Appeal to teenagers of the late 80's

[ChinaTom]

OK, help required - every bike shop I've tried is staffed with chaps younger than the part I am trying to fix. I guess I'm the same age as some of you here, and you'll recognize the name:

 

Shimano Exage 300LX STI - specifically the LH gear shifter

 

Well, I've had mine apart to refurbish it and now can't get the bugger back together again. Embarassingly, I used to re-assemble these on a daily basis when I worked at Halfords, but since graduating to 4 wheels, all this has been long forgotten.

 

 

Tried to follow a Deore assembly instruction, but they ain't the same.

 

Anyone have an assembly drawing of these? (possible if you bought from the Carrera or Trek range of cheapy mountain bikes). Shimano web-site doesn't cover that far back.

 

Long shot, but worth a try.

[Cheggers]

Try the forums at www.bikeradar.com - Usually a fountain of knowledge on all things "bikey"

[ChinaTom]

Thanks mate. Joined and posted. Now waiting abuse. They are (used to be) so simple, but I have suffered a mental block.

[OwdChina]

I have the same in Guangzhou, which we could take apart very carefully, and then work out how to put two of them back together !

[peter9000uk]

Why note take the other one apart slowly to see where everything goes?

[ChinaTom]

Yup, I should have just left well alone and sprayed WD40 into the mechanism, jiggled it about a bit and hoped for the best. I have already received a comment to my post to the tune of:That is a crappy old (ancient was the term) unit - why bother trying to repair one of those - buy a new one!Obviously not a subscriber to Autoshite-style thought.

[lovejoy]

Hi Tom, czech out "bicycle Repair Man" on U-tube, might be of some help to you....(a good laugh will fix a lot of problems! )

[Spottedlaurel]

I can offer no help whatsoever, but have you tried Madgett's in Diss?

[ChinaTom]

Why note take the other one apart slowly to see where everything goes?

Good idea - had considered that, but as I slowly took this one apart with the hope that I may be able to take each component off one by one and put them in a line on the bench, the careful and slow removal of one screw led to an almost cartoon-like "boing" sound followed by the pitter patter of small previously held in by spring tension parts raining down on the floor. Predictable, and I did have a good chuckle before I started effing and jeffing.

 

To be honest, I have nearly cracked it - my memory served me pretty well but I cannot get two slots lined up with one another to fit the final up-shift lever return spring in place. I must have installed something wrong at the beginning, and an exploded view or assembly diagram would see me bombing through Thetford Forest again with 3 times as many gears (which I need to catch up with the younger and much fitter wife).

 

Essentially home and dry

The groove in the central spindle needs to marry up with the groove on the shifter base, but I can't rotate the shifter any further. Something's wrong, and I haven't yet got uppity enough to take a hacksaw to it.

 

Madgett's it is then.

[Gompo]

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/

 

The above seems like a good website, I would be very surprised if they couldnt help. A lot of the members restore MTBs to original factory specs etc so would imagine they've dealt with this a bit..

 

Cheers.