at it as I have a big ride coming Saturday. Your thoughts are appreciated.
If it was shifting fine (even with nasty cables) before work was done, now shifts like crap after work, I'd say the shop was at fault not the shifter. I would first remove the shifter from the bars, and hose the interior mechanicals with WD-40. Lube the shifter then replace on the bike. Then check to make sure all your housing ferrules are seated on the housing, and the housing is cut clean. Check the cables that they aren't frayed anywhere the entire length (ham handed wrenching can fray any cable new or old). Check to make sure the shop used compressionless housing and not brake cable housing (some people think they can do the job on the cheap using the same housing for both brakes and shifters, and they're wrong). Check to make sure the cables are properly lubed in the housing, and there's no kinks or hard bends in the cable and housing. After all that, then I'd retune shifting.
Two other possibilities is a bent derailleur hanger (might want to have it checked), or that the shop didn't match the housing lengths from your old set of cables with the new ones. If the housing is too long (or short) it'll affect shifting, and it isn't always obvious to see if the housing length is off by 2-3 cm.
What you describe sounds like the cable was too tight when the derailleur was set up with the new cable. They shouldn't have allowed the bike to leave the shop if it's jumping between the 4th and 5th cog while tuning on a stand. If it shifts well in the stand but is having issues on the road, then you probably just need to tension or loosen the cable a bit more due to some flex in the frame while riding.
I just returned it to the shop and asked him to take one more crack at it. All your suggestions sound great but are beyong my wrenching abilities. Seems like everytime I try to wrench something I mess up something else so I don't do it often.
I just returned it to the shop and asked him to take one more crack at it. All your suggestions sound great but are beyong my wrenching abilities. Seems like everytime I try to wrench something I mess up something else so I don't do it often.
They did not change anything else. Just cables. This shop has done excellent work in the past so I am giving him one more try. He tuned it last April and it was shifting flawlessly from then to Saturday.
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