10 years on and I just spent the morning fixing up a jammed brifter following this step-by-step. Just bought an old bike at a reduced price because of the jam. Brilliant. Thanks RJ.
I cannot thank you enough for this video tutorial. I have had this bike on a trainer for the last two years. I took it to the local bike shop and was told that I had to spend several hundred dollars to replace everything. I couldn't shift gears any longer and decided to keep it on the trainer. After watching the video took everything apart and after cleaning and put back together I couldn't be more happy. Thanks again.
I can only agree to the other excited viewers. I don't know how many hours of trial and error you have saved me! Thank you so much for publishing this!
This saved me so much frustration,I love 80s bikes,my daily driver is an old Koga-Miyata,I found these exact shifters in a shop and bought them for the equivalent of 5 bucks,they were put as spares.After watching this,I couldn't be more happy,thank you so much,man,you have my respect!
Thank you for the guide, RJ! Two tips that might help other people following along: 1. A small roll pin will work in place of the spring tool. If you have a toolbox full of miscellaneous junk, there's a decent chance you have one in there. 2. If your shifter's big lever is stuck or not recoiling fully after reassembly, try loosening both the Phillips screw behind the little lever and the 5mm bolt on the front. Then tighten them up, each a bit at a time. That keeps the components lined up better.
As for point 1, I managed to do it without a pin at all. If you don't have one, you can make it work by putting together the whole thing, and then sliding the assembly in place from the bottom. Definitely more finnicky, but it can be done. I couldn't have done this without the video!
First, Thanks for the excellent tutorial. Second - for anyone else who finds this on google, you can use a red crimp joiner for the spring tool mentioned at the end - You don't need to remove all of the insulation, just carve/cut/grind the wide flanges off the ends so that the metal inside is flush to both ends of the crimp lug.
Worked great! Watched 3 times then did the procedure just as fast, no issues at all. I used a piece of plastic ink tube from inside of a disposable BIC pen for the Shimano spring tool; it worked perfectly. I had a broken off cable cap stuck inside, and gummed up completely. Now my brifters work just like new. Thanks!!
For all the years this video is here now, it's still relevant. Bought old, gummed up shifters, took them apart, rinsed them with WD40, re-greased and re-assembled - all good! Tip: Instead of the Shimano tool to hold the spring, you can use a ballpoint refill.
Huge Help, RJ!! You saved me a huge headache with an STI 600 shifter & a cable that had become jammed and frayed. The only way to dislodge the cable was to tear the whole shifter apart. Nice video! Very easy to follow! Kudos to you!!
Thank you, RJ. My shift cable somehow got loose inside the shifter. I was able to get it out thanks to your video. For those others who do not have the tool needed to hold the spring for reassembly, a piece of the refill for a ball point pen worked for me. Your videos are really helpful. You are my first (and best) source for bicycle how-tos.
Why is it that everytime I think of a question how to do something, you have already made a video with an answer? Thank you for your great channel. Fun to watch, and educational. Kudo's from the Netherlands.
Thank you for an amazing tutorial, I couldn't help smiling all the way through at how many layers of different components you take apart. A real operating table procedure there! Very educational and informative, and your videos are exceptionally clear and simple.
Thank you so very much. I just serviced my 600 Tricolor shifter (ST-6400) using your guide and the knowledge from elsewhere that the 600 and RSX are mechanically similar. I had a broken cable end jamming up the works. I must admit a certain amount of trepidation before attempting this procedure, however, my courage was buoyed after watching your video. I must say that your vlogs are clear, precise and easy to follow. For example I watched once for the dis-assembe and once again for the re-assembly. I really like your presentation style. Regards
Thanks man. This video will never die. Just restored a set of 105 shifters which did not work at all, after the procedure they are like new. The video gave me confidence to try it myself.
RJ, you've become a personal hero of mine. I have a left ST-A410 brifter that stopped working, having looked at the Shimano SI, I think this video will teach me enough.
You literally just saved my life because I had accidentally taken apart my right shifter just to replace a cable and I was about to die and then I stumble across your video and its literally the exact same shifter. My bike is a 1993 Diamondback Prevail tg and I would have regretted having to buy new shifters since the bike saw little use. Thanks for helping a noob.
Just used you're tutorial for a set of microshift levers. I was struggling to get the little spring back in on the brake lever. It gave me an insight how they needed to be fitted and used small dia pipe to fit the springs back into place. Thank you :)
This video helped me so much! I had a set of these shifters sitting my parts bin that were perfect for my wife's bike. I was able to convert her downtube shifting 7spd to a rocking STI bike. She is very happy and that makes all the difference!
Thanks for this video. The instructions and the footage are very clear. I have a faulty RSX. After opening it up and removing the old gunky lube, I notice that the main fault is actually that a part of that thumb-like unit that engages the down-shifter was broken. I managed to give it a shit-fix with well placed superglue and 2mm long part of a sowing needle. The broken part was not the one that engages in anything, but a part that holds it up and in place. Definitely one of the most interesting fixes I've done. Hope this fix is going to last until I get another shifter!
Thanks RJ. I am renovating an old giant which had stuck and sluggish RSX shifters. Followed your lesson and have cleaned and serviced both. Would not have been possible without your input. 👍🏻
This video is gold. I'm not a fan of drop bars, so I changed the setup on a race/road bike I recently bought to bullhorn flat bars. Got it for cheap since the 105 brifters were sticky! I'm planning on performing this operation on them on a rainy day and then sell of them or just keep them (the bike came with 105 full gruppo) in case I want to change bikes. Thanks RJ !
This was EXCELLENT!! and I can't thank you enough for posting it. I wish I saw this sooner as it would have saved me a few hours trying to get the shifter fixed. They work great now. The issue was the upshift pawl on the button was stuck and never touched the gears. All good now thanks again.
Amazing video, really good quality and attention to details i recently bought a bike with that same shifter and at first thought the shifter needed a deep clean but turns out the old owner poked a hole in the shifter so that the spring stays in place, but am working on it with little to no tools and got stuck on putting the spring back the right way hahaha but I'll manage, again awesome video we really more people like yourself on this platform
RJ thanks for posting this video it saved me. Told my friend I would fix his bike for him and it quickly became over my head when I tried to fix the shifters on my own. Keep up the good work.. Big Thanks.. Brad
Amazing tutorial. My 7sp RSX brifters have been resigned to my parts bin for many yrs (maybe decades) because no one could service them. You've given me hope...thankyou 👍
Hi. Thanks for this video. Once again you helped me quite a lot. I had a broken st-1055 sti lever last week. When I disassembled it, turned out the spring that pushes the little paws thingies was broken. So I actually had to disasseble the lever even more :D I managed to make a spring from a different one. Had a little bit of trouble assembling the parts back together, they went all over the place when I unscrewed the lever :) but managed to do that in the end. Works like new :)
IMpossible to say other than THIS IS A BRILLIANT How To video. Not only a professional bike repairer but a pro-camera man too !! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Great video! I did not need the special tool to seat the spring. Just inserted it in and used some needle nose pliers to pull it. Also, automotive brake cleaner!! Between that and WD40 got it freed up. Takes patience and some time working it back and forth. Thank you for making this great video!
Thanks a lot for making such good tutorial, this saved me a lot of time and made it possible to reuse old shifter instead of buying a new one, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I am super greatful for this video!!!
9:20 I used a regular thin part of an ampule from a ballpoint pen because I didn’t have a special Shimano tube at hand. The video is helpful! However, I had a problem because the grease had dried up, and the gears wouldn’t shift! Wishing everyone success!
Awesome. Thank you! I was able to get the spring in no problems without that odd Shimano spring tool. Just look closely at the other side to see where the spring is supposed to rest.
Repaired both of my gears thanks to your videos. Really appreciate the uploads RJ . Managed to use the ink cartridge of a plastic pen cut to approx 1 1/2 inches as a substitute for the Shimano TL-ST03 STI Spring Tool, which I couldn't find for a reasonable price in the UK (tried Shimano web site)
Excellent! just finished the disassembly and cleaning. The levers work super. I was unable to find the special Shimano tool for holding the spring but a 5/64x1 spring/roll pin works great. (note: I didn't have a 5/64 roll/spring pin but found an assortment of 120 various sizes at Harbor Freight p/n 67591 for 5 bucks) I found that backing off the spring/roll pin a little at the time of assembly will give clearance for the housing to clear the bushings and spring with the tool attached for the final pin insertion.
I came up with the roll pin solution as well. I used the 21 cent 3/32 roll pin (they call it a tension pin) from the small parts trays at Ace Hardware where I also find my stainless metric nuts and bolts.
Marc de Montbron, maybe. I think mine will either do a gear, or if I push farther, two gears. But not 3 or 4. Are you talking shifting to larger cogs, or smaller cogs? I could see it happening with going to smaller cogs if the little pawl didn't catch.
Thanks - I too did not have the shimano tool for the spring but used a small screw driver as a wedge and managed to get it back together - it's a bear but it can be done!
Thank you very much for this very helpful video. Was a bit disconcerted to find I needed a special tool part way through but was able to complete reassembly using one of the little tubes from a can of CRC . Was also helpful to have a phillips screwdriver with a shaft very close to the diameter of the brake lever pin.
Great video, really helpful. One of the pawls was glued by old grease and took a while to free up but is now working beautifully. I managed to reassemble without the special Shimano spring tool; really was not that hard. Once again thanks - saved me a load of money :)
Using degreaser alone without disassembling wouldn't do it for my right RSX shifter. Disassembling and brushing it with degreaser did the charm. Good video.
I am beginning to wonder if there is anything you do not know about bike maintenance? I just happened to pick up an older bike with the RSX 7 speed brifters that are all gummed up and not engaging...this video is perfect!!
Hi, I never comment on Videos but this time i have to. At first I want to give a Feedback on the "Tool" Part for the spring in the reassembling process. I did not need ANY additional Tool to fix the spring during reassembling. I guess if you have a calm Hand then you can Do it without easily. As far as I remember I needed to flip the lever around otherwise the spring would Fall off due to gravity. Now I want to thank you RJ for your Channel and this Video. I bought a 1998 Cannondale CAD 2 with both broken STIs. The one STI could be revived with a WD40 Flush, the other one was unfortunately a bit tricky. When pressing the big lever there was no spring moving the lever back to its original Position. It turned out that the spring did Not catch properly (under the Cover). I realized that only after full disassembly. But now the STI is cleaned perfectly and the whole Thing works like a charm now. RJ, your Channel is really one of a few I subbed to and you deserve this really. People like you make this World a little better because you do Not primarily focus on money for sharing your knowledge so that others can help themselves. In your Videos, I always discover some nice Information that I would never find on the bigger bike channels. Keep Up the great work and you really deserve the success. Greetings from Germany.
That was a great help. Thank you! Before, the shifting mechanism was totally stuck, now it's good as new. I didn't have the TL-ST03, so I cut an inch of gear outer cable and used in stead. I reckon a q-tip stick will do the trick as well.
got some rx100 shifters 2nd and now they are working superb again - i like to use 1:1 mix of wd40/sticky oil for the initial cleaning helps remove and replace the old sticky goo
Thanks RJ, your videos are A+++ and have pulled my chestnuts out of the fire on many occasions. Do you have a preferred source that has exploded parts diagrams and accompanying parts numbers that sells individual Shimano parts (bushings, springs, etc) for vintage groupsets like RSX?
I got a bike that had stoot for 5+ years (inside), the shifter cables were seized and the shifters themself didn’t do anything anymore. Actually had to take apart the entire inside mechanism of my left shifter, was quite a challenging job. Some levers that should be actuated by a tiny spring were entirely seized and even hard to move by hand. Just now I sprayed my right shifter in PTFE hoping it might work tomorrow, but I’ll probably have to rebuild that one as well
RJ The Bike Guy thanks for the link! I actually tried this but I guess I’m too impatient. It was actually really interesting to open it up and see how it works from the inside (I’m also a mechanical engineer so I guess that helps in making it interesting), I’ll try this method again for the right shifter and I’ll let it soak for a while too, thanks for your great video’s!!
RJ this took me 2hrs from start to very frustrating, but successful finish, phew! I think you must have done a few of these before this video? The trickiest part (...the pin and spring) as you describe was the most difficult, but I used a modified long aluminium anti-cable fray crimp as a "tube thing" instead of a Shimano tool TLST03 and used a small hammer to encourage the pin to drive the alignment of all the holes and push through them. If the pin had a 45° chamfer on the end you drive in, then that would have helped. It would have been a lot more difficult as a learning by doing experience without your video. Thanks RJ :-) Now how can I justify charging my customer for 2hrs of my labour though, now that is the REALLY tricky part? To be fair, I will put an hour down to my own learning experience, as I'm sure this won't be the last STi shifter I do!
If you don't have that tool for the return spring a pump needle for inflating footballs works as does a roll pin usually available from auto parts stores or some hardware stores
thank you very much for the tutorial, it helped me a lot. Do you happen to know where we could find spare parts for these kind of shifters ? I am looking the little return spring but could not find it anywhere on the web. Thanks a lot again !
I need to fix that stuck pawl also (seen it many times on mountain bike shifters) i was hoping i can free it up without pulling it all apart. find out soon (i watched the the other videos, so far didn't work with WD40 )
Thanks for the video! That was exactly what I needed and worked perfectly. I didn't have a degreaser so I use liquid wrench instead and it works perfectly as well.
Fantastic video! The high shifter would not catch to shift. Took it apart and saw the problem. Cleaned and WD-40ed. Working like new. By the way, I used the straw from WD-40 for the spring. Worked perfect! Thanks a lot for the help!
Thanks for a very good video, I like you get right to the point with no upfront promotion. Let me add one bit of information, be sure to have the shift mechanism fully released before threading the cable. I did not get it fully released the first time and had to disassemble a second time to remove the beaded end of the cable.
Great video! I haven't disassembled my shifter yet. Somehow, the end of the shifter cable got on the wrong side of the cable "hook". Is it possible to get the end of the cable on the right side of the "hook" without disassembling this shifter? Thanks!
Thanks for your video, it has been very very helpful. I am trying to install new cables on mine and I cant seem to determine a good method to do so. Thought?
I found A small plastic tube similar to what is used on the end of a WD-40 can. I push the tube in from the stem side of the shifter and then threaded the shifter cable from the other side of the shifter through the little tube. The key is saving a bunch of tiny plastic tubes!
Hello RJ. Would you know if the ST-A550 has the same bush you describe beneath the front cover and between the spring to save the front cover bottoming out against the mechanism when you fully tighten the bolt? Thanks, mark
@@RJTheBikeGuy Good Morning, Sorry for not being clear. Beneath the (face) cover which you remove with the 5mm allen key, theres the spring which assists the lever return... Surrounding which you mention there is a bushing (i presume this is to save the face cover bottoming out on the mechanism). [In this video you dont actually remove the bushing but you do mention it when it falls out upon re-assembly]. Is this bushing present in all 7 and 8 STIs of this sort of age? I have a st-a550 which lever doesnt return if the face cover bolt is properly tightened. untightened and uncabled the lever works as it should. thanks again, mark
Have got this vintage bike whit same rsx shifter, so good video, i can just follow and fo the same, thanks bro. What step put the new wire, havent figure out yet?
I have these brifters on my Peugeot Festina. Both are locked and don't allow change downs on chain ring and cassette. Is it likely that they just need a clean? It has been suggested to me that I simply change them.
Is it possible to swap the mechanical inside of the right and left brifter? Due to a handicap I only can shift with my left hand. I was wondering if it was possible to put the 10 speed reach dereilleur to the left shifter..
Thank you for posting this, I didn’t watch it all the way through and put the shifter back on the bike without realizing that the brake return spring wasn’t positioned correctly, is there a way to do that without removing the brifter from the bike?
RJ The Bike Guy I DID IT!! I flipped the entire bike over, released the set screw, and carefully jimmied the spring back to its perch using an alien key in the pin hole (the same Allen key I used for the set screw) and then slid the pin back in behind the Allen key. All I had to do was retighten the brake cable when I was done. I had just put on handlebar tape when I realized why the brake lever was acting funny so that’s why I wanted a noninvasive way to fix it.
Hello RJ It worked like a charm, and now I because of your inspiring channel I'm able to renovate my dream bike. To full happiness I just need one thing. Hoods on my STI ST-A410 are complately broken. Do you know which hoods available today will suit ?
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate that :). I will check in my local shop, maybe the have something that might fit after little adjustments.
I can declare that all those commenters that say one can use the inside of a Bic biro instead of the small Shimano metal tube for pulling back the inner spring are lying. Plastic tube will immediately bend, it needs to be metal. I'm not going to order this, so I will be taking my bike and the all the shifter bits in a plastic bag to my local bike shop, as I should have done in the first place. Helpful video, though, I learnt the word 'bushing'.
I’ve done everything. Soaking the whole shifter in white spirit, flushing it with WD-40 and I also tried with chain lube. But my right RSX shifter is still very stiff when I try to shift downwards. There is no problem while shifting up. Can you or any give me some advice how can I fix the problem? Thank you so much!
Very helpful video. Better than the usual, give a squirt with WD40 videos. Just need to sort out a suitable size roll-pin for the reassembly procedure. I have a set of 105's off a 1980's Giant CFR that have not been used much and are suffering from goey grease. Cheers mate.
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Just wanted you to know that 10 years later, you're still helping people out. This disassembly video was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much.
10 years on and I just spent the morning fixing up a jammed brifter following this step-by-step. Just bought an old bike at a reduced price because of the jam. Brilliant. Thanks RJ.
I cannot thank you enough for this video tutorial. I have had this bike on a trainer for the last two years. I took it to the local bike shop and was told that I had to spend several hundred dollars to replace everything. I couldn't shift gears any longer and decided to keep it on the trainer. After watching the video took everything apart and after cleaning and put back together I couldn't be more happy. Thanks again.
I can only agree to the other excited viewers. I don't know how many hours of trial and error you have saved me! Thank you so much for publishing this!
This saved me so much frustration,I love 80s bikes,my daily driver is an old Koga-Miyata,I found these exact shifters in a shop and bought them for the equivalent of 5 bucks,they were put as spares.After watching this,I couldn't be more happy,thank you so much,man,you have my respect!
Thank you for the guide, RJ! Two tips that might help other people following along:
1. A small roll pin will work in place of the spring tool. If you have a toolbox full of miscellaneous junk, there's a decent chance you have one in there.
2. If your shifter's big lever is stuck or not recoiling fully after reassembly, try loosening both the Phillips screw behind the little lever and the 5mm bolt on the front. Then tighten them up, each a bit at a time. That keeps the components lined up better.
As for point 1, I managed to do it without a pin at all. If you don't have one, you can make it work by putting together the whole thing, and then sliding the assembly in place from the bottom. Definitely more finnicky, but it can be done. I couldn't have done this without the video!
First, Thanks for the excellent tutorial.
Second - for anyone else who finds this on google, you can use a red crimp joiner for the spring tool mentioned at the end - You don't need to remove all of the insulation, just carve/cut/grind the wide flanges off the ends so that the metal inside is flush to both ends of the crimp lug.
Worked great! Watched 3 times then did the procedure just as fast, no issues at all. I used a piece of plastic ink tube from inside of a disposable BIC pen for the Shimano spring tool; it worked perfectly. I had a broken off cable cap stuck inside, and gummed up completely. Now my brifters work just like new. Thanks!!
Commented by R Codell. Great video. Very clear and precise. We need more people on TH-cam with such good communication skills. Thanks loads!
For all the years this video is here now, it's still relevant. Bought old, gummed up shifters, took them apart, rinsed them with WD40, re-greased and re-assembled - all good! Tip: Instead of the Shimano tool to hold the spring, you can use a ballpoint refill.
Huge Help, RJ!! You saved me a huge headache with an STI 600 shifter & a cable that had become jammed and frayed. The only way to dislodge the cable was to tear the whole shifter apart. Nice video! Very easy to follow! Kudos to you!!
Thank you, RJ. My shift cable somehow got loose inside the shifter. I was able to get it out thanks to your video. For those others who do not have the tool needed to hold the spring for reassembly, a piece of the refill for a ball point pen worked for me.
Your videos are really helpful. You are my first (and best) source for bicycle how-tos.
Was your refill tube the thick plastic from a old Bic pen or should we find a metal tube to hold the tension of the spring forcefully?
The tool I used is more or less a repackaged "roll pin". Google images of "roll pin" to see what I am talking about.
Great tutorial. I replaced the pin with an old cable sheath and it worked exactly the same as the pin. Super!
Thanks for posting this…that spring under the cover was what I needed to replace and you made it super clear how to do it. Thank you.
Why is it that everytime I think of a question how to do something, you have already made a video with an answer?
Thank you for your great channel. Fun to watch, and educational.
Kudo's from the Netherlands.
Thank you for an amazing tutorial, I couldn't help smiling all the way through at how many layers of different components you take apart. A real operating table procedure there! Very educational and informative, and your videos are exceptionally clear and simple.
Great tutorial, with the help of your tutorial I was able to get my 20 year old 105 shifters working again. Thanks
Thank you so very much. I just serviced my 600 Tricolor shifter (ST-6400) using your guide and the knowledge from elsewhere that the 600 and RSX are mechanically similar. I had a broken cable end jamming up the works. I must admit a certain amount of trepidation before attempting this procedure, however, my courage was buoyed after watching your video. I must say that your vlogs are clear, precise and easy to follow. For example I watched once for the dis-assembe and once again for the re-assembly. I really like your presentation style. Regards
Thanks man. This video will never die. Just restored a set of 105 shifters which did not work at all, after the procedure they are like new. The video gave me confidence to try it myself.
RJ, you've become a personal hero of mine. I have a left ST-A410 brifter that stopped working, having looked at the Shimano SI, I think this video will teach me enough.
You literally just saved my life because I had accidentally taken apart my right shifter just to replace a cable and I was about to die and then I stumble across your video and its literally the exact same shifter. My bike is a 1993 Diamondback Prevail tg and I would have regretted having to buy new shifters since the bike saw little use. Thanks for helping a noob.
Still relevant after all this time. Found it SUPER HELPFUL for the Shimano 600 brifters on my garage sale Trek OCLV.
Just used you're tutorial for a set of microshift levers. I was struggling to get the little spring back in on the brake lever. It gave me an insight how they needed to be fitted and used small dia pipe to fit the springs back into place.
Thank you :)
My Shimao STI600 (Right ST-6400) works again! Your video is great and your instructions are very good to follow.
Big thanks from Germany, Frankfurt
This video helped me so much! I had a set of these shifters sitting my parts bin that were perfect for my wife's bike. I was able to convert her downtube shifting 7spd to a rocking STI bike. She is very happy and that makes all the difference!
This video save me from purchasing a beat up vintage shifter from eBay...Many thanks!
Thanks for this video. The instructions and the footage are very clear.
I have a faulty RSX. After opening it up and removing the old gunky lube, I notice that the main fault is actually that a part of that thumb-like unit that engages the down-shifter was broken. I managed to give it a shit-fix with well placed superglue and 2mm long part of a sowing needle. The broken part was not the one that engages in anything, but a part that holds it up and in place. Definitely one of the most interesting fixes I've done. Hope this fix is going to last until I get another shifter!
If it works, great!
Thanks RJ. I am renovating an old giant which had stuck and sluggish RSX shifters. Followed your lesson and have cleaned and serviced both. Would not have been possible without your input. 👍🏻
This video is gold. I'm not a fan of drop bars, so I changed the setup on a race/road bike I recently bought to bullhorn flat bars. Got it for cheap since the 105 brifters were sticky! I'm planning on performing this operation on them on a rainy day and then sell of them or just keep them (the bike came with 105 full gruppo) in case I want to change bikes. Thanks RJ !
This was EXCELLENT!! and I can't thank you enough for posting it. I wish I saw this sooner as it would have saved me a few hours trying to get the shifter fixed. They work great now. The issue was the upshift pawl on the button was stuck and never touched the gears. All good now thanks again.
You can fix them without taking them apart. Check out my video here: How To Fix STI Shifters (Brifters) That Won't Shift
shyflirt1
I actually tried that but since it was the lower pawl that was totally stuck i could not free it until i got it apart.
Ahh. Glad you got it!
Amazing video, really good quality and attention to details i recently bought a bike with that same shifter and at first thought the shifter needed a deep clean but turns out the old owner poked a hole in the shifter so that the spring stays in place, but am working on it with little to no tools and got stuck on putting the spring back the right way hahaha but I'll manage, again awesome video we really more people like yourself on this platform
RJ thanks for posting this video it saved me. Told my friend I would fix his bike for him and it quickly became over my head when I tried to fix the shifters on my own. Keep up the good work..
Big Thanks..
Brad
Amazing tutorial. My 7sp RSX brifters have been resigned to my parts bin for many yrs (maybe decades) because no one could service them. You've given me hope...thankyou 👍
th-cam.com/video/rOxK9TZaevY/w-d-xo.html
You're a life-saver RJ. Thank you.
I'm assuming these shifters do not have an adjustable reach?
Thanks for the video. Repaired today, didn’t use any tool for the spring. Just put it easily in the right position without the spring going off.
Thanx for the video. The little spring tool wasnt needed at all. Worst part was getting that pin back in to place lol.
Hi. Thanks for this video. Once again you helped me quite a lot. I had a broken st-1055 sti lever last week. When I disassembled it, turned out the spring that pushes the little paws thingies was broken. So I actually had to disasseble the lever even more :D I managed to make a spring from a different one. Had a little bit of trouble assembling the parts back together, they went all over the place when I unscrewed the lever :) but managed to do that in the end. Works like new :)
Amazing tutorial, so detailed, easy to see everything, no time wasted, thank you!
IMpossible to say other than THIS IS A BRILLIANT How To video. Not only a professional bike repairer but a pro-camera man too !!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Thanks! I have put a lot of effort trying to getting good camera shots.
Very helpful for me trying to diagnose a stuck Shimano RSX brifter thanks!
Great video! I did not need the special tool to seat the spring. Just inserted it in and used some needle nose pliers to pull it. Also, automotive brake cleaner!! Between that and WD40 got it freed up. Takes patience and some time working it back and forth. Thank you for making this great video!
I don't recommend brake cleaners. Some of them will melt the plastic parts.
Thanks a lot for making such good tutorial, this saved me a lot of time and made it possible to reuse old shifter instead of buying a new one, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I am super greatful for this video!!!
Nice! That spring under that front cover gave me soooo much grief the first time I took my 105 1055 levers apart!
Thanks yet again , my 1995 Peugeot “rolls” again , great shifters .
Thanks for all your efforts and passing on your knowledge .
9:20 I used a regular thin part of an ampule from a ballpoint pen because I didn’t have a special Shimano tube at hand. The video is helpful! However, I had a problem because the grease had dried up, and the gears wouldn’t shift! Wishing everyone success!
Awesome. Thank you! I was able to get the spring in no problems without that odd Shimano spring tool. Just look closely at the other side to see where the spring is supposed to rest.
Repaired both of my gears thanks to your videos. Really appreciate the uploads RJ . Managed to use the ink cartridge of a plastic pen cut to approx 1 1/2 inches as a substitute for the Shimano TL-ST03 STI Spring Tool, which I couldn't find for a reasonable price in the UK (tried Shimano web site)
Excellent! just finished the disassembly and cleaning. The levers work super.
I was unable to find the special Shimano tool for holding the spring but a 5/64x1 spring/roll pin works great. (note: I didn't have a 5/64 roll/spring pin but found an assortment of 120 various sizes at Harbor Freight p/n 67591 for 5 bucks) I found that backing off the spring/roll pin a little at the time of assembly will give clearance for the housing to clear the bushings and spring with the tool attached for the final pin insertion.
That's basically all the Shimano tool is.
I came up with the roll pin solution as well. I used the 21 cent 3/32 roll pin (they call it a tension pin) from the small parts trays at Ace Hardware where I also find my stainless metric nuts and bolts.
Marc de Montbron, maybe. I think mine will either do a gear, or if I push farther, two gears. But not 3 or 4. Are you talking shifting to larger cogs, or smaller cogs? I could see it happening with going to smaller cogs if the little pawl didn't catch.
Thanks - I too did not have the shimano tool for the spring but used a small screw driver as a wedge and managed to get it back together - it's a bear but it can be done!
Thank you very much for this very helpful video. Was a bit disconcerted to find I needed a special tool part way through but was able to complete reassembly using one of the little tubes from a can of CRC . Was also helpful to have a phillips screwdriver with a shaft very close to the diameter of the brake lever pin.
Great video, really helpful. One of the pawls was glued by old grease and took a while to free up but is now working beautifully. I managed to reassemble without the special Shimano spring tool; really was not that hard. Once again thanks - saved me a load of money :)
Peter Herron how did you do it without the tool I am having hard time here figuring it out. I would appreciate if you could tell.
murat öğücü You might be able to try a bit of the plastic ink tube from inside a ball point pen.
Using degreaser alone without disassembling wouldn't do it for my right RSX shifter. Disassembling and brushing it with degreaser did the charm. Good video.
I am beginning to wonder if there is anything you do not know about bike maintenance? I just happened to pick up an older bike with the RSX 7 speed brifters that are all gummed up and not engaging...this video is perfect!!
th-cam.com/video/rOxK9TZaevY/w-d-xo.html
a wonderful tutorial. It has helped me repair my old bike. Does anyone know where to find the tires or cover for these shiters? thank you
Hi, I never comment on Videos but this time i have to. At first I want to give a Feedback on the "Tool" Part for the spring in the reassembling process. I did not need ANY additional Tool to fix the spring during reassembling. I guess if you have a calm Hand then you can Do it without easily. As far as I remember I needed to flip the lever around otherwise the spring would Fall off due to gravity.
Now I want to thank you RJ for your Channel and this Video. I bought a 1998 Cannondale CAD 2 with both broken STIs. The one STI could be revived with a WD40 Flush, the other one was unfortunately a bit tricky. When pressing the big lever there was no spring moving the lever back to its original Position. It turned out that the spring did Not catch properly (under the Cover). I realized that only after full disassembly. But now the STI is cleaned perfectly and the whole Thing works like a charm now.
RJ, your Channel is really one of a few I subbed to and you deserve this really. People like you make this World a little better because you do Not primarily focus on money for sharing your knowledge so that others can help themselves. In your Videos, I always discover some nice Information that I would never find on the bigger bike channels.
Keep Up the great work and you really deserve the success.
Greetings from Germany.
Cool! Thanks!
hello thanks you for the video. 5:19 my shifter doesn t come back like your. what can i do ? thanks you
WOW YOU SAVED MY LIFE with this video!! (not literally but still... )
That was a great help. Thank you!
Before, the shifting mechanism was totally stuck, now it's good as new.
I didn't have the TL-ST03, so I cut an inch of gear outer cable and used in stead.
I reckon a q-tip stick will do the trick as well.
RuneRexx Maybe the plastic part from the inside of a ball point pen?
Thank you man for the Great work, got my bike back on the Road .
This is really well explained. Nice work.
got some rx100 shifters 2nd and now they are working superb again - i like to use 1:1 mix of wd40/sticky oil for the initial cleaning helps remove and replace the old sticky goo
Another bike part saved with your help. Thank you s much.
Thank you very much RJ, this video helped me fix my RSX shifter ... great video :-)
Thanks RJ, your videos are A+++ and have pulled my chestnuts out of the fire on many occasions. Do you have a preferred source that has exploded parts diagrams and accompanying parts numbers that sells individual Shimano parts (bushings, springs, etc) for vintage groupsets like RSX?
Brilliant video and very helpfull! Instead of the Shimano special tool i cut of 2,5 centimeters of a plastic straw from an oil spray :-)
This was SOOOO helpful! - Many Thanks for posting!
Any thougts on converting thes into classic downtube level shifters? (Even into a friction shifter?)
I got a bike that had stoot for 5+ years (inside), the shifter cables were seized and the shifters themself didn’t do anything anymore. Actually had to take apart the entire inside mechanism of my left shifter, was quite a challenging job. Some levers that should be actuated by a tiny spring were entirely seized and even hard to move by hand. Just now I sprayed my right shifter in PTFE hoping it might work tomorrow, but I’ll probably have to rebuild that one as well
th-cam.com/video/rOxK9TZaevY/w-d-xo.html
RJ The Bike Guy thanks for the link! I actually tried this but I guess I’m too impatient. It was actually really interesting to open it up and see how it works from the inside (I’m also a mechanical engineer so I guess that helps in making it interesting), I’ll try this method again for the right shifter and I’ll let it soak for a while too, thanks for your great video’s!!
RJ this took me 2hrs from start to very frustrating, but successful finish, phew! I think you must have done a few of these before this video? The trickiest part (...the pin and spring) as you describe was the most difficult, but I used a modified long aluminium anti-cable fray crimp as a "tube thing" instead of a Shimano tool TLST03 and used a small hammer to encourage the pin to drive the alignment of all the holes and push through them. If the pin had a 45° chamfer on the end you drive in, then that would have helped. It would have been a lot more difficult as a learning by doing experience without your video. Thanks RJ :-) Now how can I justify charging my customer for 2hrs of my labour though, now that is the REALLY tricky part? To be fair, I will put an hour down to my own learning experience, as I'm sure this won't be the last STi shifter I do!
If you don't have that tool for the return spring a pump needle for inflating footballs works as does a roll pin usually available from auto parts stores or some hardware stores
thank you very much for the tutorial, it helped me a lot. Do you happen to know where we could find spare parts for these kind of shifters ? I am looking the little return spring but could not find it anywhere on the web. Thanks a lot again !
Excellent video, just what I was looking for!
Thanks for sharing
I need to fix that stuck pawl also (seen it many times on mountain bike shifters) i was hoping i can free it up without pulling it all apart. find out soon (i watched the the other videos, so far didn't work with WD40 )
Thanks for the video! That was exactly what I needed and worked perfectly. I didn't have a degreaser so I use liquid wrench instead and it works perfectly as well.
Fantastic video! The high shifter would not catch to shift. Took it apart and saw the problem. Cleaned and WD-40ed. Working like new. By the way, I used the straw from WD-40 for the spring. Worked perfect! Thanks a lot for the help!
+phmadasan I also have this problem, I will try that !
Helps a lot. Thanks for posting this 👍🏽
Thanks for a very good video, I like you get right to the point with no upfront promotion. Let me add one bit of information, be sure to have the shift mechanism fully released before threading the cable. I did not get it fully released the first time and had to disassemble a second time to remove the beaded end of the cable.
Thanks RJ thanks to the video I fixed two couples
Many thanks for this, but how do you detach the brake cable from the shifter?
The slide out the front. Here I am installing a brake cable: th-cam.com/video/s8UvjI_lPtU/w-d-xo.html
Great video! I haven't disassembled my shifter yet. Somehow, the end of the shifter cable got on the wrong side of the cable "hook". Is it possible to get the end of the cable on the right side of the "hook" without disassembling this shifter? Thanks!
Not sure exactly what you mean. Maybe th-cam.com/video/airxYuGAQhE/w-d-xo.html
@@RJTheBikeGuy Got it! Used a dental pick with some persistence. Thanks!
Great video. Any suggestions for the best solvent to use to thoroughly clean the inner workings? Mineral spirits? WD-40? Brake cleaner or alcohol?
+Phil Harriau I use WD-40 or citrus degreaser. Followed up by a good lubricant like tri flow. DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER.
Thanks for your video, it has been very very helpful. I am trying to install new cables on mine and I cant seem to determine a good method to do so. Thought?
I found A small plastic tube similar to what is used on the end of a WD-40 can. I push the tube in from the stem side of the shifter and then threaded the shifter cable from the other side of the shifter through the little tube. The key is saving a bunch of tiny plastic tubes!
Hello RJ. Would you know if the ST-A550 has the same bush you describe beneath the front cover and between the spring to save the front cover bottoming out against the mechanism when you fully tighten the bolt? Thanks, mark
Sorry, I don't know what you are asking.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Good Morning, Sorry for not being clear. Beneath the (face) cover which you remove with the 5mm allen key, theres the spring which assists the lever return... Surrounding which you mention there is a bushing (i presume this is to save the face cover bottoming out on the mechanism). [In this video you dont actually remove the bushing but you do mention it when it falls out upon re-assembly]. Is this bushing present in all 7 and 8 STIs of this sort of age? I have a st-a550 which lever doesnt return if the face cover bolt is properly tightened. untightened and uncabled the lever works as it should. thanks again, mark
Have got this vintage bike whit same rsx shifter, so good video, i can just follow and fo the same, thanks bro.
What step put the new wire, havent figure out yet?
th-cam.com/video/kVLmpBpC0vU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks man i got it.. you are the bike king!!!
I have these brifters on my Peugeot Festina. Both are locked and don't allow change downs on chain ring and cassette. Is it likely that they just need a clean? It has been suggested to me that I simply change them.
If they clicking/catching, try cleaning and lubing. th-cam.com/video/tFmqV4klzaY/w-d-xo.html
This was great! Thanks a lot! 😊
Is it possible to swap the mechanical inside of the right and left brifter? Due to a handicap I only can shift with my left hand. I was wondering if it was possible to put the 10 speed reach dereilleur to the left shifter..
No.
Looks very tricky...I wonder if it would be less expensive just to buy new ones?
Shimano everything are very best .everybody love you.well done.good old man.
do you have a video of repairing and reassembling a shimano st4400 shifter, mine broke and i took it apart and reassembled it but it didn't work😂
Hey RJ, great video. Much appreciated!
Thank you for posting this, I didn’t watch it all the way through and put the shifter back on the bike without realizing that the brake return spring wasn’t positioned correctly, is there a way to do that without removing the brifter from the bike?
Probably not.
RJ The Bike Guy I DID IT!! I flipped the entire bike over, released the set screw, and carefully jimmied the spring back to its perch using an alien key in the pin hole (the same Allen key I used for the set screw) and then slid the pin back in behind the Allen key. All I had to do was retighten the brake cable when I was done. I had just put on handlebar tape when I realized why the brake lever was acting funny so that’s why I wanted a noninvasive way to fix it.
@@dafiltafish Cool.
Hello RJ It worked like a charm, and now I because of your inspiring channel I'm able to renovate my dream bike. To full happiness I just need one thing. Hoods on my STI ST-A410 are complately broken. Do you know which hoods available today will suit ?
You need hoods made for these shifters.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate that :). I will check in my local shop, maybe the have something that might fit after little adjustments.
I can declare that all those commenters that say one can use the inside of a Bic biro instead of the small Shimano metal tube for pulling back the inner spring are lying. Plastic tube will immediately bend, it needs to be metal. I'm not going to order this, so I will be taking my bike and the all the shifter bits in a plastic bag to my local bike shop, as I should have done in the first place.
Helpful video, though, I learnt the word 'bushing'.
Hi, would it be the same process to take a 600Tri STI apart? Thanks awesome video.
Probably similar. I don't recommend taking them apart if you don't have to.
I’ve done everything. Soaking the whole shifter in white spirit, flushing it with WD-40 and I also tried with chain lube. But my right RSX shifter is still very stiff when I try to shift downwards. There is no problem while shifting up.
Can you or any give me some advice how can I fix the problem?
Thank you so much!
Да это же просто кусочек антенны от радиоприёмника! Ну или стержень от шариковой ручки. 😁😜🤗
Very helpful video. Better than the usual, give a squirt with WD40 videos. Just need to sort out a suitable size roll-pin for the reassembly procedure. I have a set of 105's off a 1980's Giant CFR that have not been used much and are suffering from goey grease. Cheers mate.