my cable was so bad it couldnt shift down the last 3 gears. This man did the one thing the big channels didnt do and it potentially saved me hours of messing around with no end in sight
Echoing others, many thanks! I've spent a lot of time in the past picking broken cable heads out of shifters. Undid the screw, pulled off the plastic piece, and it fell right out. Seriously saved me a lot of headache. THANK YOU! Your videos are great!
I did this step-by-step on a Salsa Warbird with GRX-810 and it was spot on. Thanks for the great lesson. One thing I learned from reading many comments on this topic is that if you suddenly can't shit into the smallest rear sprocket it's likely your cable is frayed. Fix it before you break on a long ride!
Was in the process of replacing my rear derailleur cable (following another video from this channel) when I ran into the problem of frayed cable in front housing, AND could not shift away from largest rear cassette gear. So paused the first video, followed this one, which solved the problem, and returned to the regularly scheduled programming. This is like having a Shimano bicycle mechanic in my home garage. My bike is back in good shape and ready to roll!👍
This video helped me a lot when I got stumped in my repairs, and I feel like I learned a lot about bicycle shifters by watching this. Thank you for making this.
Thank you so much. I couldn't figure out how to extract the end of the frayed derailleur cable, which had broken exactly where you said it would. Very straight forward and clear instructions.
Money! Sweet! Seeing how to remove that little cover allowed my to grab the broken cable head. Its a pain to replace the little cover, its a very tight fit, but the new cable is in! Took an hour or so fiddle farting around. Use a headlight so you can see what you're doing in the very small spaces. THANK YOU!
If only I'd known about the cover under the shifter before now .... I've had to remove frayed/broken cables a few times now, knowing about the cover would have made it so much easier & quicker. Excellent videos on all aspects of bike maintenance, many thanks!
This video is a life saver! I was building a new gravel bike and for some reason my brand new Shimano cables got jammed into my Claris shifter. This video really helped me save a ton of time.
I had an issue with my Cannondale Synapse's shifter cable. This video gave me the courage to fix it myself. Instead of paying $85 like I did in the past, I bought a $5 cable and successfully replaced it, despite warnings from a technician that I would be brining the bike in because of the likelihood of the broken cable being tangled up inside. Nevertheless, I bought the cable for only $5 and successfully figured out how to replace it thanks to the video.
Thank you so much!! I was a Campy guy before I bought my Diverge and broke the cable. I would have never found that little screw without this video. Thanks!
Thanks SO Much! I'm on vacation middle of SE Asia & had a cable snap...Had a spare but couldn't figure how to get that broken bit out...Till I saw this! Thank You!!🙏
Thanks very much! My shifter didn't look like this but I had the cable end stuck inside. Watching this video gave me the confidence to open it up and follow the general procedure - it worked!
Excellent video. I spent a lot of time fighting with the hood to get the lower cover off and still don’t have it back on. The little details of loosening up the hood to get it out of the way are saving me a trip to my LBS. Thanks !
Your videos are brilliant. Thank you. I'm new to all this, a lock down cyclist now hooked, and have similar GRX levers. I think the most important tip here, and you make it very clear, that the rolled up rubber can obstruct the movement of the mechanism making you think something is still jammed. When I rolled mine back down and cleared the interference the movement was perfect. I know it looks cleaner but I wish the housing didn't run under the bar tape on my Trek. Hope you are keeping well.
Exactly what I was looking for - didn't have a clue how to remove the broken cable end on my Claris shifters. Doubt I would have figured it out without this video - Thank you very much.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! This is exactly what I needed today when replacing my broken cable. While I have replaced many cables before I have never done it on a road bike with STI. I almost gave up but you saved me the walk of shame at the local bike shop....cheers!
Many thanks - have never changed a cable and your clear instructions and nice pacing were invaluable, especially when dealing with finding the frayed cable.
Why oh why don’t Shimano engineer a fix for this problem that has been around for at least 20 years?! My experience has been that Shimano cables fail like this often while SRAM shift cables do not ever fail this way. I’m comparing several bikes and around 10000 - 15000 kms of cycling a year.
I spent 2 hours trying to adjust my RD before I finally peeled back the lever hood and saw the tangle of broken strands going into the shifting drum. I got stuck when I couldn't get the old end button with 1/2 inch of splayed cable out of its notch in the drum. I made the mistake of downshifting the lever, and then it wouldn't upshift back to the install position. I had to remove a second bit of plastic - which is held on by the bit you removed - from underneath, to expose the drum. Then I was able to grab the wire and pull the button out. I was really worried about having to detach the brake line and have to deal with dripping fluid, bleeding, etc. etc. What ever happened to simple bike repairs?
It is easier to just remove the shifter from the bar, then the hood can be pulled off easily from the bar side and the plastic cover over the inner works exposed by removing a phillips screw.
Hi, I have a big ride tomorrow. The cable guide has perished inside the lever. I’ve taken out, cleaned everything up and popped in a new cable. It’s changing ok but without the cable guide. I have a new one on order. Do you think, it’ll be ok to ride and shift the front gears for one ride.
I just jacked my rear cable up bad. I can't get it to downshift at all it is like something is blocking the lever from clicking all the way. I think my bike had cable housing that runs through the whole downtube so I ordered new cables it will be here tomorrow and I'm hoping this video is what I need to do the job. I need this bike to work. Tomorrow I'm gonna ride it stuck in 7th gear. I could ride my MTB but that bike is currently not an option. I can't believe I messed my cable up so badly
my cable was so bad it couldnt shift down the last 3 gears. This man did the one thing the big channels didnt do and it potentially saved me hours of messing around with no end in sight
Thanks for the video.. Tip: if you are riding your bike 250-300km/week. Change your cable 1-1/2 year.
Echoing others, many thanks! I've spent a lot of time in the past picking broken cable heads out of shifters. Undid the screw, pulled off the plastic piece, and it fell right out. Seriously saved me a lot of headache. THANK YOU! Your videos are great!
I did this step-by-step on a Salsa Warbird with GRX-810 and it was spot on. Thanks for the great lesson. One thing I learned from reading many comments on this topic is that if you suddenly can't shit into the smallest rear sprocket it's likely your cable is frayed. Fix it before you break on a long ride!
Thank you! My son's cable broke while touring through Italy. I walked him through the process while sitting in front of my computer in Seattle.
Was in the process of replacing my rear derailleur cable (following another video from this channel) when I ran into the problem of frayed cable in front housing, AND could not shift away from largest rear cassette gear. So paused the first video, followed this one, which solved the problem, and returned to the regularly scheduled programming. This is like having a Shimano bicycle mechanic in my home garage. My bike is back in good shape and ready to roll!👍
This video helped me a lot when I got stumped in my repairs, and I feel like I learned a lot about bicycle shifters by watching this. Thank you for making this.
Thank you so much. I couldn't figure out how to extract the end of the frayed derailleur cable, which had broken exactly where you said it would. Very straight forward and clear instructions.
Money! Sweet! Seeing how to remove that little cover allowed my to grab the broken cable head. Its a pain to replace the little cover, its a very tight fit, but the new cable is in! Took an hour or so fiddle farting around. Use a headlight so you can see what you're doing in the very small spaces. THANK YOU!
If only I'd known about the cover under the shifter before now .... I've had to remove frayed/broken cables a few times now, knowing about the cover would have made it so much easier & quicker.
Excellent videos on all aspects of bike maintenance, many thanks!
This video is a life saver! I was building a new gravel bike and for some reason my brand new Shimano cables got jammed into my Claris shifter. This video really helped me save a ton of time.
I had an issue with my Cannondale Synapse's shifter cable. This video gave me the courage to fix it myself. Instead of paying $85 like I did in the past, I bought a $5 cable and successfully replaced it, despite warnings from a technician that I would be brining the bike in because of the likelihood of the broken cable being tangled up inside. Nevertheless, I bought the cable for only $5 and successfully figured out how to replace it thanks to the video.
Thanks Free to Cycle - this video, plus many other videos you have on CZcams have helped me to be more self-reliant in diagnosing and fixing my bike.
Thank you so much!! I was a Campy guy before I bought my Diverge and broke the cable. I would have never found that little screw without this video. Thanks!
Thanks SO Much! I'm on vacation middle of SE Asia & had a cable snap...Had a spare but couldn't figure how to get that broken bit out...Till I saw this! Thank You!!🙏
Thank you, helped me at 11pm before my morning commute.
My rear derailleur cable broke inside the shifter, and this video helped me figure out how to get it out. Thanks!
I personally want to thank you today ! Saved my day !
Cette vidéo est parfaite. Une semaine que je cherche une solution et il suffit de regarder.... Free To Cycle !
Many thanks! The tip on removing the cover held by the screw was exactly what I needed to remove and replace my broken cable.
Thanks very much! My shifter didn't look like this but I had the cable end stuck inside. Watching this video gave me the confidence to open it up and follow the general procedure - it worked!
Excellent video. I spent a lot of time fighting with the hood to get the lower cover off and still don’t have it back on. The little details of loosening up the hood to get it out of the way are saving me a trip to my LBS. Thanks !
This video is priceless
Couldn’t find any other video explaining ho to change my cable. 👍
Your videos are brilliant. Thank you. I'm new to all this, a lock down cyclist now hooked, and have similar GRX levers. I think the most important tip here, and you make it very clear, that the rolled up rubber can obstruct the movement of the mechanism making you think something is still jammed. When I rolled mine back down and cleared the interference the movement was perfect. I know it looks cleaner but I wish the housing didn't run under the bar tape on my Trek.
Hope you are keeping well.
Absolutely brilliant tutorial, thanks so much for making and posting this. You have quite possibly saved my marriage.
Your tutorials are by far the best I've watched! Thank you.
My cable had snapped at the shifter .Very helpful explanation. Thanks
That got it! Thanks, just an explanation to get that extra cover off from underneath the hood was all I needed. Sorted.
I've watched loads of videos on how too do this and they made it look difficult but this makes it look so easy thank you for posting 👍
Great video. Was about to buy a new shifter. Saved me £100. Cheers!
Exactly what I was looking for - didn't have a clue how to remove the broken cable end on my Claris shifters.
Doubt I would have figured it out without this video - Thank you very much.
Really easy to follow. Mine had broken exactly where you suggested they often go. Thanking you
Thank you, your video was immensely helpful and informative in replacing my shifter cable. All the the best from Chuck.
Thanks a lot! My Shimano R7000 rear shifter has this exact problem today. Because of your video I managed to removed the broken cable.
thank you so much! this video help me out with a lever with stuck ball
You are a God send!!! You save me a trip to LBS and money I would have to spend. 😊
Excellent video. Straight to the point and never missing a step 🙂
Thank you. Exactly what I needed. The old cable was hanging on by two threads.
Very timely. My R7000 just jammed up.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! This is exactly what I needed today when replacing my broken cable. While I have replaced many cables before I have never done it on a road bike with STI. I almost gave up but you saved me the walk of shame at the local bike shop....cheers!
Thanks for the video very helpful I didn't no about the bottom plate thanks.
Thanks bloke. The master explains to the apprentice. Now l feel free to do this myself!
Brilliant video! Really helped me to understand how to remove a broken cable end….👍
Excellent description of what was needed. Saved me a lot of time
Amazing video, so clear! Just helped me after lots of head scratching this afternoon!!!
Thanks!
Good job I just spent 3 hours fishing out the cable head on my Dura Ace 7800
Thanks, this helped me a lot and saved hours of frustration!
Many thanks - have never changed a cable and your clear instructions and nice pacing were invaluable, especially when dealing with finding the frayed cable.
Another clear and concise maintenance video - good work
Thanks for this, exactly what I needed to fish my frayed cable out
Another great video. Clear concise instructions cheers mate ✌🏻
Thanks heaps, followed along successfully. Cheers
Thanks, your tutorials are great!
You saved the day! You are my hero! Thanks for the video
Awesome advice as always ❤
Thank you for another very helpful video - much appreciated!
Absolutely brilliant. Great camera work. Thanks.
Thanks for posting this. This solved my problem perfectly.
Thank you so much for making this it was amazingly helpful!
Thank you for sharing this video, worked a treat after my shifter cable broke!
Thanks for this. Your a legend! Saved me hassle
This was great! Clear instructions on getting the cable out! Thanks 👊🏼
Excellent! Thanks so much . This was my problem. Your the best!!
The man is a legend.
The video is very helpful to know to adjust a shift cable. Thank you
Amazing stuff man. You're saving my day!
Super helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Very well explained and detailed. THANKYOU
Really really helpful and well presented. Thank you very much.
Had somewhat same issue at my shop. 2 hrs later and I've drilled a small hole in the lead cable end and used a pick to pull out the end.
Great video and a huge help. Thanks so much!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Thanks for this mate. Really helped
Really helpful. Thanks.
Man, you have just saved my life. this shit happened with my on the shop today
Why oh why don’t Shimano engineer a fix for this problem that has been around for at least 20 years?! My experience has been that Shimano cables fail like this often while SRAM shift cables do not ever fail this way. I’m comparing several bikes and around 10000 - 15000 kms of cycling a year.
I spent 2 hours trying to adjust my RD before I finally peeled back the lever hood and saw the tangle of broken strands going into the shifting drum. I got stuck when I couldn't get the old end button with 1/2 inch of splayed cable out of its notch in the drum. I made the mistake of downshifting the lever, and then it wouldn't upshift back to the install position. I had to remove a second bit of plastic - which is held on by the bit you removed - from underneath, to expose the drum. Then I was able to grab the wire and pull the button out. I was really worried about having to detach the brake line and have to deal with dripping fluid, bleeding, etc. etc. What ever happened to simple bike repairs?
Putting it back together, "just drop the cover in place". That is much easier said than done!
Great Video
I haven't come across like this issue but who knows.. thank you in advance
Thanks to share your experience, very useful.
Great help, thanks for sharing your knowlege
Great video 👍🏻
What happens if the cable end is stuck deep within the shifter? I having an absolute nightmare with one now.
Saved me, thanks
God bless you !
Thank you!
Brilliant 🙏
Thanks Buddy
Thank you! Saved my day!
It is easier to just remove the shifter from the bar, then the hood can be pulled off easily from the bar side and the plastic cover over the inner works exposed by removing a phillips screw.
Thanks!
Very useful. Thanks!
Excellent video thanks.
so helpful, thanks heaps 👍
Hi, I have a big ride tomorrow. The cable guide has perished inside the lever. I’ve taken out, cleaned everything up and popped in a new cable. It’s changing ok but without the cable guide. I have a new one on order. Do you think, it’ll be ok to ride and shift the front gears for one ride.
I just jacked my rear cable up bad. I can't get it to downshift at all it is like something is blocking the lever from clicking all the way. I think my bike had cable housing that runs through the whole downtube so I ordered new cables it will be here tomorrow and I'm hoping this video is what I need to do the job. I need this bike to work. Tomorrow I'm gonna ride it stuck in 7th gear. I could ride my MTB but that bike is currently not an option. I can't believe I messed my cable up so badly
That cover you pull out. I put the cable on the stop before re attaching the cover. On a Claris. Is it ok to do that ?
Good video 👍
Any advice for removing the small screw? Mine is frozen in and the screwdriver X is getting stripped out. Thanks!
My shifter doesn't shift down the last 2 gears unless I manually push it slightly. Is that normal?