I noticed on my ride today that my LX shifters are getting sticky/gummy in the cold. Time to clean/relube them.
My question is what's your favorite lube to use in them?
The last time I had this problem I cleaned them out with WD 40 and lubed them with whatever chain lube I happened to have on hand at the time. It worked...sorta. It was better than it was before, at least. This time I want to do it better. So is there anything approaching a consensus about the best lube to use inside shifters?
White Lightning Clean Streak is hands down the best I've used for cleaning them, leaves virtually no residue. I've had good results using Tri-flo spray for lube.
Talked to my LBS today. They had a bike on the stand they had just done this very work on, and they also recommended Clean Streak, so I picked up a bottle.
The mech also said he liked Phil's Tenacious Oil in there for the lube, so I grabbed some of that, too. I thought about getting the Tri-flo instead but the mech justified his preference by saying the Tenacious Oil clings to the parts better.
I typically used a regular degreaser to clean out all the old crappy stuff and then would use the 3in1 lithium spray grease to re lube it. But for winter time I would probably suggest some lighter weight lube like a regular 3in1 or something similar.
Best long term solution I have found -- Spend a few bucks and buy a set of PTFE teflon coated shifter cables. Clean your cable housings by spraying WD40 inside until it flushes all the loose dirt out. Blow out the housings with compressed air (or allow them to 'drip dry') and install the teflon coated cables. This will last many times longer than trying to clean/lube uncoated cables, and you will be amazed at the improvement in shifting performance. You should not need to lube the teflon coated cables.
Best long term solution I have found -- Spend a few bucks and buy a set of PTFE teflon coated shifter cables. Clean your cable housings by spraying WD40 inside until it flushes all the loose dirt out. Blow out the housings with compressed air (or allow them to 'drip dry') and install the teflon coated cables. This will last many times longer than trying to clean/lube uncoated cables, and you will be amazed at the improvement in shifting performance. You should not need to lube the teflon coated cables.
You don't know what I'm talking about, do you? Fyi, when Shimano's shifter lube gets old or contaminated with water, it gets gummy and sticky and can actually render the shifters useless in subfreezing temps. I have also seen this happen in freehubs so the pawls won't engage. I worked in a shop in Michigan for awhile and saw what happens to bikes that get ridden year round in all conditions.
I run fully sealed Gore Ride-On cables that are butter smooth when it's warm and my shifters are working well. My problem is the aforementioned one where the lube in the shifters (like I said in my first post) becomes gummy and sticky in subfreezing temps. The solution is to clean them and relube them. It is an issue irrespective of the cables.
The shifters are otherwise fine and do not warrant replacing yet.
1. spray PB Blaster in that shifter, just in case there's any issues that the next 2 won't solve.
2. spray clean streak in shifter.
3. spray tri flow in shifter.
all 3 steps should have fluid sprayed from both the cable insertion and exit points. then run through the full range of index clicks. you can blow out with comressed air between steps if you need to, but leave the tri flow.
it's a messy job, so have rags on hand, but you'll get another year out of your shifters for 5 bucks and 5 minutes before you have to do it again.
Tri Flow works great. It's very thin and will do a great job in the cold. You'll have to re-apply more often than a thicker lube but it will work in low temperatures better. Tri Flow also breaks up a bit of old grease which causes the stickiness. If it's really sticky, hit it with a solvent like WD-40 before applying Tri Flow.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
15.4M posts
515.2K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!