• This topic has 27 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by Squib.
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  • Heavy, sticky 105 shifters…
  • PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    I’m seeing this quite a lot. It’s classic symptoms of a duff cable, the shifter feels very heavy and vague and won’t shift to a bigger (rear) sprocket easily. Replacing inner and outer makes no difference, the mechs always work fine and everything else is in good order.
    When this happens to an MTB shifter I flush it out with gt85 and that invariably cures the isse, but it doesn’t work with 105.
    I’m of the opinion it’s simply wear but I’d love to know if anyone else has found this and if there is a cure! 🙂

    cp
    Full Member

    I’ve found similar on one of 3 sets I have – are they the 5700 series per chance? 5600 was fine before for me but the ratchet on those was not good.

    I’ve improved it eventually by being liberal with gt85 through every orifice I could find, and cycling the living day lights out of it with no cables installed.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Yeah 5700s every time.

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    ahwiles
    Free Member

    mr thicky here.

    that’s 10speed 105 – yes/no? Doesn’t the 10speed 105 use a smaller cable-pull-per-shift? Which has got to make for a more finicky, less reliable system.

    cchris2lou
    Full Member

    Try boiling water, helps dissolve dried up grease.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Doesn’t the 10speed 105 use a smaller cable-pull-per-shift? Which has got to make for a more finicky, less reliable system.

    6600 Ultegra is 10 speed and works flawlessly on my bike. I’ve seen comments that the 5700/ 6700 series shifters suffered due to the gear cable routing switching to under the tape, and that this was sorted for the new 5800/ 6800 series. No personal experience though.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    right, i’ve just checked.

    5600 – cables out of the hoods.

    5700 – cables under the tape.

    add to that the smaller cable-pull, and you’re asking for problems.

    at least, that’s how i see it…

    cp
    Full Member

    they work fine normally, and the cables under the tapes works fine unless they’re full of crap. as PP says though, the shifters themselves have some sort of issue, I assume wear in a bushing or something just ramps up friction.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Cycling and flushing without the cable has helped. It’s passable now, thanks. 🙂

    cp
    Full Member

    good good. mine has been OK since – it’s lasted all winter fine.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    It’s not as good as it should be. The bike isn’t very well kilojoules after though, used as a commuter. This seems to be the case with most of these cases I get.

    Waderider
    Free Member

    I have a set of these on my tourer/winter road bike.

    I also have this problem. Symptoms appear after very wet rides or after bike has been unused for a while. Only on the RH shifter for the obvious reasons. Internal friction as mentioned, not cable drag. Light oil doesn’t seem to do much. My own theory is corrosion of an internal part such as a copper shim.

    The only solution so far is lots of regular use. When I next need to replace bar tape/cables I think I’ll give them a petrol bath and re-oil.

    mayan
    Free Member

    Interesting, I just replaced the cables on my 5700’s this weekend and thought as I put them back together and re-wrapped the tape that the shifting didn’t show the massive jump that normally results from a new cable.

    I came to the same conclusion, dumped a load of GT85 in there and clicked up and down with no cable for 5 mins. Seemed to get a bit better, but the difference between old and new cables is nowhere near as dramatic as with my (older) ultegras after a cable change.

    Just checking (and I’m sure you know) – there are 2 exits for the gear cable – one in a straighter line round the back of the bars and one with a tight turn to run round the front of the bars…..whilst the front gives a nicer profile, its definitely worse for the friction of the cables.

    Next time I might try the oil batch / boiling water – has anyone actually done the boiling water without damaging anything?

    D0NK
    Full Member

    I’ve seen comments that the 5700/ 6700 series shifters suffered due to the gear cable routing switching to under the tape

    I’ve heard that aswell – on here so probably same source as ransos. no experience tho.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    I have 6700s on two bikes and have never experienced this problem.

    Thrustyjust
    Free Member

    Had problems with mine and it was the bend of the cable under the tape round the bars. Thought about swopping the bars, but bought Di2 in the end that cured it……..
    My Tiagra is smoother than my 105 ever was and that’s because it doesn’t have tight bends round bars and tight to the head tube to deal with.

    timba
    Free Member

    I’ve got 5600 105 and 6700 Ultegra. The 105 is way easier to use but also has a longer lever throw. I’ve always put it down to a leverage/mechanical advantage thing. I didn’t know about the alternative cable routing, I might give that a try

    cyclistm
    Free Member

    Am I right in thinking the alternative cable routing is only on the revised version?

    woody2000
    Full Member

    Mine were the same, rear much worse than the front unsurprisingly I suppose. LBS sent rh shifter back under warranty and the replacement has been fine so far from a shifting pov. Staying indexed seems to be the bigger problem as far as I can see – had to re-index twice already and now needs doing again – bike is 8 months and maybe 2500 miles old

    globalti
    Free Member

    FWIW Ultegra cable-under-tape shifters are vague and stiff as well, not Shimano’s finest. Is that 6700?

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    I’ve had pretty much exactly this with ultegra 10sp, no idea of series number.
    Rear lever was stiff when pulling cable. Took everything off the bike and it all seemed to be free moving but still stiff on the bike.
    I sprayed the living shit out of lever, cables and mech and something cured it. No idea which.

    velocipede
    Free Member

    I have had several r/h 5700 and 6700 level failures – something broke in there. One set was brand new on a new bike so replaced under warranty, the others were secondhand so I’d had it! I think there’s a design fault in there myself – simply a part that wears/breaks easily – but they are so hard to get into that It’s pretty much impossible to say. I’m currently running DA 7900 without problems….he says with fingers crossed!

    teamslug
    Free Member

    Problem with my 5700 105’s is more indexing on the rear. New cable and a good clean didnt make much difference. Tried a new mech hanger and that didnt do much either. It took ages to sort and its not 100% by any means now. Front one is fine.

    g123456
    Free Member

    Currently running the last ultegra group prior to the under tape cables along with the tiagra equivilant, due to the issues encountered with sram red shifting struggling with bad dirty roads and being a lot of effort for cable changes. With fresh cables the ultegra and Tiagra work well and are dependable far more than the sram was.

    bongohoohaa
    Free Member

    Hmmm. I had 5700 on road bike a year or so ago. Could never get the indexing on the rear spot on, figured it was my poor spannering skills. Looks like it may only have partly been that.

    Currently using 5800, and it’s lovely.

    cyclistm
    Free Member

    Glad it’s not just me struggling to index 5700

    vincienup
    Free Member

    I had poor shifting and excessive effort required on the front lever on my 5700.

    Front lever issue turned out to be mostly an attempt to use cable sheathing on the downtube which has no lower cablestop, simply shimano plastic bracket on the BB shell. Rear issue was mostly under-tape routing. Spent a while rerouting under-tape rather than trying to replicate what was already there, got the angles all as wide as possible and re-taped. Shifting is now basically fine. Occasional skipped gears but I’ve decided it’s close enough until next cables at which point I may add downtube cablestop trim adjusters.

    Squib
    Free Member

    I get lots of 5700’s through with issues. Mostly always its stiction in the cables where the housing enters either point at the lever body. Regardless of bars, or which route you use, 5700 never really allows for an ideal run imo.

    5800 is a vast improvement in this regard along with numerous other architectural changes.

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