WD-40 to the rescue!

My new to me bike is very well used, more than I thought at initial inspection. In addition to a good-sized dent on the downtube, the Shimano 6600 Ultegra brifters on it were working poorly if at all. I could sweep the main lever to raise to a larger-sized cog or ring, but the release lever barely worked. If I held it in just the right spot, it would drop down some of the time, and then only one (front) or four to six (back) gears. Really frustrated as my great purchase was starting to look like it was going to cost me some $$$

So I researched the repair options for sticking Shimano brifters, and the advice I came across in various forums said to douse them in kerosene or spray with WD-40. I chose the latter, and after spraying about 1/4 of the large bottle in them, am happy to report back it's shifting great, all except the 10th and final speed. I oriented the derailer so that it pulls up to the largest cog, but doesn't reach all the way to the smallest 12T cog.

Thanks interwebs!!!



Here's a good video showing the process, although I didn't take them off the bike: