Essentially yes, the front shifter is more or less a mirror image of the rear. The process is exactly the same, although sometimes if the shifter is really frozen or hasn't been used in many years, it can take some time to flush the old grease out and get it working again. It sounds like your rear shifter came back to life pretty quick, so I'd expect the front to come around pretty quick as well. Thanks again for the question, I'm sure many folks are in the same situation because if one shifter is not working, the other is probably in a similar state.
@@JoeyMesa Joey, You are the man for taking your time to make this video and answering ALL the questions people have! You, my friend, are KICK-ASS!! Thanks Again!!
Joey, I LOVE YOU.. You just saved me more than $40 and lots of headache rewiring my Specialized HardRock. I thought for sure my shifter was broke, but after watching your video, I went out and tried your trick and OMG!!! IT WORKED!!! Genius level stuff right here folks!! THANKS A MILLION!!
I volunteer for a charity here in the uk that fixes up old bikes, just been given 2 bikes with these shifters, all with the pawls stuck, all now working thanks for taking the time to post your video, made the fix easy and quick!!
Joey ... it's been six years since you posted this video ... and it still came to my rescue. I watched several other presentations, but yours was the only one I saw that addressed this issue as clearly and effectively. I was ready to order a new shifter...but your insights helped me fix the current one...all is well and I am grateful. Thank you!
Thank you so so very much. I had tried every adjustment needed and finally being fed up decided to take it to a repair shop which would have easily cost me 500-1000 Indian rupees. Came across your video and as advised I opened up the shifters sprayed WD40 and voila....it's working now. You saved me effort, time and money. Thank you once again.
I still ride a Gary Fisher '99 Aquila with thumb shift that was not working well, and I misdiagnosed that I would need to adjust cable tension. This was what I needed- worked exactly as shown. Thank you.
Thanks Joey, Selling the wife's Stevens 9S Mtb after leaving in the shed for 5 years. SLX front shifter cleaned with WD40 then light grease. Perfect shifting onto big ring again. Thanks from UK.
Awesomeness! My exact issue started on my ride yesterday. Free moving lever when I tried to downshift. I figured the shifter was all plastic and would have to get another one. But only one I could find would take a couple of weeks. And I am going out of town with the bike. So Went looking for a fix. Found this vid. Took me 5 minutes. Working perfectly now. Glad no one could ship fast now. This was quick, easy, and free.
Thanks so much, Joey. I had guessed that the problem was caused by lengthened cables. Instead I invested 10 minutes and cleaned the shifters of my 20 year old Shimano Deore XT on my old roadbike which I use for Zwift on a trainer since many years, and they work like straight from the factory again. Very much appreciated, particularly the no-nonsense, hands-on approach.
Thanks. It helped me a lot. I had tried three different bicycle repair shops and got the most diverse answers. It took me three and a half minutes to watch your video once, and other 10 minutes to solve the bug.
Adding to the list of those that just found this video and saved themselves either equipment replacement or a trip to the local shop. I used a little bit of Deep Creep instead of WD40, freed it right up. Blow out with compressed air and some silicone lube and works like new. Thank you!
Great video....well delivered, clear, concise instruction/explanations...good camera angles & lighting...but most importantly, well spoken and explained in an easy to understand manner.. Great job! Thanks
Thank you very much for this video. My bike hung in the garage for a few years. The front shifting was fine, bit the rear would only shift 3 gears, then stop. The only penetrating oil I had was WD40, and I did not want to use that. I sprayed some GUNK Silicone Spray inside the shifter and after about 30 minutes, it just started working. Excellent video!!!!
Awesome! I'm glad the video was helpful! I like to use WD40 sometimes to break up or flush the old lubricant out of the shifter, then follow up with some type of oil. Anyway, I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks!
Thanks Joey, I thought my Shimano ST-EF29-8 Speed on my Raleigh Tandem were done as I was out for a ride and they would not shift up to a harder gear, so I only had the front triple chain ring to work with. After getting back home, I thought I would look up this shifter and I would probably have to order another set. Then, like so many other things, I thought i'll just try and see if there is a fix on TH-cam and I happened upon your video. I have a lot of experience fixing bikes, but his shifter is a little older and I was unfamiliar with the internal mechanism. Your video made it easy and it did fix my rear shifter, so I also did the same thing to the front shifter. Thank you, you rock!
I didn't have WD-40, so I tried silicone spray. It didn't work. I then reasoned that if the issue is grease, isopropyl alcohol might work, so I put 30 ml of alcohol in a syringe and blasted every hole in the shifter. It worked! I never would have thought of doing that if it weren't for this video.
I have exactly this model shifter on my bike, with exactly the same failure. In the bike shop they claimed it is "beyond repair" and they sold me some new shifters. Now withouth having to loose nothing, I opened the old ones, cleaned them and slightly relubricated them with a thin oil. Everything works fine again. Just like in your excellent video! So there was no need at all to buy new shifters.
Hi, i wished i had seen this video earlier. Many hours dedicated tuning the gears without any progress. And your tip was a direct succes! Very happy with this solution. Thanks! Greetings from the Netherlands.
Just got my old Kona back that I lent to friend and which he never used in a decade. Had precisely this problem and this video helped me solve it. Cheers from rainy Scotland
It's been said by others, but 6 years on your advice has saved me time and money in fixing my Shimano gear shifters on an old bike that hadn't been used for a few years. Absolutely spot on and very simple. Only thing I would add is that I used WD-40 and it took a while to sink in and free up the mechanism. Thanks very much for your helpful advice!
I recently bought a used bike. I wasn’t able to shift to half of the gears. I thought something was broken and was going to replace the shifter, but I saw your video and tried to fix it myself. It works now. Thanks!
Excellent. It worked for me. Thanks Joey. My local bike shop said I needed new shifters. I bought some and then came across your video when I was looking how to replace them. Ebay, here we come.
Bought a used bike with these shifters. Worked with it like in the video with PB Blaster and WD 40 as the ’rinse’ and repeated it and both shiftwrs working. Thank you!!!! Now my daughter has a (working) bike for college.
BRUHH!!! Nothing else was that. I put "Loosen everything" to some changes that they brought me to give maintenance and yes. I work immediately. Thanks a lot. you saved my life.
Thanks! I had a different problem, but your video showing that the thing won't explode if the cover is removed and how it works inside gave me what I needed to fix my problem.
Thank you for posting this video. Very helpful! My old Trek mountain bike hasn't been ridden in years. Got it out of storage, replaced tires and tubes, and took it for a test ride. It will shift up, but not down. I'm headed out to fix the problem thanks to your video.
Great video. My downshift lever wasn’t clicking or working. I never actually saw the pawl, but sprayed the mechanism with lots of PB Plaster and gently poked all around the gears and spring, etc. with a pick while moving both shift levers back and forth. I started hearing the reassuring clicks after 20-30 seconds. Thank you!!
this is brilliant. i live in a very flat seaside area so the gears not only dont get shifted but we're stuck due to salt air....just done this and its all working perfectly... so many thanks
this was a big help my elderly neighbor asked me to look at his bike it wouldn't shift I had never worked on these before so I looked up shimano altus 10 shifter watched your video and went to work his was so stuck I used a hair dryer to heat the old grease so I could better clean it out and relube it ...thank you
Hey man, this worked perfectly, thanks for the tutorial! After some working it back and forth and cleaning out 10 years worth of dust, it works perfectly again! My thanks to you Joey!
Very common indeed. I hope this will keep people from replacing stuff that can be fixed. The sticky pawl pivot issue also may apply to older internal gear hubs, cassette bodies, freewheels and electrical switches. If a n y mechanism shows odd slowed down movement that rust or dryness wouldn't bring hardened grease is the problem. If you can reach the separate parts clean them and relube. Like in the shifter of course, you don't really look forward at disassembling it so the new lubricant sort of cleans out the old. Sometimes a pitch of heat from a micro burner right on the end of the pivot axle without blueing anything or overheating any springs can help speed things up. Freewheels and thelike can be heated to about 80 degrees celcius in engine oil or some SAE90 gear oil. Cables: The old style WD40 straw that never stays in the sprayhead(drill 2mm horizontally right up to the center and force the straw in for good-the complete head you now made is interchangable with the new Smart Straw head) fits into cables. For 4mm o.d. shifter cables use a so called "chili pepper". The braided inner cable will happily soak it up. Some lubricants are more likely to get sticky than others. The sticky winner is vegetable oil, chain spray can't be trusted, the most stable may be engine oil.
This worked perfectly, thank you. I had a really nasty stuck shifter here, that took several minutes of rocking back and forth with a small screwdriver - but when the penetration oil finally went in the gap, the pawl worked like before.
You rock! You saved my old shifter. I am so glad I did not try to take it apart. I could see what I needed from your excellent video. It was another case of a stuck pawl on a Shimano Deore DX left shifter - the 3x7 bike would not stay in higher gears after being in the attic for too long. I just loosened the bolt so I could flip the whole assembly over on the handlebars, took off the shifter cover, bathed it in WD-40, very patiently worked the pawl loose, wiped the shifter down, lubed it, and put the cover back on. Fantastic!
4 years after you made this video, I had these symptoms with my Shimano STI shifters after 10 years unused in my loft. Absolutely spot on with the remedy. Thanks.
You're welcome! I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback! The STI and rapid-fire shifters both have the same issues, but are both easy to maintain.
I was ready to get rid of my 24 speed mountain bike. All back gears wouldn't work due to shifter not working. Followed everything you did to a T. Worked like magic, I used wd 40. But basically same as you. Thank you much. All the gears work again. Took maybe 10 minutes. Smacking my forehead for all the years I stopped riding.
Thank you for this video, I had the same trouble with my Shimano STI shifter on my old Diamondback Mountain bike. The front shifter wouldn't shift to the largest chain ring. Using your technique I got it working again.
Great tips, thank you for making your video short, understandable and taking pix of the shifter while you talk (not the floor or ceiling like a lot of videos). Nice shop! I've been giving my legs quite a work out in higher gears because I put this off for so long...had to do birthdays, Christmas, taxes and now fighting Coronavirus in health care...but my vice is bike riding so had to git-r-done now because I pull a trainer with kids and sports gear!!
This video inspired me to fix the shifters on an old mt. bike that was sitting in my garage for ages, and wasn't working. I used liquid wrench, and a small pick to force the pawl to engage with the gear teeth repeatedly, and after awhile it started to work! I didn't have any green lube so just used some super lube oil and that worked great.
It works!! I hadn't use my mountain bike in about a year but with all the isolation required by the corona virus (no more tennis or golf!) I got my bike out but found the gears were not shifting. Used this video with some WD-40 and I'm in business again. Thanks!
Thank you! I bought a 90s steel frame mountain bike for 100£ a couple months ago. Best bike I've ever had, but it didnt go to third on the front shifter, and the mechanic said i needed to replace it. Glad I saw this video. I had this excact problem and it works perfectly now!
You're welcome! You'd be surprised the amount of bike mechanics who don't know or understand this. I've worked with several who would rather sell you a new one than take the time to fix the existing shifter, and it only takes a few minutes! Glad you got yours functioning in all gears and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
You are the Man! Thanks for the tips, I had a “Wingman Day” trail ride in Colorado Springs this morning with my base buddies - and had to only use the front shifter (so it was a Three speed!). This seemed to work great so next time I’ll be ready. It is a 1994 Bridgestone MB-1 with Shimano XT Deore 8-speed...
Thank you! My front shifter wouldn't click up to the highest gear and this fixed it. I didn't take anything apart...just sprayed a crap load of WD-40 into the shifter and worked the gears back & forth until it began working again. Repeated on the rear shifter and got it working better than ever!
Thanks, I forgot about this. I'm rebuilding an MTB and neglected shifter was pretty dead, now I remember to open it up to clean. This should do it and hopefully save a few bucks.
Joey....thanks for putting this video together. Very informative! I had the exact same problem that you described. I haven't fixed it yet. Will let you know how it goes. Thank you sir. Very kind of you.
Joey...I followed your instructions and the shifter works great now! I didn't have any Finish Line Lube so after I cleaned it up with WD-40, I packed some Park Tool PolyLube 1000 Grease - PPL-1 grease in there. Maybe it's a bit thick but it seems to be working just fine. Thanks again. You're the man!
Thank you for this video.Thought my shifter was worn out with years of service but this tip got it working like new.Priced a new shifter ar local store £24 this tip Priceless.Cheers Brother.
Sweet! I'm glad the video was helpful and you brought your old shifter back to life. Thanks as well for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it mate!
"See that Scooter? Thinks of the simplest things first!" (It ain't got no gas in it....) You are a genius. Thank you. Saved me $30. I had troubleshot it to know that cam wasn't pushing, but thought it was just a weak spring or worn/broken tang. My front derailleur would shift to 2nd, but not 3rd. But now it does, and I have all gears, thanks to you. Again, you are the best.
I bought a really nice used Gary Fisher this summer and kept it inside until this last week when my girl had enough and wanted it in the shed. Went to use it this cold morning n bam same thing!!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you very much for the info in this video. I have an old 1998 bike with shimano gears which weren't shifting anymore. I sprayed a good amount of WD40 and worked them some and now they sift perfectly thanks to your help. Much appreciated.
Joey, another success !!!. Thank you for posting this “fix”. Had my old shifters going again in five minutes......and five stars to you ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
Wow .. thanks for the video. I just bought a used e-bike with a speed shifter .. and had no idea how to use it. Pretty simple and well designed .. I'm saving this in case I ever need it .. thanks again.
By luck this was the fix I tried before seeing the video. Reassuring to understand what was causing the problem and this channel for future reference. I have got my bike out after years of storage which I can finally ride again after having both hips replaced and have the time to ride with Covid lockdown in Melbourne Australia.
Thank you!! Just got a bike secondhand that's been sitting in a garage quite some time and the shifters were absolutely solid. A few minutes later and they're like new!
This nailed the cause (bike on the porch all winter, in my case) and the fix, in a quick, easy to watch video. After years, my old bike's frame broke, so I'm having to learn about all the "new stuff" that came attached to my new bike.
Thanks for putting this easy fix up! I just bought a 1990s Gazelle Champion Mondial. Only problem it had was a malfunctioning rear shifter. I hoped somebody knew a simple fix, and there it was! I did as you mentioned and it works fine now.
I had to come back to say thank you again. I was skeptical, but his really works. I used WD-40 because it comes with the little red straw. ts a bit messy, so used cardboard in my garage, or you could go into the street. I have used my 21 speed front derailer for the first time in 8 years because it was stuck in the middle of the 3 front sprockets. I got dizzy on Amazon trying to figure out which Shimano shifter to buy because there are dozens of styles, so I gave up. Then I saw your video by accident and bingo. The only down side is the bike shop in town lost out on servicing my bike!
I tried some WD40 a few weeks ago without success so thought it wasn't the shifter. I watched other videos and read other posts but came back to the shifter. I obviously found your video and, while I couldn't open up my shifter case, I was able to access the hook without doing so and now I have working rear gears! Manipulating the hook was the key!
If you ever have the problem again try opening the cable replacement cover and squirting in some 99% proof Isopropyl alcohol, available at most drug stores. This will completely decrease the shifter internals, so remember to apply fresh lubricant after. It worked for me.
Thanks for this video, I used this method yesterday on shifter which was not responding after long period of bike storage. Now it works like new with minimal effort ;).
Joey, thanks for the video. It allowed me to salvage a Shimano Altus C20 on an old Trek, saved buying and installing a new shifter. The pawl was stuck, just as you showed.
Thanks Joey my Shimano Deore LX shifter from 2000 had been in storage for ages and I only had a few clicks this worked great took it apart and sure enough the grease had caked up. Works like new now and saved me some money there well done!
I have tried it ... Its same is working... But I really need your help again ....if please you can kindly WhatsApp m on ±233273991571 so that I can drop you a video it
I faced the same issue. After watching this video and hearing of dryed out lubricant I just gave a very tiny shot of WD-40 into the closed housing of the shifter (there is a gap were the shifters come out of the housing). And it worked instantly
Thanks, Super simple and super effective. My shifter wasn't working at all and then I found this tip and spayed some liquid wrench inside the shifter to free up things and then added some new lubricant and my shifter is working amazing again.
My bike has been in storage for years and when I got it out today the shifters would only engage the first couple of gears. WD and some patience and this fix worked for me.
Thanks Joey for posting this video. I followed your procedure and it worked. I was going to take it in for a tune up, but you saved me the money. Thank you!!
2022 and this video is paying dividends still. I always used to flush it with WD40, with no idea why it sometimes worked. Finally watched this video after flushing didn't work. Thank you!
This would appear to be astonishingly useful. Thanks! All the bike shops are closed because of the virus, so I am going to have to fix it myself if I want to ride it for the next months. I'll bet that you have described and fixed the problem. I shall implement your instructions forthwith!
Thanks for the video. I had the exact same problem.. bike hanging on hooks in cold garage all winter and no action from the shifter. I did exactly what you showed, but all I had to clean the mechanism was a spray can of automotive brake cleaner that dissolved the gunk. Shifter started moving right away. Lubed it with bike-chain dry lube and I am back in the saddle.
Awesome! I had an old bike stored for ten years bot shifter were stuck. I used lighter fluid with naphtha in it and they work as well as new now. Thanks a lot.
Wow! Same exact issue as shown here on a pretty nice and light bike. I was going to hvae to put on the bike rack on the car and take it in to someplace to fix (and probably not cheap). Took a few minutes to fix. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much. I have xtr shifters and replacements are expensive. I was a little weary of using pb blaster so I tried using simple green but it didnt work. I decided to try pb blaster and just used a minimal amount and it instantly worked! Thanks again!
This worked like a charm. Just wanted to share one thing. I originally figured I would just grab anything I had that would dissolve the old grease and tried degreaser (carb cleaner). The plastic on these things dissolves if the solvent is too good. WD40 turned out to be perfect.
Joey,
My front shifter is doing the exact same thing. Is it the same procedure?
Essentially yes, the front shifter is more or less a mirror image of the rear. The process is exactly the same, although sometimes if the shifter is really frozen or hasn't been used in many years, it can take some time to flush the old grease out and get it working again. It sounds like your rear shifter came back to life pretty quick, so I'd expect the front to come around pretty quick as well. Thanks again for the question, I'm sure many folks are in the same situation because if one shifter is not working, the other is probably in a similar state.
@@JoeyMesa Joey,
You are the man for taking your time to make this video and answering ALL the questions people have!
You, my friend, are KICK-ASS!!
Thanks Again!!
👍
Yes it is. Exact same procedure.
Plss do with front shifter
Joey, I LOVE YOU.. You just saved me more than $40 and lots of headache rewiring my Specialized HardRock. I thought for sure my shifter was broke, but after watching your video, I went out and tried your trick and OMG!!! IT WORKED!!! Genius level stuff right here folks!! THANKS A MILLION!!
Sweet!!! You're very welcome!! I'm glad the video was helpful, and I appreciate your kind words, as well as you taking the time to leave feedback!!!
I volunteer for a charity here in the uk that fixes up old bikes, just been given 2 bikes with these shifters, all with the pawls stuck, all now working thanks for taking the time to post your video, made the fix easy and quick!!
That's awesome mate! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it!
Joey ... it's been six years since you posted this video ... and it still came to my rescue. I watched several other presentations, but yours was the only one I saw that addressed this issue as clearly and effectively. I was ready to order a new shifter...but your insights helped me fix the current one...all is well and I am grateful. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
I had the exact issue with a 3x9 deore drive train, and this fixed it right up. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar, and I thank you.
You're welcome!
Thank you so so very much. I had tried every adjustment needed and finally being fed up decided to take it to a repair shop which would have easily cost me 500-1000 Indian rupees. Came across your video and as advised I opened up the shifters sprayed WD40 and voila....it's working now. You saved me effort, time and money. Thank you once again.
You're welcome!
I still ride a Gary Fisher '99 Aquila with thumb shift that was not working well, and I misdiagnosed that I would need to adjust cable tension. This was what I needed- worked exactly as shown. Thank you.
That's great! I'm glad you got the shifter functioning and thanks for commenting!
i did exactly the same misstake...
Thanks Joey, Selling the wife's Stevens 9S Mtb after leaving in the shed for 5 years. SLX front shifter cleaned with WD40 then light grease. Perfect shifting onto big ring again. Thanks from UK.
Awesomeness! My exact issue started on my ride yesterday. Free moving lever when I tried to downshift. I figured the shifter was all plastic and would have to get another one. But only one I could find would take a couple of weeks. And I am going out of town with the bike. So Went looking for a fix. Found this vid. Took me 5 minutes. Working perfectly now. Glad no one could ship fast now. This was quick, easy, and free.
Thanks so much, Joey. I had guessed that the problem was caused by lengthened cables. Instead I invested 10 minutes and cleaned the shifters of my 20 year old Shimano Deore XT on my old roadbike which I use for Zwift on a trainer since many years, and they work like straight from the factory again. Very much appreciated, particularly the no-nonsense, hands-on approach.
Thanks. It helped me a lot. I had tried three different bicycle repair shops and got the most diverse answers. It took me three and a half minutes to watch your video once, and other 10 minutes to solve the bug.
Glad it helped!
Adding to the list of those that just found this video and saved themselves either equipment replacement or a trip to the local shop. I used a little bit of Deep Creep instead of WD40, freed it right up. Blow out with compressed air and some silicone lube and works like new. Thank you!
Great video....well delivered, clear, concise instruction/explanations...good camera angles & lighting...but most importantly, well spoken and explained in an easy to understand manner..
Great job! Thanks
Wow, thanks!
Thank you! Sitting 20 years. 20 minutes later and im as good as new.
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Haha same exact situation.
Thank you very much for this video. My bike hung in the garage for a few years. The front shifting was fine, bit the rear would only shift 3 gears, then stop. The only penetrating oil I had was WD40, and I did not want to use that. I sprayed some GUNK Silicone Spray inside the shifter and after about 30 minutes, it just started working. Excellent video!!!!
Awesome! I'm glad the video was helpful! I like to use WD40 sometimes to break up or flush the old lubricant out of the shifter, then follow up with some type of oil. Anyway, I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks!
Thanks Joey, I thought my Shimano ST-EF29-8 Speed on my Raleigh Tandem were done as I was out for a ride and they would not shift up to a harder gear, so I only had the front triple chain ring to work with. After getting back home, I thought I would look up this shifter and I would probably have to order another set. Then, like so many other things, I thought i'll just try and see if there is a fix on TH-cam and I happened upon your video. I have a lot of experience fixing bikes, but his shifter is a little older and I was unfamiliar with the internal mechanism. Your video made it easy and it did fix my rear shifter, so I also did the same thing to the front shifter. Thank you, you rock!
Sweet! I'm glad the video was helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback!
I didn't have WD-40, so I tried silicone spray. It didn't work. I then reasoned that if the issue is grease, isopropyl alcohol might work, so I put 30 ml of alcohol in a syringe and blasted every hole in the shifter. It worked! I never would have thought of doing that if it weren't for this video.
I have exactly this model shifter on my bike, with exactly the same failure. In the bike shop they claimed it is "beyond repair" and they sold me some new shifters. Now withouth having to loose nothing, I opened the old ones, cleaned them and slightly relubricated them with a thin oil. Everything works fine again. Just like in your excellent video!
So there was no need at all to buy new shifters.
Hi, i wished i had seen this video earlier. Many hours dedicated tuning the gears without any progress. And your tip was a direct succes! Very happy with this solution. Thanks! Greetings from the Netherlands.
Just got my old Kona back that I lent to friend and which he never used in a decade. Had precisely this problem and this video helped me solve it. Cheers from rainy Scotland
That's great Nicolas! Thanks for checking out the video and commenting! I'm glad the video was helpful!
It's been said by others, but 6 years on your advice has saved me time and money in fixing my Shimano gear shifters on an old bike that hadn't been used for a few years. Absolutely spot on and very simple. Only thing I would add is that I used WD-40 and it took a while to sink in and free up the mechanism. Thanks very much for your helpful advice!
You're very welcome! Thanks for your kind words and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!!!
I recently bought a used bike. I wasn’t able to shift to half of the gears. I thought something was broken and was going to replace the shifter, but I saw your video and tried to fix it myself. It works now. Thanks!
Nice work!
THANK YOU! I've been losing my mind trying to fix the little fiddly thing. Had no idea that little guy was supposed to pivot.
Excellent. It worked for me. Thanks Joey. My local bike shop said I needed new shifters.
I bought some and then came across your video when I was looking how to replace them. Ebay, here we come.
Good stuff!
Bought a used bike with these shifters. Worked with it like in the video with PB Blaster and WD 40 as the ’rinse’ and repeated it and both shiftwrs working. Thank you!!!! Now my daughter has a (working) bike for college.
That's great! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to leave feedback, I appreciate it! Glad you're daughter has a functional school commuter!
BRUHH!!!
Nothing else was that. I put "Loosen everything" to some changes that they brought me to give maintenance and yes. I work immediately.
Thanks a lot. you saved my life.
This was incredibly helpful. I opened the case and fixed the issue within 10 minutes. Thanks a lot.
Thanks! I had a different problem, but your video showing that the thing won't explode if the cover is removed and how it works inside gave me what I needed to fix my problem.
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you for posting this video. Very helpful! My old Trek mountain bike hasn't been ridden in years. Got it out of storage, replaced tires and tubes, and took it for a test ride. It will shift up, but not down. I'm headed out to fix the problem thanks to your video.
Very cool! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Great video. My downshift lever wasn’t clicking or working.
I never actually saw the pawl, but sprayed the mechanism with lots of PB Plaster and gently poked all around the gears and spring, etc. with a pick while moving both shift levers back and forth.
I started hearing the reassuring clicks after 20-30 seconds.
Thank you!!
this is brilliant. i live in a very flat seaside area so the gears not only dont get shifted but we're stuck due to salt air....just done this and its all working perfectly... so many thanks
You're very welcome!
this was a big help my elderly neighbor asked me to look at his bike it wouldn't shift I had never worked on these before so I looked up shimano altus 10 shifter watched your video and went to work his was so stuck I used a hair dryer to heat the old grease so I could better clean it out and relube it ...thank you
Awesome! Adding some heat will definitely help the process. I'm glad the video was helpful. Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Hey man, this worked perfectly, thanks for the tutorial! After some working it back and forth and cleaning out 10 years worth of dust, it works perfectly again!
My thanks to you Joey!
Great to hear! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
Very common indeed. I hope this will keep people from replacing stuff that can be fixed. The sticky pawl pivot issue also may apply to older internal gear hubs, cassette bodies, freewheels and electrical switches. If a n y mechanism shows odd slowed down movement that rust or dryness wouldn't bring hardened grease is the problem. If you can reach the separate parts clean them and relube. Like in the shifter of course, you don't really look forward at disassembling it so the new lubricant sort of cleans out the old. Sometimes a pitch of heat from a micro burner right on the end of the pivot axle without blueing anything or overheating any springs can help speed things up. Freewheels and thelike can be heated to about 80 degrees celcius in engine oil or some SAE90 gear oil. Cables: The old style WD40 straw that never stays in the sprayhead(drill 2mm horizontally right up to the center and force the straw in for good-the complete head you now made is interchangable with the new Smart Straw head) fits into cables. For 4mm o.d. shifter cables use a so called "chili pepper". The braided inner cable will happily soak it up.
Some lubricants are more likely to get sticky than others. The sticky winner is vegetable oil, chain spray can't be trusted, the most stable may be engine oil.
This worked perfectly, thank you. I had a really nasty stuck shifter here, that took several minutes of rocking back and forth with a small screwdriver - but when the penetration oil finally went in the gap, the pawl worked like before.
Yes, some of them can take a while. Thanks for your feedback!
You rock! You saved my old shifter. I am so glad I did not try to take it apart. I could see what I needed from your excellent video. It was another case of a stuck pawl on a Shimano Deore DX left shifter - the 3x7 bike would not stay in higher gears after being in the attic for too long. I just loosened the bolt so I could flip the whole assembly over on the handlebars, took off the shifter cover, bathed it in WD-40, very patiently worked the pawl loose, wiped the shifter down, lubed it, and put the cover back on. Fantastic!
Awesome! I'm glad you got the shifter working and I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback!
4 years after you made this video, I had these symptoms with my Shimano STI shifters after 10 years unused in my loft. Absolutely spot on with the remedy. Thanks.
You're welcome! I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback! The STI and rapid-fire shifters both have the same issues, but are both easy to maintain.
I was ready to get rid of my 24 speed mountain bike. All back gears wouldn't work due to shifter not working. Followed everything you did to a T. Worked like magic, I used wd 40. But basically same as you. Thank you much. All the gears work again. Took maybe 10 minutes. Smacking my forehead for all the years I stopped riding.
You're welcome!
Thank you for this video, I had the same trouble with my Shimano STI shifter on my old Diamondback Mountain bike. The front shifter wouldn't shift to the largest chain ring. Using your technique I got it working again.
You're welcome! Glad it helped, and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Great tips, thank you for making your video short, understandable and taking pix of the shifter while you talk (not the floor or ceiling like a lot of videos). Nice shop! I've been giving my legs quite a work out in higher gears because I put this off for so long...had to do birthdays, Christmas, taxes and now fighting Coronavirus in health care...but my vice is bike riding so had to git-r-done now because I pull a trainer with kids and sports gear!!
Oh man, I definitely hear you! Good luck and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
This video inspired me to fix the shifters on an old mt. bike that was sitting in my garage for ages, and wasn't working. I used liquid wrench, and a small pick to force the pawl to engage with the gear teeth repeatedly, and after awhile it started to work! I didn't have any green lube so just used some super lube oil and that worked great.
Great to hear! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Great video. very straightforward and easy to understand. this fixed my shifter and helped save me the time and money of a trip to the cycle shop.
Great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
Saved me a trip to the bike shop. Rear shifter was doing this exact thing, now she shifts like a dream
Awesome! I'm glad you got it working and thanks for your feedback!!
i just want to tell you that i had this problem and YOU SAVED ME!!! THIS WORKED BEAUTIFLLY AND I LUV YOU BRO!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
You're welcome!! I'm glad you got the problem resolved, and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
It works!! I hadn't use my mountain bike in about a year but with all the isolation required by the corona virus (no more tennis or golf!) I got my bike out but found the gears were not shifting. Used this video with some WD-40 and I'm in business again. Thanks!
You're welcome! Another useful use of WD40! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Hi Joey, I followed your advice today and finally got my front shifter working again, thanks for the video it was really useful!
You're welcome and nice job! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Thank you! I bought a 90s steel frame mountain bike for 100£ a couple months ago. Best bike I've ever had, but it didnt go to third on the front shifter, and the mechanic said i needed to replace it. Glad I saw this video. I had this excact problem and it works perfectly now!
You're welcome! You'd be surprised the amount of bike mechanics who don't know or understand this. I've worked with several who would rather sell you a new one than take the time to fix the existing shifter, and it only takes a few minutes!
Glad you got yours functioning in all gears and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
You are the Man! Thanks for the tips, I had a “Wingman Day” trail ride in Colorado Springs this morning with my base buddies - and had to only use the front shifter (so it was a Three speed!). This seemed to work great so next time I’ll be ready. It is a 1994 Bridgestone MB-1 with Shimano XT Deore 8-speed...
That is awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you! My front shifter wouldn't click up to the highest gear and this fixed it. I didn't take anything apart...just sprayed a crap load of WD-40 into the shifter and worked the gears back & forth until it began working again. Repeated on the rear shifter and got it working better than ever!
You're welcome! I'm glad you got your shifters back up to speed and thanks for commenting!
Thanks, I forgot about this. I'm rebuilding an MTB and neglected shifter was pretty dead, now I remember to open it up to clean. This should do it and hopefully save a few bucks.
Joey....thanks for putting this video together. Very informative! I had the exact same problem that you described. I haven't fixed it yet. Will let you know how it goes. Thank you sir. Very kind of you.
You're welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback and good luck getting your shifter operational!
Joey...I followed your instructions and the shifter works great now! I didn't have any Finish Line Lube so after I cleaned it up with WD-40, I packed some Park Tool PolyLube 1000 Grease - PPL-1 grease in there. Maybe it's a bit thick but it seems to be working just fine. Thanks again. You're the man!
I got a chance to try this - worked great! Saved me a $100 trip to the repair shop! thanks again
Sweet! You're very welcome and thanks for taking the time to give feedback!
Thank you for this video.Thought my shifter was worn out with years of service but this tip got it working like new.Priced a new shifter ar local store £24 this tip Priceless.Cheers Brother.
Sweet! I'm glad the video was helpful and you brought your old shifter back to life. Thanks as well for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it mate!
"See that Scooter? Thinks of the simplest things first!" (It ain't got no gas in it....) You are a genius. Thank you. Saved me $30. I had troubleshot it to know that cam wasn't pushing, but thought it was just a weak spring or worn/broken tang. My front derailleur would shift to 2nd, but not 3rd. But now it does, and I have all gears, thanks to you. Again, you are the best.
Right on! Thanks for taking the time to write up this comment, I really appreciate it and I'm glad to hear you got your shifter working!
I bought a really nice used Gary Fisher this summer and kept it inside until this last week when my girl had enough and wanted it in the shed. Went to use it this cold morning n bam same thing!!! Thank you so much!!!
Awesome! You're welcome, and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it!!
Thank you very much for the info in this video. I have an old 1998 bike with shimano gears which weren't shifting anymore. I sprayed a good amount of WD40 and worked them some and now they sift perfectly thanks to your help. Much appreciated.
Joey, another success !!!. Thank you for posting this “fix”. Had my old shifters going again in five minutes......and five stars to you ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.
That's great!! Thanks for your feedback!
Many thanks.
I was about buying a new shifter. Thanks to you I saved 25 euros
Great 👍
Wow .. thanks for the video. I just bought a used e-bike with a speed shifter .. and had no idea how to use it. Pretty simple and well designed .. I'm saving this in case I ever need it .. thanks again.
Glad it helped!
By luck this was the fix I tried before seeing the video. Reassuring to understand what was causing the problem and this channel for future reference. I have got my bike out after years of storage which I can finally ride again after having both hips replaced and have the time to ride with Covid lockdown in Melbourne Australia.
Thank you!! Just got a bike secondhand that's been sitting in a garage quite some time and the shifters were absolutely solid. A few minutes later and they're like new!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
This nailed the cause (bike on the porch all winter, in my case) and the fix, in a quick, easy to watch video. After years, my old bike's frame broke, so I'm having to learn about all the "new stuff" that came attached to my new bike.
Sweet! thanks for commenting!
Thanks for putting this easy fix up! I just bought a 1990s Gazelle Champion Mondial. Only problem it had was a malfunctioning rear shifter. I hoped somebody knew a simple fix, and there it was! I did as you mentioned and it works fine now.
Glad the video helped and thank you for your feedback!!!
Thanks so much! I was looking to replace the shifter, and stumbled across your video. Excellent video!
You're welcome! Thanks for your comment!
I adjusted and adjusted. Sprayed it with pb blaster. Cleaned it up. And it worked. Thank you.
Great job!
just took my trek 930 down from hanging in the rafters and this was exactly what mine was doing. now i can fix by myself...thx for video
You're welcome! Hopefully you put lots more miles on the 930!
Thanks Joey, was just about to order a new shifter but mine is now working perfectly thanks to your video.
Great to hear! I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback!
I had to come back to say thank you again. I was skeptical, but his really works. I used WD-40 because it comes with the little red straw. ts a bit messy, so used cardboard in my garage, or you could go into the street. I have used my 21 speed front derailer for the first time in 8 years because it was stuck in the middle of the 3 front sprockets. I got dizzy on Amazon trying to figure out which Shimano shifter to buy because there are dozens of styles, so I gave up. Then I saw your video by accident and bingo. The only down side is the bike shop in town lost out on servicing my bike!
You're welcome! Thanks again for taking the time to watch the video and leaving feedback, I appreciate it!
I tried some WD40 a few weeks ago without success so thought it wasn't the shifter. I watched other videos and read other posts but came back to the shifter. I obviously found your video and, while I couldn't open up my shifter case, I was able to access the hook without doing so and now I have working rear gears! Manipulating the hook was the key!
If you ever have the problem again try opening the cable replacement cover and squirting in some 99% proof Isopropyl alcohol, available at most drug stores. This will completely decrease the shifter internals, so remember to apply fresh lubricant after. It worked for me.
Thanks for this video, I used this method yesterday on shifter which was not responding after long period of bike storage. Now it works like new with minimal effort ;).
That's great to hear! thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Thanks!! I just did this and my shifter works now! I had to flex the spring a little where it connects on the outside. Well done Sir - 5 stars!
Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Joey, thanks for the video. It allowed me to salvage a Shimano Altus C20 on an old Trek, saved buying and installing a new shifter. The pawl was stuck, just as you showed.
That's great! I'm glad the video was helpful for you and I appreciate your feedback!
We have an Elliptigo 8c, that's with Shimano Alfine 8speed. Thanks to your video it shifts as new again. Thanks!
Great! You're welcome!
This solved the problem in 5 minutes! Thanks! 17 year old Shimano 440 shifter on a Specialized Sirrus.
Nice!
I just want to buy you a cup of coffee for this tip. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! Thank you!!!
My bottom shifter gets stuck when i press and its moved forward a little bit and upper shifter is free
Please help me
Thanks Joey my Shimano Deore LX shifter from 2000 had been in storage for ages and I only had a few clicks this worked great took it apart and sure enough the grease had caked up. Works like new now and saved me some money there well done!
You're welcome Mark! I'm glad you got it functioning correctly again and thanks for your feedback!!
We still can't stop watching your tips... 👏👏 great and massive work ...
Thank you so much 😀
I have tried it ... Its same is working... But I really need your help again ....if please you can kindly WhatsApp m on ±233273991571 so that I can drop you a video it
Followed your example. Same results. Need I say more... Thank you. I'm grateful for your tutorial!
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Thanks. The situation went from being a mystery to being solved with the help of this video.
Awesome! I'm glad the video was helpful.
I faced the same issue. After watching this video and hearing of dryed out lubricant I just gave a very tiny shot of WD-40 into the closed housing of the shifter (there is a gap were the shifters come out of the housing). And it worked instantly
Sweet! I'm glad you got your issue resolved, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!
Thanks, Super simple and super effective. My shifter wasn't working at all and then I found this tip and spayed some liquid wrench inside the shifter to free up things and then added some new lubricant and my shifter is working amazing again.
Nice! I'm glad you got it working well again! Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!!
Thank you friend. You are a legend amongst legends, a saint, a champion of champions, etc
You're welcome! Thank you for commenting and your kind words!
My bike has been in storage for years and when I got it out today the shifters would only engage the first couple of gears. WD and some patience and this fix worked for me.
Nice!
Thanks Joey for posting this video. I followed your procedure and it worked. I was going to take it in for a tune up, but you saved me the money. Thank you!!
You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Fixed my front shifter in a couple of minutes. Thank you.
You're welcome!
2022 and this video is paying dividends still. I always used to flush it with WD40, with no idea why it sometimes worked. Finally watched this video after flushing didn't work. Thank you!
You're welcome!!
Worked like a champ. Wish I had seen before I spent 2 hours messing with them. Then I had to adjust everything back.
Nice! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
This would appear to be astonishingly useful. Thanks! All the bike shops are closed because of the virus, so I am going to have to fix it myself if I want to ride it for the next months. I'll bet that you have described and fixed the problem. I shall implement your instructions forthwith!
Sweet! Good luck and thank you for taking the time to comment!
@@JoeyMesa Worked like a charm! Just been out for a long ride - everything back to normal. Thanks very much!
Can't believe how well this worked. My problem exactly! Thanks SO MUCH.
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Hi Joey from here in the UK, great vid exactly what I needed, both front and back shifters had the same issue. Now all good and working 👍
Sweet! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Thanks. Simple advice has solved a frustrating issue today. Putting my 1997 gt karakorum back on the road
Great to hear!
Thanks for the video. I had the exact same problem.. bike hanging on hooks in cold garage all winter and no action from the shifter. I did exactly what you showed, but all I had to clean the mechanism was a spray can of automotive brake cleaner that dissolved the gunk. Shifter started moving right away. Lubed it with bike-chain dry lube and I am back in the saddle.
Nice! Glad you got the shifter working and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, I appreciate it!
Awesome! I had an old bike stored for ten years bot shifter were stuck. I used lighter fluid with naphtha in it and they work as well as new now. Thanks a lot.
You're welcome!
Wow! Same exact issue as shown here on a pretty nice and light bike. I was going to hvae to put on the bike rack on the car and take it in to someplace to fix (and probably not cheap). Took a few minutes to fix. Thanks!!!
Thank you! Saved me from buying a new shifter. That really is a simple fix.
That's great! I'm glad you got it functioning and thanks for your feedback!
I was ready to buy a new shifter. This worked fantastic...thanks for posting this!
You're welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Thank you so much. I have xtr shifters and replacements are expensive. I was a little weary of using pb blaster so I tried using simple green but it didnt work. I decided to try pb blaster and just used a minimal amount and it instantly worked! Thanks again!
You are welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
This worked like a charm. Just wanted to share one thing. I originally figured I would just grab anything I had that would dissolve the old grease and tried degreaser (carb cleaner). The plastic on these things dissolves if the solvent is too good. WD40 turned out to be perfect.
Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic thanks for the upload😎 just picked up a 2000 Marin Bolinas Ridge that has sat since 2003, both sides needed doing.
Great! Thanks for taking the time to comment!!