Stiff shifter?

[trener1]

I am running 11 speed mechanical 105.
Just had the shifter cables replaced and the front/left shifter is so stiff that I almost can't shift it.

Does the cable just need to stretch a bit? can I spray some DW40 inside the shifter or something?

[Veloo]

Sounds like it could be overtightened.
I wouldn’t do the WD40.
I’d say release the clamp bolt and redo cable tension.

[Peter P.]

The cable may be routed incorrectly, have a sharp bend in it, or the housing may have a sharp edge on the cut ends, or the housing could be crushed.

Sounds like a shop did the work and not you. If so, I wouldn't screw with diagnosing it because if you eventually take it to a shop, they'll say it's something YOU did.

I was going to suggest disconnecting the front derailleur from the cable to see if the shifter operates smoothly without the cable attached as that would indicate a cable fault, but-see my paragraph above. You could also operate the front derailleur by hand to see if the derailleur itself is binding. No need to disconnect the cable if you try this test.

If you want to diagnose and fix it yourself, then this is the place to start.

[trener1]

Correct I did have a shop do it.

I wouldn't even know how to release the clamp bolt and redo the tension

[David Kirk]

Was it functioning as it should before the cable replacement?


dave

[trener1]

Yes it was, 100%.
There was nothing wrong with the old cable, just figured, spring time, I should get new cables.

Originally Posted by David Kirk

Was it functioning as it should before the cable replacement?


dave

[biker72]

Take it back to the shop and explain your problem. They should have caught that before it left the shop.

Where I work the mechanics are required to ride the bike after a repair. That obviously didn't happen in this case.

[Mark McM]

The answeres to your questions are almost certainly no, the cable doesn't have to "stretch" a bit, and a shot of WD-40 won't fix it. If the problem started just after a cable change, then there is likely a problem with the cable.

Does the shift lever seem normal during the first part of the movement, and then need a lot more force to get it "click" and hold position? If so, then the most likely problem to occur after a cable change is that the cable tension is too high. Is there a cable adjuster barrel somewhere along the derailleur cable/housiong? If so, then turn the barrel inward until the lever can reach the "click" position without undue force. If the barrel is already in as far as it will go, then you'll have to let out a little cable at the anchor clamp on the derailleur.

If the shift lever movement requires excess force even from the start of movement, then the most likely cause is either that the cable is misrouted in the shifter, or that there is a kink or obstruction in the cable/housing run between shifter and derailleur. That will take a little more examination to find where misrouting/kink/obstruction is.

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by trener1

Yes it was, 100%.
There was nothing wrong with the old cable, just figured, spring time, I should get new cables.

If it worked before and it doesn't now then the shop should stand behind there work and make it right for no additional charge.

First do no harm and all that kind of thing.

dave

[dddd]

Likely the cable isn't routed correctly at the front derailer pinch bolt, passing too close to the front derailer arm pivot and thus effecting almost no leverage against the spring.
It's common for the 5800,6800 and 9000 front derailer to require high initiation force at the lever/cable to get things moving, but a mis-connected cable that doesn't pass far enough away from the arm pivot will make this crazily worse.

I recently worked on a lady's Specialized road bike where the cable exited the plastic bb cable guide into a hole in the carbon bb shell. The cable guide was installed correctly at the bolt hole but was obviously not compatible with the bb shell configuration because it guided the cable horizontally rearward where it suddenly met a sharp edge against the carbon, then traveling straight up into the hole and on to the front derailer.
She'd been back to the shop twice since buying the bike, complaining about the hard shifting, but they would tell her that it would "break in" and become easier.
The fix was easy enough, a second hole was drilled into the plastic cable guide so it could be slid rearward to meet the hole/port in the carbon with the cable making the 90-degree turn against rounded plastic instead of against a carbon edge.
So do also check to see that the cable is doing the right thing under the bottom bracket shell!

[AngryScientist]

This is troubleshooting 101 stuff here.

Bike shifted perfectly before shop changed cables. Shifting performance is bad post cable install.

Something was done improperly during cable install.

[trener1]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

This is troubleshooting 101 stuff here.

Bike shifted perfectly before shop changed cables. Shifting performance is bad post cable install.

Something was done improperly during cable install.

This is true indeed.

I was just hoping that it would be something simple that I could do myself since I am going out of town tomorrow for the holiday/weekend and was planing to bring my bike, and not sure I have time to go to the shop tomorrow morning before I leave.

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by trener1

This is true indeed.

I was just hoping that it would be something simple that I could do myself since I am going out of town tomorrow for the holiday/weekend and was planing to bring my bike, and not sure I have time to go to the shop tomorrow morning before I leave.

It's the front derailleur right? If so can you take a photo of how the cable is bolted to the front derailleur?

dave

[trener1]

Yeah the front, the rear works perfectly.
I was think that, I looked at it and it looks pretty strange to me.
I will take a photo and post it in a bit, thanks for the idea.

[trener1]

Photos