Dura Aches And Cable Head Breaks

[rando]

I've had a good run with 6700. Wouldn't mind extending that many more years. The last three Dura Ace lines have been deeply flawed in ways it is not. When UCI pro teams without a drivetrain sponsor opted to use 6700 it became unavoidably clear DA fails to deliver in the one hard wired principle action it is designed for, the rigors of competition. A fat lot of good a couple hundred gram weight saving does, when you are already adding weight to meet the UCI minimum, if major malfunction during necessary race maneuvers undoes your chances. I'll put that same distinction on beating the weather and other amateur concerns that place similar stress on equipment.

Tell me I'm wrong without disguising the flaws in poor design incurred while rendering cross-generational compatibility null. In theory brand new sounds better than, oh I dunno, hunting down a new used rear shifter that forgot how to shift after it stopped counting miles years ago when it ticked over 50K.




Campy sympathizers/supporters can forward their views to the inbox of oldpotatoe. :)

sRMA complainers can write to their return merchandise authorization address where their word filter software will probably electronically order you a random new part to your doorstep. :no:

[Matthew]

Bummer about your experience with it. I guess I am lucky. Have never had a cable issue, ever. But I am running 7800 and 7900. Maybe fewer issues with those groups? And I almost never replace cables, or at least not as often as most folks.

[regularguy412]

I've been running the same pair of 7800 levers for 8 years. They've seen service now on two different bikes. Absolutely NO problems whatsoever. I have a pair of NIB 7900 10 speed STI levers just waiting to go on (probably over this winter). I've 'heard' of some possible issues with the 7900 levers causing cable breaks at or near the soldered end in the lever mechanism. Before this, I've used 6700 and 7400 (first gen STI) levers. Have never had a cable head snap in any of them ( knocking on wood now). Only real issue I had was the 6700 front der. lever became unreliable at shifting up to the big ring (slippage). A second go at the shift would generally get the job done. Other than that, all good.

When I put these 7900 levers on, I'm gonna use the teflon coated inner wires for the first time and see how it goes.

Mike in AR:beer:

[rando]

7800 seems by far the best of the three. Chose not to go with 7900 based on a gut feeling and the lack of recall when issuing 9001 levers scared me off after sitting on the sidelines. 7400 was so great I also ran it until getting 6700. Which has also been great.

During that long gap in release dates I always kept my ears open in case someone was able to offer the convincing argument a conservative expectation could be applied to something newer. That I missed something and could find better ergonomics or something quantifiable without adding risk. Since one shifter broke the other might. So I'm potentially in the market for a whole group at this point to avoid replacing stuff piecemeal all Winter.

[weisan]

http://alicehui.com/pic/misc/Yoda-IV_1200x.png

[rando]

http://files.i-mockerybrasil.webnode.com.br/200000176-dc5f3dcb80/lan%C3%A7a-chamas%20faster.gif

[oldpotatoe]

http://files.i-mockerybrasil.webnode.com.br/200000176-dc5f3dcb80/lan%C3%A7a-chamas%20faster.gif

tee hee..only 2 types of shimano STI levers..those that have failed and those that will...:o:D:):rolleyes::eek:

6700 levers, new, are out there..so the lever just failed or the head broke off and can't be retrieved? If the former, you can try the 'STI repair kit'..flush lotsa with WD-40..see if it comes back to life. If the later..there is some guy who takes these things apart and perhaps he can get the head out.

OBTW-7800 and 6600 levers had heads break off fairly often as well..and 9000..seems to be a recurring theme..and yes, if Campag, along with being much more simple inside, are repairable..even the 2016 ones(less Escape).

[smontanaro]

I'll offer an opposing view. Last spring, I suffered a cable break on a pair of Campy SR levers (old style, not new fangled gear) on my commuter. After much discussion, one of the participants wrote:

If you like brake levers with the cable coming out the top, then it might be because you like a particular brand/model that's original to the bike (Say, Super Record for example) and you don't want to change to another brand that's better. But there is a better choice: try to find some old Dura-Ace 7400 non-aero levers from about 1984-85.

They're much like the Super Record, but with some refinements, most important being the thing that the cable "pear-shaped" end attaches to. It extends up from the pivot point, so the cable pear end isn't at the pivot but maybe a centimeter or 15 mm above it. That little bit of brilliance removes practically any chance of bending the cable while applying the brake. The pivot itself also has nylon bushings, no metal-to-metal contact. But even if it did develop extra friction, that lever arm inside, that the cable attaches to, provides leverage to force the pivot to rotate. The pear end on the cable only sees pure tension, no bending.


He then later posted an exploded diagram demonstrating how the DA levers improved on the Campy (and clone) style:

[rando]

As expected a metal piece flushed out and there is obvious metal on metal contact cycling the gears upward. Seven years of Winter road chemicals and whatever equally disgusting stuff worked its way in there during nicer weather would have killed any current shifter. Since no pro level workarounds for well documented DA problems surfaced I'll just start looking for a cheap beat up rear 6700 shifter to get me through the Winter.

I'll admit to a long term desire to try Campy. At some point they were leaning towards CX groups and heavier duty road bike uses. I count miles in good weather and hours in the other kind of good weather. The other kind alternating between blizzards and below zero temps. Were a second Tullio to spring up in the family tree and reinvent the drivetrain for all uses it would be highly considered here.

[CampyorBust]

As expected a metal piece flushed out.

What is it with all these small metal pieces falling out of nooks and crannies. Interesting times we are living in!

Re Master Yoda - What is not common knowledge is that Master Yoda after saying …”Try not. Do, or do not. There is not try” whispered to himself “only Campy”:D

[FlashUNC]

Friends don't let friends ride terrible fishing equipment.

[Big Dan]

Do any of you guys know what the hell you are talking about?

[livingminimal]

Do any of you guys know what the hell you are talking about?

what

[Big Dan]

what

I guess you don't.

[oldpotatoe]

Do any of you guys know what the hell you are talking about?

Nope, not one of us...:help:

[FlashUNC]

Do any of you guys know what the hell you are talking about?

70% of the time, all the time.

[livingminimal]

70% of the time, all the time.

Milk was a bad choice

[FlashUNC]

Milk was a bad choice

Whammy!

http://images.amcnetworks.com/ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/whammy-man.jpg

[mkbk]

If all goes well at my favorite Campy shop today I will have a photographic rebuttal to some of the themes in this thread (and others).

Sorry to be cryptic, but be the ball Danny, be the ball.

[smontanaro]

Do any of you guys know what the hell you are talking about?

I realize my reply wasn't directed at the topic of STI quality, however, I took the original response to suggest that Shimano (Dura-Ace specifically) has always been bad. While I am mostly a Campy guy, I certainly don't think that's the case, hence the off-topic business about the better lever pivots. Campy had a tendency to set the bar (generally very high) then never improve on things, only to not be paying attention when Shimano's top end stuff started to get very good and people started to take notice.