STI shifters

[divingbiker]

I just got the drop handlebars and women's STI shifters/brake levers put back on my 05 Specialized Sequoia Comp. (Long story, but basically I was a weenie and thought I wanted to sit upright and use straight bars and twist shifters until I did a week-long ride and realized what a painful mistake I had made.) I did a ride this morning and love love love the new setup, except for one thing: I have a heckuva time shifting from the front middle ring to the big ring. In fact, it's pretty much impossible. My wrists and fingers just don't have the oomph to push the shift lever. Is it supposed to be that hard?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Janice

[KnottedYet]

If you can't shift it at all (even at a stop, just to see if the lever will even move) you might need to take it back and have the shop readjust it.

Otherwise, maybe the STI are just too big for your hands. Several women on TE have said they use Campy because the levers are easier to use with smaller hands. A couple folks are using shims for the braking, but I don't know if that would help with the shifting.

I'm planning to put friction levers on my downtube when I do my Soma build. Just call me "curmudgeon."

[divingbiker]

It will shift, but it's very difficult. In fact, one time I had to reach over with my right hand and pull it to get it to shift. Not very safe.

I guess my question is whether the stiffness in the shift levers is normal. My LBS says it is. If it's just me, I guess I'll just have to live with it.

[KnottedYet]

I had STI on my Trek. Nothing AT ALL like what you describe. Not stiffness. Long distance to push the lever, maybe, but never stiffness, even when it was new.

There is a TE named DebW who explains bike mechanics really well. Try sending her a PM and ask what she thinks.

I don't think it sounds like "just you".

[Triskeliongirl]

It sounds like you all you need to do is adjust the limit screw to allow the derailleur to travel further out before stopping. Derailleur adjustments are really easy, You just need to tell the derailleur how far its allowed to move with each click. I found Zinn's bike on road bike maintenance really helpful. You can't rely on your LBS to make these minor adjustments. You wouldn't take a violin to a music shop to be tuned daily, a bike is the same way.

[divingbiker]

OK, thanks. I'll try both of your suggestions. Maybe when I ride today my hands will suddenly be stronger and the problem will go away!

[ridebikeme]

Your front shifter shoule NOT shift that hard... it could be a couple of things. First, perhaps the cable tension is a bit too tight, and more than likely, it would be a quick fix at your LBS. The other thing that you could do make things abit easier, is have your LBS install a teflon coated cable... it slides through the cable housing easier(black stuff over your cables) and a lot less friction to move the shifter. They generally cost between $8-$10, but are worth their weight in gold. If you happen to get caught in the rain with the bike, the teflon cables also don't get affected with road grime as much either.

Lastly, if you take the bike into the shop, be prepared to ride tthe bike once they are finished with it. Bikes that are adjusted on a work stand can quite often times work really well, but once pressure is applied to the pedals it can change things...that way you'll be able to solve any problems before going home.

Have fun!!

[divingbiker]

Finally, my STI shifters work properly. It turns out the front cable was routed wrong (over a tab when it should have been under, or some such thing) and after they fixed it last week, voila! I can shift the gears! Yesterday I took it back in for some fine tuning on the middle ring shifting and this morning it worked perfectly.

The guy who has said "it's just me" for the past 8 months continued to say there was nothing wrong with it but yesterday he had another mechanic look at it and he adjusted it. Now it shifts like butter.

They're so sick of me at the LBS. If they didn't offer free tune-ups I'd switch to another shop.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice last month!

[mimitabby]

well, good for you for being persistent! Just you indeed! :mad: