# ultegra 600 8 speed shifters



## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

i have just aquired a nos 600 ultegra groupset that is on a nos cannondale. it had been sitting on the shop floor for years. however the rear sti is somewhat slow to spring after shifting up the cassette. apart from this all is perfect, even the bio chainrings. 
so my question is, will this sti loosen up with use and some light lube or is it knackered?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

tidi said:


> i have just aquired a nos 600 ultegra groupset that is on a nos cannondale. it had been sitting on the shop floor for years. however the rear sti is somewhat slow to spring after shifting up the cassette. apart from this all is perfect, even the bio chainrings.
> so my question is, will this sti loosen up with use and some light lube or is it knackered?


The first thing I'd make sure of is that the symptom "slow to spring" stems from the shifter and not the cable path hanging up or the RD. If it is at the shifter, they're fairly easily disassembled. Once completed, clean, relube and reassemble and you should be good to go.


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## DaveT (Feb 12, 2004)

If the bike is old enough to be NOS with NOS 600 components, I would suspect sticky cables and age-thickened grease in the shifters.

I would first remove, inspect and clean the cabling and housing. Then I'd shoot some good quality lube (something like TriFlow) liberally in the shifters and work them well after I reinstalled the cabling. Bet that would free up everything quite nicely.


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

*thanx*

for your help. should save me some dollars.:thumbsup:


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

*more help please,*

well i have finally got new cable inners and outers installed with these same nos 8 speed sti's. i have sprayed wd-40 on the sti but it is still slow to come back to starting position after pushing the chain up the cassette( lower gear). the adhesive sti 600 tab that is stuck on the pivot section of the shifter is off showing a bolt that looks as though it is the 1st port of call for pulling apart the shifter for a clean out. is this correct and if so what do i do then?
any help would be grateful, regards


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## DaveT (Feb 12, 2004)

tidi said:


> well i have finally got new cable inners and outers installed with these same nos 8 speed sti's. i have sprayed wd-40 on the sti but it is still slow to come back to starting position after pushing the chain up the cassette( lower gear). the adhesive sti 600 tab that is stuck on the pivot section of the shifter is off showing a bolt that looks as though it is the 1st port of call for pulling apart the shifter for a clean out. is this correct and if so what do i do then?
> any help would be grateful, regards


I'm not sure of what sticker you're referring to, but DON'T attempt to disassemble the shifters! They're not designed to be taken apart and successfully put back together by mere mortals.

Have you tried isolating the components to see actually what is being difficult? You've got new cabling so that shouldn't be the problem. Without any chain running through it and without the cable attached, is the rear derailleur moving easily? It should have spring resistance when moved inward by hand but no resistance when allowed to be relaxed outward. Any sluggish movement of the derailleur can be cured my a good cleaning of the pivot points and relubing them. 

Does the shifter operate crisply throughout it's range when shifted up and down with no tension on the cable (cable disconnected from the derailleur)? How about it's operation when manually pulling the cable while operating the shifter.

By isolating and manually manipulating the components you should be able to see/feel where the sluggishness lies. Good luck!


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

hi there, thanx` for your info. the shifter felt sticky even without the cable and the rear mech felt fine, so i believe it's to do with the sti. since it hasn't been used in all these years would i just spray wd-40 in/on it and let it fix itself or would it need more you think?
regards


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

tidi said:


> hi there, thanx` for your info. the shifter felt sticky even without the cable and the rear mech felt fine, so i believe it's to do with the sti. since it hasn't been used in all these years would i just spray wd-40 in/on it and let it fix itself or would it need more you think?
> regards



The WD40 trick works wonders with old STI levers...Try it...


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

*no worries*

thanx. i gave it a spray today, again. i hope it loosens up as it's a bit frustrating having to pull the shifter back most of the time. thanx again:thumbsup:


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

tidi said:


> thanx. i gave it a spray today, again. i hope it loosens up as it's a bit frustrating having to pull the shifter back most of the time. thanx again:thumbsup:



I spray a lot of WD40....Flood the internals of the lever....


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

ok sure. i'll give it a flood tomorrow. it won't fix it 'over night' will it? how long do you think?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

tidi said:


> ok sure. i'll give it a flood tomorrow. it won't fix it 'over night' will it? how long do you think?



It shouldn't take too long...overnight should do it...


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

excellent i hope so. if this doesn't fix it what would you do?


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

hi, i ended up getting brand new 8 speed sti's from wiggle as mine just never loosened up. 
anyway, does a 9 or 10 speed chain work with an 8 speed group, cassette, derrailiers?
thanx


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

tidi said:


> hi, i ended up getting brand new 8 speed sti's from wiggle as mine just never loosened up.
> anyway, does a 9 or 10 speed chain work with an 8 speed group, cassette, derrailiers?
> thanx


Sheldon (RIP) recommends using a 9 spd chain with an 8 spd cassette, and I believe him.  
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html

*Chain*: As you go to more sprockets on the cassette, you need a narrower chain. However, using a narrower chain with an older system rarely presents any problem. Thus, you can use a "9-speed" chain with a 7-speed or 8-speed system, or a "10-speed" chain with a 9-speed system. Since the chains designated for more gears are usually more expensive and don't last as long, this is not the ideal approach, but it's perfectly workable.


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

hi, thanx for all your help. whats the largest tooth cog i can run on my 8 speed double 6400 series ultegra rear derailier?
regards


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

tidi said:


> hi, thanx for all your help. whats the largest tooth cog i can run on my 8 speed double 6400 series ultegra rear derailier?
> regards


I don't know for certain, but would guess it'll top out at about a 27T.


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

i would now like to replace the jockey and tension wheels in my 8 speed rear mech. will any shimano replacements work or should i look around for 8 speed specific?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

tidi said:


> i would now like to replace the jockey and tension wheels in my 8 speed rear mech. will any shimano replacements work or should i look around for 8 speed specific?


You need 11T pulleys. The first link is to the 'low buck' version and the second is closer to OEM quality.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1PSV1T7SWVGRV9S79TFM

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/RD610Z00-Shimano+Rear+Derailleur+Pulleys.aspx?sc=FRGL
You'll want the lower (7-9 spd) pulley, but I'm not sure their 9 spd upper will work with your RD, so it might be better to go with Amazon's unless you can check with your LBS.


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## tidi (Jan 11, 2008)

thanx for your help


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