Ergo rebuild reflections

Greetings! I just finished rebuilding my '99 Athena shifters - on my
kitchen table, would you believe? Hope this is useful to folks needing
a rebuild but are still a bit hesitant...

1. It's really pretty simple. Don't let the exploded chart intimidate
you - it seems you'll only encounter about 8 "parts". In fact, I'd
rather rebuild an Ergo shifter than run cables!

2. Although you can insert an allen wrench past the brake lever and
disassemble the lever, I found it really IS necessary to remove the
brake lever to re-assemble. There is a spring bushing that fits onto a
post. This post is attached to the "paddle" (AKA "finger lever"). With
the brake lever still attached, the paddle pulls the post down a wee
bit, leaving not enough of it to engage the spring bushing. I fumbled &
cursed for quite a while before finally figuring this out and removing
the brake lever (which, with a small mallet and a proper punch, takes
only a couple of light taps).

Anyway, now that I've done it once, I agree with the folks at CampyOnly!
that an experienced person ought to be able to do them in a half hour.

Good luck to you! Now, to those cables I hate running...

richard wrote:
Greetings! I just finished rebuilding my '99 Athena shifters - on my
kitchen table, would you believe? Hope this is useful to folks
needing a rebuild but are still a bit hesitant...

1. It's really pretty simple. Don't let the exploded chart intimidate
you - it seems you'll only encounter about 8 "parts". In fact, I'd
rather rebuild an Ergo shifter than run cables!

2. Although you can insert an allen wrench past the brake lever and
disassemble the lever, I found it really IS necessary to remove the
brake lever to re-assemble. There is a spring bushing that fits onto
a post. This post is attached to the "paddle" (AKA "finger lever").
With the brake lever still attached, the paddle pulls the post down a
wee bit, leaving not enough of it to engage the spring bushing. I
fumbled & cursed for quite a while before finally figuring this out
and removing the brake lever (which, with a small mallet and a proper
punch, takes only a couple of light taps).

It IS possible to engage the spring bushing with the brake lever attached
but perhaps I'll remove my lever next time if it makes the job easier.
Thanks for the tip.

The one time I did remove a brake lever (with new Mirage Ergos), I found
the pin was really tight and required many hard bashes! Maybe I need a
better punch?

~PB

I agree that rebuilding the guts isn't too hard once you figure out
how to keep the thumb spring tensioned and in place (jammed it with a
small allen wrench, per Sheldon Brown's suggestion). However, that
return spring for the upshift blade (this is a right lever) was really
frustrating with the brake lever on. I read somewhere that removing
the carbon lever on the Record Ergo was a bad idea (let me know if
this isn't the case!), so instead, I ended up hooking one end of the
spring on a convenient lip on the ****er guts rather than the intended
spot. It's worked fine for two weeks now.

If it isn't really a problem removing the brake lever, then perhaps
I'll reassemble it properly when next I service cables.

NB: I rebuilt this lever because the upshift lever broke. I didn't
want to wait for the part, so my LBS sold me a broken Centaur body
(body broken, blade fine) with the alloy blade. It does fit, but it
doesn't nest into the brake lver as perfectly as the plastic Record
blade did. Good enough for me, but it might bug some people.

Andrew

richard wrote in message news:AlpRc.249296$JR4.9014@attbi_s54...
Greetings! I just finished rebuilding my '99 Athena shifters - on my
kitchen table, would you believe? Hope this is useful to folks needing
a rebuild but are still a bit hesitant...

1. It's really pretty simple. Don't let the exploded chart intimidate
you - it seems you'll only encounter about 8 "parts". In fact, I'd
rather rebuild an Ergo shifter than run cables!

2. Although you can insert an allen wrench past the brake lever and
disassemble the lever, I found it really IS necessary to remove the
brake lever to re-assemble. There is a spring bushing that fits onto a
post. This post is attached to the "paddle" (AKA "finger lever"). With
the brake lever still attached, the paddle pulls the post down a wee
bit, leaving not enough of it to engage the spring bushing. I fumbled &
cursed for quite a while before finally figuring this out and removing
the brake lever (which, with a small mallet and a proper punch, takes
only a couple of light taps).

Anyway, now that I've done it once, I agree with the folks at CampyOnly!
that an experienced person ought to be able to do them in a half hour.

Good luck to you! Now, to those cables I hate running...

andrew- If it isn't really a problem removing the brake lever, then perhaps
I'll reassemble it properly when next I service cables. BRBR

It is not a problem. Use a small punch to punch out the pin. Keep track of the
bushings.

andrew- I didn't
want to wait for the part, so my LBS sold me a broken Centaur body
(body broken, blade fine) with the alloy blade. BRBR


why didn't they just replace the body?

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

(Qui si parla Campagnolo ) wrote in message ...
andrew- If it isn't really a problem removing the brake lever, then perhaps
I'll reassemble it properly when next I service cables. BRBR

It is not a problem. Use a small punch to punch out the pin. Keep track of the
bushings.

andrew- I didn't
want to wait for the part, so my LBS sold me a broken Centaur body
(body broken, blade fine) with the alloy blade. BRBR


why didn't they just replace the body?

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Good to know.

As to why they didn't replace the body . . . . It's an instant
gratification kinda shop. My guess was this lever was part of
car-top-rack-with-bikes-meets-low-clearance-garage things. Probably
broke a whole bunch of parts.

AK