How to Change the Gear Shifter on a Bicycle
Bicycle manufacturers are continuously working on making lighter and lighter bikes for their customers. Light weight bicycles are not only easy to lift but they also have lesser inertia, hence, requiring lesser energy to drive forward. However, the bicycles with gear shifter are relatively heavier than the conventional ones. Modern day bikes with gears have become pretty light weight but at the same time, their durability has been compromised. These gear shifters are normally made of plastic or carbon fibre and are susceptible to break when more pressure is applied to them. Hence, you might find the need of changing the gear shifters of your bike after they are broken.
Instructions
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1
Settle your bike on the kickstand in a spacious workplace. It is better to put your bike on a dedicated work stand, as this will make it convenient for you to have access to different parts of the bike and perform the task quickly.
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2
Start with removing the handlebar grips of your bicycle from both ends. Sometimes these grips do not come off the handlebars and remain stick to it. You can spray compressed air underneath it to loosen it up.
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3
Take a hex wrench to loosen up the cable stop bolts of the derailers on both ends. Some bikes have cable-ends instead of bolts and you will have to cut those cables with a cutter.
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4
Now remove the bolts of the shifter clamp with the wrench and you can easily slide the shifters off the handlebar. Pull out the cables from the housing and the old shifters will be detached.
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5
Take the new shifters and mount them on the handlebars. Tighten up the clamp bolt but make not to twist the shifters on the handlebars.
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6
Drive the left shifter cable through the housing and take it to the front derailer. The right shifter cable will go to the rear derailer in the same manner.
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7
Put on the cable stops and tighten their bolts with the wrench. Make sure to pull the front cable at the front derailer before fully tightening the cable stop bolt.
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8
The process of changing the gear shifter ends here. Now slide the handlebar grips back and adjust their position to your convenience. Take out your bicycle for a test drive. Try shifting all the gears simultaneously to see if the shifters are working perfectly and then make the necessary adjustments if required.
