Ultegra 6700 shifters...life expectancy?

[Oldbloke]

The levers on my bike are over 3 years old and done around 10k miles. They became very stiff to operate a year ago, were sent off to Shimano for inspection and service. There was some improvement after but they are now as bad as before.

Has anyone on here had the same problem and resolved it satisfactorily or is it time to replace?

 

[ianrauk]

Same shifters, same age, same mileage, no problems what so ever. Change as sweet as the day I first used them .

 

[accountantpete]

Easy way is to remove one shifter from the bike and click through it unloaded.

If it clicks through with the minimum of resistance all is good.

Then pop a cable in and hang a weight on the end of the cable and click it through.

If things are still good then the cabling is to blame.

 

[peyresourde]

The levers on my bike are over 3 years old and done around 10k miles. They became very stiff to operate a year ago, were sent off to Shimano for inspection and service. There was some improvement after but they are now as bad as before.

Has anyone on here had the same problem and resolved it satisfactorily or is it time to replace?

Hi, Only joined the site today, perhaps you're problem no longer applies - lets hope not. Anyway, after 3 years cycling my right hand/ rear mech Ultegra 6700 shifter began slipping intermittently on the down shifts/lower gear shifts. The problem was: the original factory grease had gotten filthy in the internal gear mechanism inside the shifter - you can see the cog inside the shifter, it has 10 small teeth I think, well stands to reason - it is a 10 speed shifter. Anyway the grease covering the cog and between the teeth was very dirty. It became a filthy,thick mess, whereby the ratchet was slipping between the teeth. When you shift the ratchet engages a gap between the teeth to give the corresponding gear. I gave it a thorough clean, by flushing it with a Teflon based spray. I then degreased it with a citrus degreaser, the same degreaser I use cleaning my drivetrain. I washed out the degreaser and dried the shifter using the cold setting of a hair dryer. To finish I then lubed the internals of the shifter with Finish Line Wet lube. The shifter was as a good as new.
Its a problem with Ultegra 6700 shifters - the internal gear mechanism is not covered. Since then I regularly clean and lube the internal area of the shifters. Haven't had a problem since and the shifting is consistently excellant.
To answer your question. I think with regular maintenance the shifters should last many, many years. In addition, never shift when the crankset is not turning. It puts unnecessary strain on the shifter. Try to avoid shifting under force or while pedaling at a very low cadence. Replace the gear cables on a regular basis. Both inner and outer cables every 10,000 km. A good round number. Who knows by following all of the above the shifters could last 20 years.

 

[Drago]

With age the original Shimano grease can become thick and stiff can cause the pawls and various moving parts to stick. A very occasional spray with ZX54 keeps things free and gently lubed.

 

[Oldbloke]

Hi, Only joined the site today, perhaps you're problem no longer applies - lets hope not. Anyway, after 3 years cycling my right hand/ rear mech Ultegra 6700 shifter began slipping intermittently on the down shifts/lower gear shifts. The problem was: the original factory grease had gotten filthy in the internal gear mechanism inside the shifter - you can see the cog inside the shifter, it has 10 small teeth I think, well stands to reason - it is a 10 speed shifter. Anyway the grease covering the cog and between the teeth was very dirty. It became a filthy,thick mess, whereby the ratchet was slipping between the teeth. When you shift the ratchet engages a gap between the teeth to give the corresponding gear. I gave it a thorough clean, by flushing it with a Teflon based spray. I then degreased it with a citrus degreaser, the same degreaser I use cleaning my drivetrain. I washed out the degreaser and dried the shifter using the cold setting of a hair dryer. To finish I then lubed the internals of the shifter with Finish Line Wet lube. The shifter was as a good as new.
Its a problem with Ultegra 6700 shifters - the internal gear mechanism is not covered. Since then I regularly clean and lube the internal area of the shifters. Haven't had a problem since and the shifting is consistently excellant.
To answer your question. I think with regular maintenance the shifters should last many, many years. In addition, never shift when the crankset is not turning. It puts unnecessary strain on the shifter. Try to avoid shifting under force or while pedaling at a very low cadence. Replace the gear cables on a regular basis. Both inner and outer cables every 10,000 km. A good round number. Who knows by following all of the above the shifters could last 20 years.

Thanks for replying.

I removed the shifters from the bike, the R/H rear lever responded well to cleaning out with GT85. The other got worse and jammed; I attempted to get at the innards with disastrous results. As I was then roadbike-less, I took advantage of an excellent deal with Wiggle for a replacement pair delivered 2 days later.

Both originals sold for good prices on e-Bay so overall did ok!

Since fitting the R/H lever still does not change slickly enough for me, changed cables (inner/outer) and other recommended actions to no avail.

 

[peyresourde]

Hi Oldbloke, I'm surprised your new right hand shifter is not performing satisfactorily. Did you apply some new grease to the new gear cable before installation? Despite what Shimano claim regarding the lube they apply to their dearest cables I don't think its enough. I always apply more good quality bike grease. Perhaps this will help. Take out cable and apply along the length of the gear cable and more at the outer cable ends in the ferule hole. Another thing - are your outer gear cables long enough? Better to have them all little to long than too short. Personally I find the slickest,crispest shift with the Ultegra 6700 is when the shift it light and fairly slow. By slow, I mean that your hands arc the lever slowly. Hope my tips help.

 

[bikeman66]

Don't suppose there could be an issue with the rear mech by any chance?

 

[Globalti]

Poor shifting is almost always caused by the short curved length of outer cable at the rear derailleur getting dirt or moisture in it and the ends of the steel reinforcements rusting. The cable is stressed and exposed to water and needs regular servicing.

 

[peyresourde]

Yes Globalti, I agree, the curved outer cable that enters the rear derailluer cut too short would cause poor shifting. The exposed inner cable needs to be cleaned regularly too.

 

[Globalti]

It's worth getting your LBS to cut you a few pieces of cable the right length or buy a length and cut it yourself. Pull it off, marvel at the dirt and rust, clean the exposed inner cable and if possible, gve it a polish with metal polish. Clean again and then run it through fingers wetted with a wax-based chain lube like Finish Line. Protect the outer cable ends with grease, Vaseline or lanoline then fit the ferrules and thread the inner through. This needs doing regularly to maintain performance.