# Campy 11 Left Shifter Slipping



## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Thanks for any help you can with this:


I build up my bike from the ground up, using used but pretty new parts. I've ridden this bike for around 500 miles and was working perfectly with no issues. After a long ride, my front derailleur now does not stay in the big ring. Moving the lever DOES move the derailleur as it should, but the shifter doesn't hold - it just clicks back down to the starting position in the small ring. In other words, the little ratchetey thing within the shifter doesn't "notch up" as it should.


I disconnected the FD cable (thus releasing all tension) and the shifter does indeed ratchet up as it should and stay - both ways. Connecting it back (thus adding back any tension) and the ratchet system slips back again. 


I have tried:


1) Cleaning the inside of shifter and regreasing. It's not dirty in the least. Same with the FD. 
2) Redoing all the steps to setup the FD. It appears to be as it should be - again, it moves properly, the shift simply does not "hold" in the big ring. Which also makes it impossible to be sure this is setup correctly - I can move it to the big ring, it just won't stay there.
3) Double checking the routing of the FD cable - it's as it should be. 


Campagnolo Record 11 front (left Shifter) & Derailleur (Clamp on). Both are fairly new and in very good condition (at least upon visual inspection). 


Any thoughts? I'd like to solve this without going to the shop - I'm trying to be self sufficient about fixing my bike so I can one day go on multi-day rides confident I can fix it if something goes wrong.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

Try loosening the cable (a little, not completely) and see if the ratchet engages when there is less tension on the cable. 

It could also be that the high limit screw needs to be backed out a bit. Are you using a stand? Instead of trying to shift with the Ergo, manually pull the cable along the down tube with your hand, and see if it will shift that way or if the limit screw is preventing full engagement of the chain with the chainring.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

The ratchet only engages (thus holds it's place) when there is zero tension on the cable. Once I put tension on, say by gently pulling on the cable, it ratchets back down as if I were clicking the thumb lever. 
Note that pulling on the cable it shifts to the big ring just fine. Obviously, letting go of the cable it shifts back down to the little ring. In other words, if I pull on the cable OR sweep the lever all the way and hold it with my hand it'll stay in the big ring. Once I let go of the cable or release the lever it goes back down to the small ring.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

What if you click the shifter into the desired spot first... then increase tension (by pulling the cable by hand), does it stay engaged?

If yes, then there is probably too much tension on the cable and you aren't getting the pawl to set because of that. 

If no, then the shifting mechanism is clearly damaged/misaligned/etc.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Definitely no - it sounds then that the mech is damaged somehow. I guess I'll be pulling the whole thing off this weekend to see if I can save it...


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

chickentacos said:


> Definitely no - it sounds then that the mech is damaged somehow. I guess I'll be pulling the whole thing off this weekend to see if I can save it...


Sounds like it's worn down then... Campy won't allow (to my knowledge) the replacement of individual small parts on the newer style shifters. If that's the case, you are looking at either a new shifter entirely, or they do sell individual lever body assemblies as a replacement part.

Maybe someone else will weigh in.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Keeping my fingers crossed something just came loose. I'll update...


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## roadworthy (Nov 11, 2011)

Its likely the relationship between the last shift detent and where your outboard stop is positioned. If the outboard stop is too tight relative to where the last detent (click) is positioned based upon cable tension/adjustment when you shift to the big ring, then you will not hold that click/detent and it will shift back to the small ring. So you either need to loosen the outboard stop a bit to allow the detent/click to hold...or tighten the cable such that the third click is within the range of the derailleur traversing outboard controlled by the outboard stop.

The first thing you do is loosen the outboard stop...CCW to provide more room for the click to engage. You may also have a bit of phantom shifting from having the stop too tight...the bike wants to be on the small ring because it hasn't climbed all the way onto the big ring because your outboard stop is too tight.

The other cardinal mistake with poor shifting is the position of the front derailleur.
It should be very close to the large ring...about a dime thickness above...but biggest error is alignment (yaw angle) of the cage as looking down from above. Most position the cage in alignment with the chainring...or think they do...but many mechanics and myself subscribe to adjusting yaw angle parallel to the chain with bike shifted on Big chainring and smallest cog.
HTH.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Hopefully the answer is as @rw indicates.

The alternative is that the pawl and ratchet are worn. The only failure I have so far experienced with Campy equipment was exactly OP's problem, caused by some ham-fisted attempts by myself to force a shift. I took the shifter apart and the bits didn't look too bad, but no way would they hold engagement.

The replacement part now is a complete shifter body sub-assembly. $96 here Bikeman Campagnolo Record Left Ultra Shift Lever Body Assembly


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Ok luckily I was able to fix it!
Took apart the shifter according to the campy video - I only had to get to the first spring and noticed that it popped out of it's groove. I'm guessing this is the spring that holds the shift in place. So I figured out how to put it back together, slapped it back on and I'm good to go. Cost of repair was a new cable ( the end frayed putting it back.) 
I'm a bit troubled as to why it popped out in the first place, but I'll worry about that if it happens again.
Thanks for your help with this - if it helps anyone in the future, give it a shot by taking it apart. It's not as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Also, just in case this happens to anyone else, there was definite "Ham fisting" on my part. It "popped" and wasn't able to shift it anymore to the big ring. Now that I know the reason, it all makes sense...


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

chickentacos said:


> Ok luckily I was able to fix it!
> Took apart the shifter according to the campy video - I only had to get to the first spring and noticed that it popped out of it's groove. I'm guessing this is the spring that holds the shift in place. So I figured out how to put it back together, slapped it back on and I'm good to go. Cost of repair was a new cable ( the end frayed putting it back.)
> I'm a bit troubled as to why it popped out in the first place, but I'll worry about that if it happens again.
> Thanks for your help with this - if it helps anyone in the future, give it a shot by taking it apart. It's not as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be.


Thanks for the update. If I had to guess, it probably happened due to shifting without cable tension, while off the bike. What video are you referring to? I'd like to watch it.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

Hey that definitely could have been. Here;s the vid. It's for the right lever, but I was working on the left:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5mzR8-rh8M


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## roadworthy (Nov 11, 2011)

headloss said:


> Thanks for the update. If I had to guess, *it probably happened due to shifting without cable tension, while off the bike*. What video are you referring to? I'd like to watch it.


I would guess the opposite. The spring popped because you powered/rotated the lever with the derailleur against the outboard stop that was too tight to shift the chain onto the big ring. In doing so, it separated the two wheels within the shifter and popped the spring. Bottom line is once you hit the stop and if your cable tension is too high, don't try to shift the derailleur where it can't go being restrained by the outboard stop screw.
Glad you fixed it and well done taking the dive to take the shifter apart.

PS: I will add for both the front derailleur and rear derailleur, its generally easiest to set preliminary stop positions...both inboard and outboard with the chain off the bike. With some basic experience you can get both derailleurs real close to their stop positions in this manner and adjust both cable tensions. If you try to set the stops with the chain on and by shifting, you sometimes end up where you were OP...trying to shift the chain onto the big ring and the derailleur can't go there because the stop is too tight. Fine tuning of the stops should be done with the chain on...not initial adjustment to get the stops in the neighborhood of where they should be.


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## chickentacos (Apr 18, 2014)

roadworthy said:


> I would guess the opposite. The spring popped because you powered/rotated the lever with the derailleur against the outboard stop that was too tight to shift the chain onto the big ring.


Now this is 100% most likely what happened. I do tend to jam on the lever as I assumed (incorrectly obviously) that once it hit the end, thats it and no real need to be delicate about it. I'll work on my technique...
Thanks for the help!


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## roadworthy (Nov 11, 2011)

chickentacos said:


> Now this is 100% most likely what happened. I do tend to jam on the lever as I assumed (incorrectly obviously) that once it hit the end, thats it and no real need to be delicate about it. I'll work on my technique...
> Thanks for the help!


Believe tendency to jam the shifter is based upon the relationship of cable tension to where the outboard stop is located. Too much cable tension + too tight an outboard stop is a bad recipe for the shifter because of the tendency to try to shift the derailleur past its stop which it can't of course and then the shifter takes the brunt of the assault. 
Again, congrats on getting it fixed and getting back out on the road.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

roadworthy said:


> I would guess the opposite.


I was thinking in regards to the issue Shimano had with their CX brakes, with the bearings popping out if the pads get too low... the idea of a mis-calculated clearance issue that would occur in the real world but not in the theoretical one. My bad, kudos to campy for being better than Shimano.


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