Campy SR 11 shifting/ cable issue

[tbike4]

I got some newer- post 2015 SR 11 shifters. Put on bike with new cables. The shifter goes through 10 clicks holding the cable. Attach cable to SR 11 RD.
On small ring up front, start at big cog and shift down, go down 9 cogs and then 1 more click and jump 2 cogs to the smallest. No more clicks.
It all worked fine with the previous shifters. Nothing changed on the derailleurs just a new cable and shifter.

WTH? Did I miss some obvious step due to low IQ?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by tbike4

I got some newer- post 2015 SR 11 shifters. Put on bike with new cables. The shifter goes through 10 clicks holding the cable. Attach cable to SR 11 RD.
On small ring up front, start at big cog and shift down, go down 9 cogs and then 1 more click and jump 2 cogs to the smallest. No more clicks.
It all worked fine with the previous shifters. Nothing changed on the derailleurs just a new cable and shifter.

WTH? Did I miss some obvious step due to low IQ?

Sounds like the head of the inner wire isn't seated in the takeup spool.
Do the 'clicks' feel good? Clicky?

[yarbsr02]

I had a similar issue for a few confusing minutes when installing Campy RD and new cable recently (Chorus, but presumably same issue could apply). It was due to cable being slightly off in the “washer” that secures the cable to the RD. Corrected that and it has shifted through the range flawlessly since.

[tbike4]

I will check both of the possible issues mentioned. It must be something with the cable on one end or the other since it clicks perfectly 10 times when it is detached from the RD and I put tension on it with my hand. Thanks.

[slosh415]

Is there excess slack in the cable after it drops down from the second-smallest cog into the smallest? Maybe you set the cable tension with the shifter not downshifted all the way. I've done that before.

[NoMoreParagon]

Originally Posted by tbike4

I got some newer- post 2015 SR 11 shifters. Put on bike with new cables. The shifter goes through 10 clicks holding the cable. Attach cable to SR 11 RD.
On small ring up front, start at big cog and shift down, go down 9 cogs and then 1 more click and jump 2 cogs to the smallest. No more clicks.
It all worked fine with the previous shifters. Nothing changed on the derailleurs just a new cable and shifter.

WTH? Did I miss some obvious step due to low IQ?

I apologize if too obvious, but the downshift trigger can sometime get caught in the handlebar tape wrap and start acting funky. Are you experiencing the issue with handlebar naked or with tape already applied?

[YesNdeed]

Just to be sure, are you also using new cable housings? And, did you pre-stretch?

[jds108]

Originally Posted by NoMoreParagon

I apologize if too obvious, but the downshift trigger can sometime get caught in the handlebar tape wrap and start acting funky. Are you experiencing the issue with handlebar naked or with tape already applied?

Yes, or the rubber lever body cover, I had that block the movement of the thumbshifter.

[tbike4]

Originally Posted by NoMoreParagon

I apologize if too obvious, but the downshift trigger can sometime get caught in the handlebar tape wrap and start acting funky. Are you experiencing the issue with handlebar naked or with tape already applied?

No bar tape on there. I will check all around to see if anything is blocking the trigger.

[tbike4]

Originally Posted by YesNdeed

Just to be sure, are you also using new cable housings? And, did you pre-stretch?

Only thing I changed was the inner cables. Just took off the old shifters and put new shifters in the same place with with cable ends going into the shifters which fit exactly the same.
I put the shift cables in the shifters off the bike then put them on the bars.

I will check all this out today after work is done.

[YesNdeed]

Originally Posted by tbike4

Only thing I changed was the inner cables. Just took off the old shifters and put new shifters in the same place with with cable ends going into the shifters which fit exactly the same.
I put the shift cables in the shifters off the bike then put them on the bars.

I will check all this out today after work is done.

It might seem apples to apples to only replace the inner cable since everything was fine with the previous shifters and shifting, but in my experience housings should always be replaced along with the cables. I ride in an extremely dry climate, and I 'm always surprised at the amount rust that accumulates on the outer edges of the housings when I get around to changing them. Once the housings need to be replaced, shifting will NEVER be right, no matter how much tension adjusting you do. Especially on the outer cogs where cable tension starts to slack, and bad housings will grab on the cable.

I've gotten away with the Jagwire Campy wire/housing and saved a few bucks, but I recommend getting the Campy wire/housing package.

Finally, pre-stretch. I don't think this actually stretches the cable, but seats everything up in advance so you're not doing mid-ride adjustments. The way we all prefer it.

[tbike4]

So I gave up on solving this and took it to the LBS that speaks Campaq. The verdict was that the spring in the rear mech has become weak. Upshifts to the big cog will be fine but going down to the smallest cog the spring is stretching out, gets tired and drops the chain 2 gears.
Is this plausible or did the wrench not feel like trying to solve this problem? The rear mech is a 2015+ Super Record. The shop did not charge me for looking at it. I have been there many times since they use TLC on steel bikes and seem like they know their ¢h¶t.

Oldpotatoe?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by tbike4

So I gave up on solving this and took it to the LBS that speaks Campaq. The verdict was that the spring in the rear mech has become weak. Upshifts to the big cog will be fine but going down to the smallest cog the spring is stretching out, gets tired and drops the chain 2 gears.
Is this plausible or did the wrench not feel like trying to solve this problem? The rear mech is a 2015+ Super Record. The shop did not charge me for looking at it. I have been there many times since they use TLC on steel bikes and seem like they know their ¢h¶t.

Oldpotatoe?

I really doubt that. These springs in the rear der don't 'stretch out'. If the spring was tired, it would not shift down to a higher gear(smaller cog), not shift down 2.

I suspect that there is something 'up' with the lever, no the rear der. I'd be happy to take it apart and take a look. These are VERY reliable tho..but hand assembled. It 'may' just need a clean and lube and tighten..perhaps adding a thin shim or domed toothed spacer(various levers sometimes come with various numbers of these).

Could be rear der inner wire routing or something simple like the wee brass washer that the der housing pushes against in the lever is missing or turned sideways(saw that twice)

BUT, I really doubt it's the rear der.

[tbike4]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

I really doubt that. These springs in the rear der don't 'stretch out'. If the spring was tired, it would not shift down to a higher gear(smaller cog), not shift down 2.

I suspect that there is something 'up' with the lever, no the rear der. I'd be happy to take it apart and take a look. These are VERY reliable tho..but hand assembled. It 'may' just need a clean and lube and tighten..perhaps adding a thin shim or domed toothed spacer(various levers sometimes come with various numbers of these).

Could be rear der inner wire routing or something simple like the wee brass washer that the der housing pushes against in the lever is missing or turned sideways(saw that twice)

BUT, I really doubt it's the rear der.

When I hold the cable going to the rear mech there are 10 distinctive clicks from the shifter. Could there still be a problem with the shifter?
I would gladly send you the shifter if you think that is the best course of action.

[Mark McM]

When I hear that there is a glitch shifting just between two particular sprockets, I immediately think of two possibilites: A kink in the cable; or a worn or damaged sprocket.

It is true that the parallelogram spring force gets lighter as the derailleur moves toward the smaller sprockets, which could affect shifting speed/precision. I guess one remote possibility is that when shifting from the 3rd to the 2nd sprocket, there might not be enough spring force for the derailleur to move outward, but that shifting one more click pushes the cable enough to so that the derailleur can finally move (at which point it jumps down to the 1st sprocket). But this is typically not due a weak derailleur spring per se, but more likely due to excessive cable friction (due to worn/dirty cables and/or excessively tight bends).

You say "When I hold the cable going to the rear mech there are 10 distinctive clicks from the shifter," does that mean you are pulling on a part of the bare cable, such as along the down tube? When you do this, does the derailleur shift properly? If not, that suggests a hangup under the BB or in the last bit of housing at the derailleur.