Help! Ergo woes...

[fingers]

I need some advice chaps - being fairly new to this campagnolo game!

I have a set of 8s Record Ergos - the RHS one is fine, but the LHS one has an issue...

When up on the big ring, the ergo suddenly snaps down the ratchet onto the small ring... Its a bit dodgy to say the least, powering a big gear and all of a sudden the ratchet lets go and im dumped onto the 39t ring!!!

It can be replicated when static by wriggling the cable outer... I have checked the cables are long enough, the outers are seated properly.

It seems to me that the ratchet system in the lever is worn, allowing it to slip - is this likely??? Could it be the front mech?

For comparison, I have a set of athena 8s on my other bike, and they are fine, so I dont think its a setup issue.

Any help or suggestions would be lovely!

Cheers all

 

[ProBiker]

It seems to me that the ratchet system in the lever is worn, allowing it to slip - is this likely???

That would be my initial guess mate.

It won't be the front mech mate but you could test this by turning the near side screw all the way in (so it won't move to the lower ring anymore) and ride it to see if the cable goes slack. If it does it's definately the ergo's.

We had this slipping problem with these a while back and managed to sort it by turning the bike upside down and drenching the ergo's in WD40 overnight.

*

 

[fingers]

Thanks for the reply - I thought it might be the ergo. Will see what I can do later...

 

[andrewl]

I've seen dirty ratchets do the same thing. Give it a clean and see if that makes a difference.

 

[fingers]

Well, I have cleaned it, flushed it with gt85, and scrubbed the ratchet spotless, the problem still occurs... :twisted:

Looks like I need a new ergo, or maybe a mercian rebuild!

 

[fingers]

ps -

does anyone know what mercian (or similar) charge for this sort of work???

 

[cchris2lou]

Nigel at campyoldi will have a spare .

 

[hamster]

Typically this problem with ergos happens when the grease on the ratchet springs hardens - and yours is certainly old enough. Typically a strip down and re-grease will fix it. It is uncommon for the ratchets themselves to strip.

Look on YouTube as there are decent clips on how to service ergos.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Sounds like you might need a new pair of ratchet springs. Google < ergo g-springs > and you'll find instructions relevant to your shifters. They're inexpensive, and not hard to replace.

The Campag website has parts diagrams going back to 1994:

http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/doc/doccatid_3.jsp

 

[monty dog]

Agreed on the G-springs being worn. It's highly unlikely the ratchet's stripped, it's solid steel! The likes of Mercian charge about £20 for a lever rebuild or if you're pretty dextrous and patient you can DIY - you just need to order a couple of springs. Plenty of instructions and videos online - the fiddly bit is reassembly where you have to wind up the spring.