How to Fix a Grip Shift

Grip Shift, made by bicycle company SRAM, uses a cylindrical shifter nestled next to the bicycle's handlebar grips. Like any shifter, Grip Shifts are attached to the derailleur cables; when the shifter is turned, the cable gains or loses tension and the derailleur shifts the chain. Almost all problems with the Grip Shift arise at the cable. A basic repair consists or either lubricating or replacing the cable running into the Grip Shift.

Things You'll Need

  • Bicycle workstand
  • Hex wrenches
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Replacement cable and housing
  • Bicycle grease
  • Rags
  • Flathead screwdriver (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the bike into the stand. Unscrew the Grip Shift set-screw under the shifter. Push the shifter back and forth to move it so you have access to the cable.

    • 2

      Pull the small metal end, a round lead-colored retaining pin on the end of the cable, out of the housing in the shifter. Inspect the end of the cable, near the housing. Look for rust or dry metal on the cable. If there are no frays or torn strands on the cable, add grease to the entire exposed metal section of the cable. Push the metal end back into the housing and tighten the shifter back to the handlebar.

    • 3

      Unscrew the cable at the derailleur attachment and pull it off the derailleur. Pull the cable off the bicycle frame by following it up the frame and pulling it out of the dedicated holders and cable guides.

    • 4

      Cut a cable in the same length as the old. Apply grease to the entire length of the cable. Pull the housing off the old cable along with the two end ferrules (sleeves that cap the housing) and slide them onto the new cable.

    • 5

      Screw the cable onto the derailleur and up the frame, pushing it into the guides and frame mounts.

    • 6

      Thread the cable end into the shifter. Screw the shifter down and tighten the cable by turning the barrel adjuster on the inside edge of the shifter.