So I went to the LBS earlier and..

[gratts]

Got the guy to do some stuff on my bike, tuning gears etc.
However, I also had a problem with one of my STI levers - the left hand one for the front derailleur. Basically it took the brute force of a bash on an icy road, and hasn't been the same since.
I've no idea which exact ones they are - whatever is standard on Claud Butler Roubaix 2007..
Anyway, the shifting is kind of really stiff, like a bit of a strain on something. Sometimes it doesn't always shift.
So as you do, I opened it up over christmas(?)without a clue what I was doing, and there were a couple of plastic bits loose that came out.
I asked the guy in the shop this morning if anything could be done, and he basically said if things went wrong with them there was nothing that could be done, they shouldn't be opened up, and the levers can only be bought in pairs at about £125 each.
Is he right or can something be done? While I can still move between the 2 rings it may get a bit annoying in the long run. Hum!

 

[jpembroke]

Shimano STis are practically impossible to service. Your LBS man is right: you shouldn't have opened them up. Looking at a photo of your bike on internet, it appears that your shifters are Shimano Soras. If they are 8 speed then you can get a set for £75 from places like Ribble Cycles. £125 is what I'd expect to pay for a set of 105 shifters, Sora is way cheaper. Does that £125 include fitting and re-taping the bars? Even then, that'd be steep.

 

[peanut]

I asked the guy in the shop this morning if anything could be done, and he basically said if things went wrong with them there was nothing that could be done, they shouldn't be opened up, and the levers can only be bought in pairs at about £125 each.
Is he right or can something be done? While I can still move between the 2 rings it may get a bit annoying in the long run. Hum!

You can get levers singularly but there are very few places . First of all you need to establish which lever set you have. Let us see a picture and we can identify it.
Secondly I have no knowledge of your bike . How many gears do you have ? 8? 9? or 10?

If its the left hand lever set up for the UK it will be for your chainset which is lucky as pretty much any other left lever in that range will probably fit and do the job if you want a cheap solution. ie buy a second hand lever off ebay or here.
If you decide to buy 2x new levers shop around they are available from £50.00 a pair for Sora 9 speed they need'nt cost £125 pair

 

[Bollo]

I'm guessing they're Shimano levers which are usually regarded as 'non-serviceable', although you might find someone who's successfully fiddled with them.

This is where Campy fans get all excited, because they can be dismantled and put back together again, though its not something I'd choose to do myself.

Fitting new levers yourself is simple enough with a bit of patience. Maybe ebay for anyone selling individual levers?

 

[peanut]

if they are Sora 8 speed then you can get em at Ribble for £75 as JP says but 9 speed are only another £10.00 and I've seen nearly new used sets go for £25.00 on nhere and ebay

 

[PpPete]

Hi Gratts
Sort of confirms opinion of the LBS you mentioned the other day?

Seen quite a few sets on Ebay where one is not working quite right or has been bashed...so seller has replaced pair . you might get lucky and find a good matching left hand one with a dodgy RH hand one so price will be way down, just depends if you can wait around for the right thing to come up.

 

[gratts]

Yeah I guess it does Pete

Yeah it's 7 or 8 speed, I forget which. With a double on the front if that matters.

Can someone explain the shimano components?
Are there 3 sets, cheap, average and super duper?
So I need Sora?

It works right now, just not sure whether I can put up with it long term.
What would a LBS likely charge for replacing it?

Thanks guys

 

[PpPete]

For Road Bikes with STI levers - DuraAce at the top then in decreasing quality/price: Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, Sora.

Sora is 8 speed, Tiagra 9 speed, others are 10 or even 11 speed (can't afford them so I don't keep up with the top end specs - but number of gears has increased in each range...you quite often see older DuraAce components for 9 speed on fleabay)

Look for a model number (4 digits) on your existing shifters (and/or front/rear derailleurs) and post on here, then we'll know exactly what you have.

 

[peanut]

don't forget that Sora have had 9 speed STi's for about 9 months now.

You can buy the levers for £75 or the whole groupset for £150.00

 

[peanut]

I

This is where Campy fans get all excited, because they can be dismantled and put back together again, though its not something I'd choose to do myself.

Too flippin right

I tried fixing my friends Record ergo lever ....never again.
I ended up buying him another lever . Bits and bobs and tiny springs and widgets everywhere

 

[Will1985]

This is where Campy fans get all excited, because they can be dismantled and put back together again, though its not something I'd choose to do myself.

You know it! Just needs a bit of patience, a clear table and fresh grease. It is much easier if you use a biro or screwdriver to keep the bits in the right order too...
Took me about an hour last week.

 

[gratts]

Definitely not 9 speed.
Pretty sure they are 8, but not 100%!

What would a LBS likely charge to replace the lever?

 

[llllllll]

I might have a spare left hand Sora lever somewhere, my right hand one went some years back and I had to buy a pair to replace it. I'll have a hunt around tonight, it's yours if you need it (and I can find it).

 

[llllllll]

Found it. I think it's a triple (I could be wrong but I think all Sora shifters were triples) judging by the number of clicks, but it should work with a double. I don't think it's ever been used, though it has a few minor scratches on it where it's been knocked about sitting in my parts box.

Anyway, it's free if you want it.

 

[gratts]

PM'd you. Thanks a lot