Don Gilles wrote:
I had this problem recently with i bike i bought through ebay, which was received in the mail. It was the 2nd time in my life I had an autoshifting problem. Both times, the culprit was a Campagnolo Downtube Shift Lever that had been lubed.
Don't lube shift levers.
Clean them thoroughly with de-greasers (such as WD-40) and dry them.
It's called "friction shifting" for a reason.
Lube everything else on your bike EXCEPT for the shifters.
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In concept, Don makes a logical point. Maybe someone should have told me that in '62, so I wouldn't have spent 45 years lightly lubricating when reassembling. Never seemed to cause a problem, bikes always shifted, and the levers stayed where I put them if the friction was adjusted right. That even includes the Campy bar ends on one bike, which shift rather nicely and with a relatively light touch. So, I guess that the lubricant on the shifters isn't always the critical issue.
harvey sachs
mcLean va