Friction Shifters issue

[Lynne Fitz]

I have the Silver shifters (bar end) on my bike. They, not to put to
fine a point on it - slip. All of a sudden I'll be on the smallest
cog, usually when I don't want to be there. I did just replace the
washers, and reefed them down tightly. They still slip. It is very
strange - they'll slip, then they'll stay where I put them for a good
long while, then they'll slip again. If I pull the rear shifter all
the way up (largest cog), it will usually re-engage. For awhile,
anyway.

I am wondering if it really is the shifters, or some other part in the
system (cable, rear der). The bike is going in to the shop, but if
there is any wisdom out there, I'd very much like to hear it.

Thanks much!

[William]

They slip suddenly and slip a great distance all at once?  That would be very unusual and in my opinion could be a faulty ratcheting mechanism that may warrant replacing that shifter.

If the shifter creeps gradually and then shifts you one cog, that's the more normal symptom with a more standard fix.  The fix for that has little to do with the plastic compression washer and more to do with the metal washer that goes on first.  The common issue is that the shifter assembly is bottoming out on the threaded post part.  If this is your issue, then when you reef down on the d-ring, all you are doing is squeezing the post, because the whole assembly is bottomed out.  The solution is to use a slightly thicker metal washer, or to add a very thin metal washer on top of that metal washer, so the assembly is no longer bottomed out.  Then snugging up the d-ring actually does something.  

The original suntours came with two thicknesses of washers, presumably because different downtube posts had different lengths.  

[Lynne Fitz]

The first is what is happening. It drops all the way to the smallest
cog, I pull it back, it goes back to the smallest cog, and it finally
decides to stay put. It has had this issue ever since I got the bike,
and I'd tighten down the d-ring and it would stop for awhile, but it
keeps recurring.

Of course, I didn't buy the shifters directly; they were part of the
components which were selected for my bike.

Lynne

[William]

Then I would for sure plan on replacing that shifter.  Call Riv and see if they have a right side only.  I have a left side only, but that's a mirror image of what you need.  

[Bob Cooper]

I too suspect a thicker washer is the solution.

Counterintuitively, sometimes when mechanical things slip, the
solution is to apply a thin layer of oil or grease to every metal-to-
metal interface including both sides of all washers and to all
threads. This enables you to tighten them more.

It would be tempting to put a wrench on the D-ring, but I wouldn’t do
that without a trained mechanic present, as it would be easy to bend
or break the ring.

Bob “With Several Set of Silvers and Suntours” Cooper

[pam]

This happens occasionally on mine too. I just tighten it and it's
fine. I thought that's the way they work. I'll be taking it in for a
tuneup and have them looked at. It only happens once every few months
and I just tighten a slight bit. I thought they just worked
themselves loose over time. Tell me if they are defective.

[PATRICK MOORE]

A little blue Loctite on the bolt's threads will fix this problem.

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-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
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A billion stars go spinning through the night
Blazing high above your head;
But in you is the Presence that will be
When all the stars are dead.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Buddha in Glory

[Lynne Fitz]

looseness of the bolt isn't the issue. I thought it was, but I'd
really reef it down, and a few miles later, the shifter would just
lose it. This has been an intermittent problem since I originally
took delivery of the bike in July 2010.

In any case, the original vendor was Velo Orange, so I started there.
I sent them an email, and they sent me a replacement right shifter!
Next weekend should be a long ride on that bike, so I'll get to verify
the fix.

Still trying to figure out why the washer between the pod and the
shifter has that stop thingy. The original washer was just round, and
I re-used it.

Cheers,
Lynne F

> For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRWhttp://resumespecialties.com/index.html

[William]

The stop thingy is only used when that shifter is mounted on the downtube.  You were right to re-use the round one without the stop thingy on your bar-con pod.  

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