Broken rear derailleur cable end stuck in Shimano STI lever

jackx

jackx

Well-Known Member
On my ride home yesterday, my rear derailleur cable snapped. The good news is that it was end of my ride and I was literally rolling into my driveway.

The bad news is that the ball end of the cable is stuck inside my right Shimano Ultegra SL STI lever and I cannot shift it to dislodge the broken end.

Any recommendations tips/tricks to remove it would be greatly appreciated. The bar wrap is in GREAT condition so I don't want to take the lever off the bike if possible.

I have 3758 miles on the shifter cables and housings since I last replaced them. They were shifting fine until the rear derailleur cable snapped.
 
These can be a royal pain in the ass. The shifter has to be in the highest gear position in order for the cable head to be exposed. Most often, the shop keep just finger Fs the shift levers. Shifting up and down until it finally shifts back to the end position so that the cable head is visible. Once there, you could attempt to push a cable down through the top of the shifter to push the old cable head out. Normally, the shop guys get frustrated and pass it off to the next guy. Eventually it comes out or someone calls for a warranty replacement.
 
Thanks, Ben. Unfortunately, the shifter is jammed 9 gears positions away from the end position where the cable head is located. I am going to have to be a little less gentle with it or I am going to have to take this thing apart.
 
Was gonna say maybe a strong magnet ...but not gonna do much if you can't get it into the high gear to expose the cable.
 
Good idea. I thought about that too, but I would need a tiny magnet to stick in the slot.
 
I think taking off the lever is a minor issue, also ends are usually aluminum alloy of some sorts so magnets probably won't work. I'd bring to a bike shop to replace the cable and provide them the challenge to remove the end
 
Fwiw, if you walked into the shop with that, I would probably try to remove the front shroud (depends on what model number it is) and get a pick in there. Don't think anyone could really guarantee you satisfaction, though. Some of the models can be totally disassembled, some can't. The ones with the cable coming out the side are easier to fix, on my experience.
 
Being little less gentle with it didn't work, so I am going to have to take this thing apart.
:gangster:
 
The new Shimano shifters have a door that comes out of the bottom of the shifter and exposes the entire mech. The old ones not so much, bring it in.
 
OK. So earlier in the week I was able to dislodge the ball end of the rear derailleur cable that had snapped off the cable from inside my right Shimano Ultra SL STI lever. I ended up taking the lever apart as much and was able to extract the ball end. Pictures are not so great. I will post them shortly.

I installed a new cable and it is working great now.
 
Attached are pictures, albeit not the best. @jumpa



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meh, i was expecting an explosion of whats'its and doo'dads all over the floor once it opened up.
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good job figuring out yourself. self educating goes a long way, just as much as knowing what time your LBS closes to fix your fuck ups in my case :)
 
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