Suddenly gears not changing down

[keithmac]

Sounds like cable may have slipped at the derailleur.

Going "down" to 1st the cable has to pull the derailleur "up" the cassette.

 

[Amac]

Cheers guys, I got side tracked into grandad duties 😁
Thanks for all the points to look for hopefully get a chance over the next couple of days.
Thanks again.

 

[Amac]

Hi guys,
Thought after all your help I would give you an update.
Luckily, we have a Cycle UK cycle repair kitchen near by.
I thought I could get it diagnosed there then do the repair.
They said to try to clean the shifter cogs on the handle bars.
They said old grease and dirt can jam it up.
A good few sprays of wd40, kept working it, all sorted 😁
Fresh lub in there, everything seems fine. At least it was cheap 😁
Cheers for all your help, Alex

 

[itboffin]

I had that today but it was because my fingers were so cold I couldn’t operate the shifters or brakes and even now 6 hours later they have that hot feeling

I hate winter

 

[Ajax Bay]

flush out the shifter with WD40, if it's had a few years of service they can get gummed up causing problems

Credit where credit's due ^^^^
Cycle UK cycle repair kitchen:
"clean the shifter cogs on the handle bars.
They said old grease and dirt can jam it up."
A good few sprays of wd40, kept working it, all sorted 😁
Fresh lub in there, everything seems fine."
For me a regular dousing of WD40/GT85 into the shifters is part of my periodic (ie when I think about it) preventative maintenance regime.
NB WD40 spray is not 'lub': it's a WD and a gunk dissolver.

 

[Amac]

Cheers cycleops..........always good advice here 😁

 

[Blue Hills]

Credit where credit's due ^^^^
Cycle UK cycle repair kitchen:
"clean the shifter cogs on the handle bars.
They said old grease and dirt can jam it up."
A good few sprays of wd40, kept working it, all sorted 😁
Fresh lub in there, everything seems fine."
For me a regular dousing of WD40/GT85 into the shifters is part of my periodic (ie when I think about it) preventative maintenance regime.
NB WD40 spray is not 'lub': it's a WD and a gunk dissolver.

Question - I used to periodically sort apparently terminal problems on some cheapo 7 speed flat bar rapidfire shifters by taking the top plate off (as little as I could - tiddly screws screwed into plastic) and squirting GT85 straight into the works. Worked every time. I have some far better quality 9 speed rapidfires which have been near faultless for 15 to 20 years (now on their second bike) - am just starting to have problems but there appears to be no easy way of getting inside the shifters. Do you just squirt GT85 into the hole where the cable goes?

 

[cyberknight]

I had that today but it was because my fingers were so cold I couldn’t operate the shifters or brakes and even now 6 hours later they have that hot feeling

I hate winter

I cant like that post . i havent been out i a week due to the weather conditions as i reynauds so this weather is a no no on top of the obvious safety issues i have spent times actually close to crying in pain in the shower as feeling returns to extremities .

 

[Ajax Bay]

there appears to be no easy way of getting inside the shifters. Do you just squirt GT85 into the hole where the cable goes?

I'll leave you to find the way in; there's "got-to-be-a-way". The tiny screw problem is that the plastic around them deteriorates, ime so care required.
Squirt stuff into every available orifice - I have a piece of kitchen towel held behind to catch the drips.

 

[Ajax Bay]

i havent been out i a week due to the weather conditions as i reynauds so this weather is a no no on top of the obvious safety issues i have spent times actually close to crying in pain in the shower as feeling returns to extremities .

I'm in a similar boat and the temperature has put me off going out (against my younger nature of 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going'). But my chilblains are complaining.
Off topic, and it's up to you, but.
I'd recommend trying to warm your cold extremities slowly rather than in a warm shower. For feet/toes, dry as necessary as put on a warmed (on the radiator) pair of thickish socks and let the room temperature bring them back to +20 degrees, wiggling all the time (to encourage circulation). Then a tepid footbath (at roughly 40) and only then go in the shower. Have the shower on colder than normal just for your feet and filling the tray at first before turning up the dial (or increasing the hot water percentage). Fingers are much easier to warm steadily, indoors.
Rapid warming of pseudo-NFCI (eg by jumping in a shower) ends up with more damage to the tissue.
Caveat: this is all as I understand it (from a frostbitten (ie blisters) and multi frost-nipped and NFCI experience PoV). Maybe a medic CycleChatter can confirm or give (much) better and authoritative advice. Maybe it'd be worth splitting this off into the health sub-forum.
The first search hit offers: "it's helpful to rewarm it gradually because sudden rewarming of cold skin may worsen chilblains."

 

[roubaixtuesday]

reynauds so this weather is a no no on top of the obvious safety issues i have spent times actually close to crying in pain in the shower as feeling returns to extremities

I get the same, but have a magical solution.

https://www.blazewear.com/our-gear/gloves/blazewear-explorer-heated-glove-inner

 

[itboffin]

I cant like that post . i havent been out i a week due to the weather conditions as i reynauds so this weather is a no no on top of the obvious safety issues i have spent times actually close to crying in pain in the shower as feeling returns to extremities .

yeah I fully appreciate your pain, one of our group has the same his fingers were white

 

[itboffin]

Even colder today so I headed to the Savernake forest jeez I know it’s been a while since I’ve been there but it’s turned into a bog, I spent as much time pushing and riding, had way more scary slides than I was expecting including going downhill sideways at one point, no crashes for a change which was nice.

Once deep in the forest it was a lot warmer helped by merino base layer and an event material jacket with a wind proof gilet, merino liner gloves and wind proof heavy over gloves.