Chris Timm
Hans Christoph Timm

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Shimano's STI-levers are without doubt a great invention. Being able to shift without taking one's hand off the bars gives one a great advantage, and it makes riding safer, too. The advantage over your competition was bigger of course back when nobody else had anything similar: In the late 80s I once set up a bike with brake-lever shifting for straight-line sprints. I used the derailleur's set screws to determine the two gears I wanted to use for starting and the final meters and then hooked the shifter cable up to my right brake lever. I started in the low gear by holding the brake lever and shifted into the high gear by releasing the lever. It worked for the special purpose of winning straight-line sprints, but the crude two-speed setup was of no use on regular races, of course.
As all complicated mechanical devices, STI levers can cause problems. Considering how sceptical everybody in the cycling community was back when they first came out, though, one must say that it is very surprising that problems do ot occur more often. They usually survive years of riding in any weather, and even hard crashes only hurt the outside, not the shifting performance.

The most common problems:

• The lever will not downshift onto smaller cogs

What is wrong:
The grease used in the lever assembly will gradually age, making the lever's innards stick together and quit functioning.
What to do:
If it happens during the off-season: Don't bother repairing it until it starts to warm up again, as you should stay in low gears during the winter monthsd anyway.
Once it start to warm up: Generously flush the levers innards with a light spray lubricant (like WD-40). If available, use compressed air to get most of the excesss oil out of the lever quickly. Buy a rug to cover up the stains in the carpet if you did this in your living room. To prevent the problem from occuring again perform the same operation every six to twelve months.

• The lever caps rattle

What is wrong:
Early 9-speed 105 and Ultegra lever caps would develop play quickly.
What to do:
Follow the instructions on http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/noisystilevers.htm

If you want to disassemble your levers, first ask your parents if there are any Swiss watch makers in your family tree. If not, buy a new pair of levers first if you want to continue cycling after having tried this operation. The following drawings might help you put everything back together:
 
 

Exploded view (*.gif)	Exploded view and spare parts list (*.pdf)	Service instructions (*.pdf)
Dura Ace: 9-speed FlightDeck (ST-7700-C) 9-speed (ST-7700) 8-speed (ST-7400) Ultegra: 9-speed FlightDeck (ST-6501) 9-speed (ST-6500) 8-speed (ST-6400) 105/105SC: 8-speed (ST-1055) Tiagra: 8-speed (ST-4400) Sora: 8-speed (ST-3300) 7-speed (ST-3300-7) RX 100: 8-speed (ST-A550) RSX: 7-speed (ST-A410)	Dura Ace: ST-7703 ST-7700-C (2001) ST-7700-C (1999) ST-7700-B ST-7700 Ultegra: ST-6510 ST-6501 ST-6500 105: ST-5500-CA ST-5500-C ST-5500 Tiagra: ST-4400 Sora: ST-3303 ST-3300 ST-3303-7 ST-3300-7 RSX: ST-A417 ST-A416	FlightDeck buttons on both levers: ST-6510 ST-5500-CA No FlightDeck or buttons on right lever only: ST-6501 ST-6500 ST-5500-C ST-5500