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Problem with upshifting on STIs

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
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borcester rhymes
My road bike is having a bit of an issue with shifting into larger cogs. It shifts down beautifully just fine, but I usually have to shift and then push it a little on the up stroke in order to get it into a lighter gear. What am I adjusting wrong, or is this a cable issue? Bike and cable are relatively new...
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
I'm confused by your mixed use of "it shifts down beautifully" with "I usually have to shift and push it a little on the up stroke in order to get it into a lighter gear". Are you talking about the rear derailleur or the front?

Sounds like you need to bump up the cable tension a little.

Also, obligatory:

 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
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borcester rhymes
this is the rear shifter. if I shift into a smaller cog (harder gear), it clicks and shifts into gear just fine. If I pull the larger handle to shift into a larger cog (ie easier gear), it doesn't fully engage. I need to screw around with it a little, but it would seem that cable tension is OK if shifting down the cassette works well, but maybe I'm mistaken.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,928
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where the trails are
If cable tension is the issue, maybe the shifters are old and could have developed some slop, hence the need to 'overshift' a bit.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
this is the rear shifter. if I shift into a smaller cog (harder gear), it clicks and shifts into gear just fine. If I pull the larger handle to shift into a larger cog (ie easier gear), it doesn't fully engage. I need to screw around with it a little, but it would seem that cable tension is OK if shifting down the cassette works well, but maybe I'm mistaken.
No. If the cable tension is a hair loose, it'll have an easy time shifting to a smaller cog, but struggle to get into a larger one. You'll only notice problems shifting into a smaller cog if the cable tension is way off, and it's trying to double shift when you only want to shift once. Turn the barrel adjuster out 1/4 turn at a time and see what happens.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
No. If the cable tension is a hair loose, it'll have an easy time shifting to a smaller cog, but struggle to get into a larger one. You'll only notice problems shifting into a smaller cog if the cable tension is way off, and it's trying to double shift when you only want to shift once. Turn the barrel adjuster out 1/4 turn at a time and see what happens.
This.

Your cable has slightly stretched/loosened up. give teh barrel adjuster a few clicks "out" and you should be right back in business.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Ultegra by any chance?

They kind of just do that. The ratchets start slipping (not limited to ultegra but it seems like those ones do it the most suddenly). If that's the problem, cable tension has nothing to do with it. Spray some wd-40 into the pod.....totally serious. That fixed a road bike I borrowed when rehabbing a knee last year. It doesn't fix it but it gives you time to replace it, which you'll have to do soon.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
Ultegra by any chance?

They kind of just do that. The ratchets start slipping (not limited to ultegra but it seems like those ones do it the most suddenly). If that's the problem, cable tension has nothing to do with it. Spray some wd-40 into the pod.....totally serious. That fixed a road bike I borrowed when rehabbing a knee last year. It doesn't fix it but it gives you time to replace it, which you'll have to do soon.
my shimano 105's (I think) required the w-40 treatment to down shift. I hate road bikes.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
whoops forgot about this. mine are 105s, so are the other bike I was working on. that one was fixed by a cable adjustment, I should be able to fix mine by the same. i just thought it was weird, thanks for the help.