Campy Brifter Rebuild

[Zoomie80]

Folks--
After a few miles into a ride yesterday, my right brifter ('03 10sp Record) lost it's "click" when I upshifted; it shifted OK but no audible click. After shifting up/down several times to get a better feel of the brifter, it was apparent shifting lost its crispness and snap, and I had several overshifts during the course of the ride. A quick search on the 'net and our Forum suggest it's time for a rebuild and likely culprit is a worn g-spring. Are there other parts that could cause this problem (index gear, g-spring carrier)? While I'm rebuilding, are there other parts I should just replace anyway?

'Preciate your thoughts...

Cheers,
Zoomie

[Dave]

http://www.branfordbike.com/cgi-local/perlshop/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=push&thispage=brake/brk01.html&ORDER_ID=772330960#item4

This site has the best info I've found on rebuilding ergo levers. They can provide good advice on what parts to get. If you need the index gear, it's the most expensive part.

I had problems finding up-to-date instructions for the rebuilding process, so I took what was written by others and made my own updates and corrections for current 10 speed models. I found that none of the instruction properly explained the correct amount of wind-up for large coil spring that assists the finger lever. I can provide a copy if needed. I did find a number of what I thought were poor suggestions for holding the lever while it's being worked on. The process isn't too tough, but like all things, the first time is the hardest. I found that removing the brale lever from the ergo body was the best thing to do and very simple.

I use a long-armed 5mm hex wrench (mounted in a bench vise) to hold the ergo body while working on it. I ground some extra clearance into the long arm of the wrench, so it doesn't damage the ergo lever body. A standard hex wrench may dent the ergo lever body, right above the top of the brake lever. It's just cosmetic, but it's something I'd rather avoid.

Others may suggest mounting the lever on old handlebars or a piece of copper tubing mounted in a vise to hold the ergo body, but this method does not apply pressure to the main indeex shaft, requiring more hands during crucial parts of the reassembly.

[Jeff N.]

Man! Sounds fun! Thanks, but I think I'd rather be riding with DA-7800 than chasing springs in my garage. Jeff N.

[Dave]

Man! Sounds fun! Jeff N.

Once you've done it, the second time will be easier and it's a lot cheaper than buying new Shimano shift levers. A minor rebuild only requires replacing the G-springs.

Come to think of it, if you're unwilling to attempt a rebuild, it's still cheaper to buy new Campy ergo levers than shimano STI.

[Zoomie80]

Dave--
Thanx for your help; I could definitely use the info you put together--will send you a PM w/ my email. This is my first Campy rebuild and looking forward to the challenge--read the articles from Campyonly, YellowJersey.com, and my Lennard Zinn book. I've always liked taking things apart and putting them back together.

Hey, I have a couple of very close friends in Highlands Ranch; do you ride w/ the HR Cycling Club?

Cheers,
Zoomie

[vaxn8r]

Come to think of it, if you're unwilling to attempt a rebuild, it's still cheaper to buy new Campy ergo levers than shimano STI.
True, but I've worn out 2 ergo shifter springs but I've never worn out a Shimano shifter. Still trying though :)

[Zoomie80]

My '95 vintage 8sp Record ergo levers are still going strong; they're on my Davidson and cleaned the bike/lubed chain so I can ride this week while the Legend waits for the rebuild...

I was a little surprised my newer ergo levers need to be rebuilt already...must have been doing a lot of shifting over the past 3 yers!

[Dave]

Have you ever lubricated the internal parts of the lever? There is a hole in the top that facilitates lubing, but it can still get messy. It doesn't take much spray lube to dribble down to the bar tape. I pull up the bottom of the brake hood and wrap a paper towel around the area for an annual lube. leave the towel in place for a couple of hours at least. I use Slick 50 1-lube.

[Dave]

Dave--
Hey, I have a couple of very close friends in Highlands Ranch; do you ride w/ the HR Cycling Club?

Cheers,
Zoomie

I probably should be a member, but I'm not. Since I've retired, I ride mostly on weekdays and rarely on the weekends, when club rides are most common. After-work rides no longer interest me either. I'm done and cleaned up before these rides start.

[Jeremy]

Folks--
After a few miles into a ride yesterday, my right brifter ('03 10sp Record) lost it's "click" when I upshifted; it shifted OK but no audible click. After shifting up/down several times to get a better feel of the brifter, it was apparent shifting lost its crispness and snap, and I had several overshifts during the course of the ride. A quick search on the 'net and our Forum suggest it's time for a rebuild and likely culprit is a worn g-spring. Are there other parts that could cause this problem (index gear, g-spring carrier)? While I'm rebuilding, are there other parts I should just replace anyway?

'Preciate your thoughts...

Cheers,
Zoomie

Sudden loss of the defined click is usually because the spring carrier has cracked. The g-springs wear out gradually and cause a gradual loss in the definition of the click. If you go to the trouble of rebuilding the lever, you should always replace the springs. It sounds like you need g-springs and the spring carrier. All of these items are quite inexpensive. Dave is right on about using an allen wrench in a bench vise to hold the lever. However, you don't need to remove the brake lever to do this. With the brake lever at its' limit (not on a handlebar) a 5mm allen wrench will just fit into the main shaft nut. Being careful, I can do this without causing any cosmetic damage to the body or the lever, but Dave's precautions are well advised.

As far as STI goes, if the indexing fails it is often repairable by simply squirting WD-40 into the mechanism. STI is a ratchet and pawl mechanism and when the grease gets old and dry, it often causes it to stick. I have found WD-40 to be exeptionally good at softening old hard grease. If WD-40 fails to work, just the lever blade assembly is available from Shimano as a repair part. This makes repairing the shifter less expensive and time consuming than replacing the entire "brifter".

Jeremy

[SoCalSteve]

I have used D/A Shimano brifters for 10's of thousands of miles....I only once had a problem with a left triple shifter.

My LBS sent it to Shimano, they replaced it with a brand new brifter for the price of shipping ($5.00).

I imagine this is much cheaper and much easier that buying expensive Italian small parts and then being frustrated in attempting to put them back together again.

Shimano has AMAZING customer service. Does Campy? Do they even exist in North America? Shimano is in Orange County, CA.

Again, just one mans opinion.

Steve

[bfd]

SoCalSteve writes:

< have used D/A Shimano brifters for 10's of thousands of miles....I only once had a problem with a left triple shifter.

My LBS sent it to Shimano, they replaced it with a brand new brifter for the price of shipping ($5.00).

I imagine this is much cheaper and much easier that buying expensive Italian small parts and then being frustrated in attempting to put them back together again.

Shimano has AMAZING customer service. Does Campy? Do they even exist in North America? Shimano is in Orange County, CA. >

Its true Shimano has excellent customer service. Its my understanding that Shimano makes it easy to get replacements for broken STI levers. Further, like XTR, your DA STI levers has a 3 year warranty; all other Shimano groups have 2 year warranty.

The question though is what happens if those same levers go south AFTER the 3 year warranty expires? You won't be able to get them replaced, and you definitely can't fix them.

Of course, if you're like most, you'll probably upgrade to DA 14 by then....

[Dave]

I have used D/A Shimano brifters for 10's of thousands of miles....I only once had a problem with a left triple shifter.

My LBS sent it to Shimano, they replaced it with a brand new brifter for the price of shipping ($5.00).

I imagine this is much cheaper and much easier that buying expensive Italian small parts and then being frustrated in attempting to put them back together again.

Shimano has AMAZING customer service. Does Campy? Do they even exist in North America? Shimano is in Orange County, CA.

Again, just one mans opinion.

Steve

Opinions are nice, but facts are more credible. If your shimano levers are more than 3 years old, they won't be replaced. Simano has a limited warranty, just like Campy.

The parts to reapir an ergo lever are a fraction of the cost of buying a new lever. The parts are readily available from Branford. A complete overhaul will probably take a first timer an hour. Others report 15-30 minutes, not including the time to remove and replace from the bike. It's not that tough.

Campy has the same 3 year warranty.

http://www.campagnolo.com/policy.php

I had an ergo lever repaired absolutely free, by Campy USA in Carlsbad, CA. Since they are repairable it didn't need replaced. This ergo lever was the only item I've had problems with in the last 11 years.

http://www.campagnolo.com/service.php

Now the downside. If you want warranty service, and bought your parts by mail order, you better keep your receipts and have a friendly LBS willing to send defective parts to Campy for repair. They will not accept shipments from individuals. Perhaps large online dealers like Excel Sports will return a defective part for repair, but I've never asked.

Shimano has some crappy policies too. There are a number of online dealers who can't sell certain Shimano products on the internet.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=CR6338A

[Zoomie80]

Jeremy--
Thanx for your post; I wondered about the sudden change in feel and loss of "click" and am glad you confirmed my suspicion about something else that could have contributed to this shifter problem. Great hint about the 5mm hex wrench.

Dave--
I'm going to try to drip some lube on the shifter just to check things out. I'm glad you mentioned the Campy 3 year warranty; bought my Legend fully built up by my LBS in Jul 03 so I'll check w/ the shop first--all they can say is "no", right?

Otherwise I'm going to replace the g-springs, spring carrier, and index gear (http://www.branfordbike.com/cgi-local/perlshop/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=push&thispage=brake/brk01.html&ORDER_ID=639111082#item1) to take advantage of the 2004 upgrades for "smoother shifting....greater durability).

Cheers,
Zoomie

[97CSI]

Interesting read. Bought my Record 10-speed brifters from Branford bike in '99. Over 20K miles since and I've never had apart or even bothered to lubricate them. But, my understanding is that they prefer grease as opposed to oil for lubrication. I keep thinking I'll send along to Tim for an overhaul. In fact, you've just convinced me to do so since they are off the bike at the moment. Although they still shift pretty much like new (nice and 'snappy'). Better to do the preventive maintenance than be stranded in the middle of Bumf..., you know what I mean. Good luck with yours.

[SoCalSteve]

Opinions are nice, but facts are more credible. If your shimano levers are more than 3 years old, they won't be replaced. Simano has a limited warranty, just like Campy.
The parts to reapir an ergo lever are a fraction of the cost of buying a new lever. The parts are readily available from Branford. A complete overhaul will probably take a first timer an hour. Others report 15-30 minutes, not including the time to remove and replace from the bike. It's not that tough.

Campy has the same 3 year warranty.

http://www.campagnolo.com/policy.php

I had an ergo lever repaired absolutely free, by Campy USA in Carlsbad, CA. Since they are repairable it didn't need replaced. This ergo lever was the only item I've had problems with in the last 11 years.

http://www.campagnolo.com/service.php

Now the downside. If you want warranty service, and bought your parts by mail order, you better keep your receipts and have a friendly LBS willing to send defective parts to Campy for repair. They will not accept shipments from individuals. Perhaps large online dealers like Excel Sports will return a defective part for repair, but I've never asked.

Shimano has some crappy policies too. There are a number of online dealers who can't sell certain Shimano products on the internet.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=CR6338A

Just curious as how Shimano would know if they are over 3 years old. My LBS sent mine in (I bought them on a bike from GVH) and they were warrantied, no problem. Oh, they were over 3 years old....

And, Shimano will let you send in products on your own...They will also let you drop them off in OC, CA....I've done this once too.

So, its not just opinions, I have some real hard facts as well....

Steve

[97CSI]

Uh, oh.....someone's letting their Shimano inferiority complex get the best of them. :D

[CalfeeFly]

All these posts and I still don't understand...

Why does Campy use G Strings in their shifters? :p :beer:

[Johny]

Just curious as how Shimano would know if they are over 3 years old. My LBS sent mine in (I bought them on a bike from GVH) and they were warrantied, no problem. Oh, they were over 3 years old....

And, Shimano will let you send in products on your own...They will also let you drop them off in OC, CA....I've done this once too.

So, its not just opinions, I have some real hard facts as well....

Steve

Time to stock cheap broken Shimano shifters from ebay. :D

[SoCalSteve]

Time to stock cheap broken Shimano shifters from ebay. :D

Why would you do that when Shimano will give you (for the low, low price of shipping) a brand new product?

Steve

[Johny]

Why would you do that when Shimano will give you (for the low, low price of shipping) a brand new product?

Steve

There was this guy who tried to sell boxes (piles) of broken Shimano shifters on ebay.

[Johny]

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=11381

[divve]

Otherwise I'm going to replace the g-springs, spring carrier, and index gear (http://www.branfordbike.com/cgi-local/perlshop/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=push&thispage=brake/brk01.html&ORDER_ID=639111082#item1) to take advantage of the 2004 upgrades for "smoother shifting....greater durability).

Cheers,
Zoomie

There's not much of a difference, but if you're going to replace the parts you might as well upgrade. The index gear usually doesn't need replacing however.

[Dave]

Just curious as how Shimano would know if they are over 3 years old. My LBS sent mine in (I bought them on a bike from GVH) and they were warrantied, no problem. Oh, they were over 3 years old....

And, Shimano will let you send in products on your own...They will also let you drop them off in OC, CA....I've done this once too.

So, its not just opinions, I have some real hard facts as well....

Steve

Nice to have some facts posted instead of BS.

You may well be right that Shimano will warranty any shifter, without proof of age. If so, then you're in great shape. Now that 9 speed shifters are replacement parts only, I doubt this will be the case for long, but it's always worth a try.

Campy is lousy in this regard. You need a dealer to submit a defective part. Call Campy and ask to send in a broken part, even one that can't be more than 3 years old, becasue it was just introduced 2 years ago (like a Record Ultra shifter). They'll tell you to take it to a dealer and give you a rant about "protecting the dealers". Makes no sense to me.

I just don't give warranties much thought when I buy anything these days. The one time I had an ergo lever repaired for free, I only had one bike and still needed shifters to ride, so I bought another pair and sold the used ones, after the repair was made.