Shimano bar end trouble

[Tim]

My girlfriend's rear bar end was loose today on her new blue Sam that I built up a few weeks ago. I took the shifter apart so as to tighten it, and put it back together. I made absolutely no changes except to take off the electrical tape that was holding the cable housing in place, and putting it back (we never wrapped her m'stache bars because we weren't sure she would like them, which she doesn't so we're going to Alba's). Anyway, uppon reassembly, now the indexing doesn't work right.There are only about four (it's an 8-speed shifter) clicks and the rest, in the middle, don't seem to engage. The shifts that do click will skip cogs. I turn it over to friction and it seems to work fine. I'm relatively certain that the large, silver, plastic washer is in the right place, since the notch won't really allow it to be wrong. Anyone have any insight on what I might or might not have done. I tried tightening and loosening the screw but it didn't seem to make any difference. Thanks.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

The large silver washer (which is steel, not plastic) thing can be mis-aligned. Read the directions to be sure you've got it right.

[William]

Most likely you pulled the shifter off when it was shifted up, like maybe in the 4th or 5th cog.  After you did your work, you reinstalled it in the down position, which is natural, since the spring tension in the derailer pulls you down there.  What feels like shifts 1-4 is really clicks 5-8, or whatever.  

To fix it, shift all the way to the down position, then pull the shifter and rotate it the 90 degrees to fit it back on to the square base.  You'll have to push the derailer in the pull-the-cable direction to put enough slack in the cable to let you do it.  That should restore your normal operation.  

[Tim]

So I completely took the bar ends apart, since I changed her handlebars from m'stache to alba's. Re-routed the cable and everything, but the indexing still won't work. There are only 2 or 3 indexed spots on the high end (and they skip gears) and then another 1 or 2 on the low end. It works ok in friction mode, though. I just can't figure out what is wrong. Everything is put together right. The happy thing, though, is that it works ok in friction and the GF is not averse to using it that way. I'm still puzzled what went wrong though...

[E.B.]

Tim, these are directions I've posted elsewhere to walk people through the same issue you appear to be experiencing.

This is from my experience. Note that these instructions assume you have the common "top normal" type of RD. If "low normal," reverse the HIGH & LOW in the following.

Once you incorrectly install and subsequently attempt to operate the improperly assembled barcon shifter, you've got to get back to point A. Shimano's directions for installation of new barcons even instruct the user to not operate or fiddle with the assembly prior to new installation. Unfortunately, those same instructions don't describe what exactly will happen if you do fiddle with them or the procedure to correct.

To restore the lever range and indexing action, you use the "lever boss cover" as a *key* to wind the lever back to its original position. Merely rotating the lever boss cover to its correct position won't necessarily correct the problem.

From recollection, here's how I have done this:
1. Remove or disconnect cable
2. Remove the lever and boss cover from shifter body
3. Install boss cover in correct orientation
4. Put lever in place on stud or "axle", but in the LOW position; that is, with the lever nearly parallel to the ground.
5. With either the screw in place or with your thumb & finger securely holding the lever against the boss cover, shift the lever to the HIGH position.
6. Repeat this action, if necessary, until the mechanism is restored to its original position. You'll know this when it won't rotate with gentle force.
7. Install the lever in the HIGH position and secure mounting screw. You should now be able to operate the barcon through the full range of indexing detents.
8. Re-install cable and adjust tension as necessary.

Hope this helps.

[E.B.]

[Stephen S]

E.B.

These steps worked fantastically. I too had the issue where the indexing didn't work and I had thought my rear shifter was broken. Thanks so much for posting these instructions!

Stephen

[E.B.]

Good to hear, Stephen, and thanks for responding with your success. I think doing the repair like this helps you understand the mechanism a bit better.

[Tim]

E.B.
Thanks so much! It took me a while to get back around to trying these on her bar ends. She's just been using the friction mode since, but those steps work great. Happy trails!