Shimano Deore Thumbshifter Rebuild/Mod Guide

[Thias]

Just experimented with two old thumbies. And I found some interesting details.
1. There is a difference between the DX (Deore with silver cap) and the XT Version. (Besides of the obvious clamp, f course.) If you want to repair a XT with parts from the DX, you have to be careful. The DX has two copper rings, the big one at the bottom and the small one in the middle. The XT doesn't have the small one. Instead it has a very tiny bearing. Because of this, the spindle and the chrome plate (the one with the Indexplate on top of it) are not interchangeable.
2. If your shifter has too much clearence( is this the right word?? ) you can try to mount the friction mode bearing race up side down. This is the big "ring" underneath the plate, that pushes the two little balls.
3. I think, the shifter feels better with only one of the top springplates mounted.

I hope this was understandable... my english skills are... limited...

Greetings
Matthias

 

[lrh]

Just experimented with two old thumbies. And I found some interesting details.
1. There is a difference between the DX (Deore with silver cap) and the XT Version. (Besides of the obvious clamp, f course.) If you want to repair a XT with parts from the DX, you have to be careful. The DX has two copper rings, the big one at the bottom and the small one in the middle. The XT doesn't have the small one. Instead it has a very tiny bearing. Because of this, the spindle and the chrome plate (the one with the Indexplate on top of it) are not interchangeable.
2. If your shifter has too much clearence( is this the right word?? ) you can try to mount the friction mode bearing race up side down. This is the big "ring" underneath the plate, that pushes the two little balls.
3. I think, the shifter feels better with only one of the top springplates mounted.

I hope this was understandable... my english skills are... limited...

Nothing wrong with your English

Interesting... I've never owned the XT versions and assumed they would be the same inside. If I ever find a nice pair I will strip them and take pictures to update the guide but they are going for higher and higher prices!

I still think Mountain LX have the best action but sadly they're attached to big ugly brake levers.

 

[Thias]

Re:

Here is a pic of my (broken) XT:

I couldn't even find the big copper ring. Not shure if there ever was one...

 

[lrh]

Just corrected some image links as 3 pics had mysteriously changed URL in the Retrobike gallery.

Finally got hold of some XT thumbshifters myself and as shown above the right-hand shifter isn't totally compatible, having a very minor upgrade with that bearing on the spindle. I'm sure it makes almost no difference to the performance but I guess they had to do something to justify charging more! Left hand shifter is identical, the spindle even has MT62 stamped on it indicating the Deore II group.

Guide for assembly still seems valid so don't think I need to update anything.

 

[M-Power]

Re:

Just found this awesome thread. Big thanks to the OP for your hand work with pictures.

 

[walleater]

Interesting stuff! Some time in the future I might have to see if I can mod a LH XT thumbie to operate a dropper post (heresy!!), as with another mod, I'm using an RH XT thumbie with an XT clutch derailleur and 10sp cassette (friction if not obvious!).

 

[foz]

Walleater, how do you find the shifting with that setup? Easy to hit the right gear? fiddly?

sorry for going OT

 

[walleater]

Walleater, how do you find the shifting with that setup? Easy to hit the right gear? fiddly?

sorry for going OT

I guess it's only partially OT as it at least still involves a thumbshifter

When I first tried it, it was dreadful as the Dynasis derailleur is designed around more cable pull, so the shifter would have to go around about 180 degrees to hit all the gears! I did a simple mod to the derailleur to change the amount of cable pull needed so now the shifter only has to go as far as the 'hidden click' if it was set to indexing:

The shifting works fine for me as the sorts of trails that I ride don't need panic gear shifting. The sprockets being much closer together than 7sp mean that it's easier to hit a gear and then quickly fine tune as needed. I did it partly for the novelty (and also to stop any chance of the Rapid Fire shifter denting the top tube in a crash) but I'll keep it there.

 

[dyna-ti]

Great thread and great job too :d
If you or any are looking for some spares to 'fiddle' drop me a line.

Free to good home- NOW THERE

 

[lrh]

Rebuilding my XT shifters I've found an easier method of fitting the top plate on the right-hand shifter

Firstly fit the spindle to the mount as below (this is 90 degree anticlockwise of where it sits in use):

When you're ready to fit the chrome plate, position the lever as follows such that the larger cut-outs in the cylinder line up with the cut-outs on the spindle:

Holding the cylinder/lever in place, rotate the chrome plate 60 degrees anti-clockwise with your needle-nose pliers (RED), then press it down (BLUE) so the plate teeth slot into the cylinder wall. You can then allow the chrome plate and lever to rotate back 60 degrees clockwise to release the spring tension (GREEN):

This seems a lot easier than my original method where you had to rotate the plate much further clockwise against the spring.

Happy new year tinkering