Need Help - Change cable for right shifter (Ultegra)

[weisan]

Hi Folks,

I am currently building up a new bike, and in the process hit on a road bump regarding changing the cable for the right shifter. It's a model year 1999 Ultegra grouppo. According to a service manual I have downloaded off the Shimano website, the cable is running right across. See below

http://www.alicehui.com/serotta/shifter.jpg

Well, looking at how the current existing cable is hook up, it contradicts the picture in that the cable wire actually curl around the inner gear rings. I don't know how to explain it better except that it is definitely not as simple as going through a hole and coming out straight as the picture seems to indicate.

My question is:

How do I reach in and pull out the old cable? I look and look but couldn't find any easy access. It doesn't make sense to me that I need to take the whole thing apart just for swapping out a new cable.

Please advise. I don't use my LBS for servicing and I would be the first to admit my incompetency as a bike mechanic. Just want to learn something here. I know there are a couple of other sources I can go to get the answers. But the folks who visit the Serotta forum is such neat people that it is the first place I like to turn to when I have any questions.

thanks,
weisan

PS. I am pretty much done with the entire buildup which took me a total of about 4 man-hours, but I am left with this outstanding issue.

[dave thompson]

It sounds like you haven't "un-shifted" your shifter. Grasp the inner cable, pulling gently to the left on it and "shift" the bike as if you were trying to shift onto the smallest cog with the small shift lever. That will give you the straight cable path that will allow you to push the cable out of the shifter.

The instructions and illustrations on the website are warning you to make sure the cable head is fully in the recess (cable hook).

[weisan]

I finally figure that out...duh!

Thanks for responding, I do appreciate it.

Now, the bike is complete, a little bit more fine-tuning tomorrow morning and it's ready for its maiden ride. Pictures to come later.... :p

[bulliedawg]

Weisan:

I think I had the same problem with a set of DA shifters I was installing on my CSi. Check the "clicks" while upshifting. For me it simply turned out that the shifter was defective. It was only clicking seven times instead of eight (for 9 speed), which meant that the cable carriage in the shifter mechanism wasn't completely exposed, and I couldn't thread the cable through the hole.

Shimano replaced the defective shifter in a week.