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I have shifter with damaged housing. It shifts well, but I guess if housing is not repaied, rain and elements will quickly put an end to it. Which material would be suitable to fix this hole? Epoxy glues? Maybe ones with metal filler? Are there some sensitive parts in the damaged area that I should be carefull not to glue?

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As others have mentioned, glue would run the risk of damaging the internal parts of the shifter. They're small and delicate and a little bit of glue could really mess them up. However, I've ridden on shifters broken similarly to yours for years with no problems. I actually bought new ones and never got around to putting them on because the broken ones never actually broke or even showed signs of less than optimal shifting. –  jimirings Apr 17 '13 at 18:58
Such shifters shouldn't be more than 10-20 EUR used. Not sure if it is worth fixing them at all. I would ride with them as is, and when they show any sign of malfunction (and even if they fail completely, which is not likely, it couldn't make you fall), I'd replace them with similar used ones. –  Mladen Jablanović Apr 19 '13 at 15:46
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3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Seems like you have two options. I'm not sure this is your exact model but the broken piece should just unscrew.

  1. Unscrew what's left and epoxy it together apart from the internal workings.
  2. Buy a replacement cover. I couldn't find any online shops selling replacement covers, but a call to Shimano* will probably net you the exact piece you need. You'll need to know the model number which should be displayed somewhere and look like SL-xxxx. I can't imagine a new one will be more than $20.

*Shimano American Corp. (949) 951-5003

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yes this is the model, and the diagram you have provided will help me. I think I will unscrew it as you advised, and use epoxy putty like this (bison.net/en/products/648-epoxy-repair/product/…). –  Davorin Ruševljan Apr 18 '13 at 6:59
Be careful. You probably don't want to use a putty. It will be "glopy" and bulky and won't hold very well. You have two options that will make a cleaner bond. 1. try some acrylic joiner. you put the pieces back together and then "drip" the acrylic joiner around the crack and it wicks into place. This might not work (depending on the type of plastic of the cover.) However, if it doesn't work you can just wipe it away and move on to #2. –  tir38 Apr 22 '13 at 16:28
#2: two part epoxy GLUE. Works similar to your putty,but it's liquid and will fill in the crack better w/out a big mess. My fav is bit.ly/15BMkQg Any time you use glue RTFM cause you only get one shot –  tir38 Apr 22 '13 at 16:39
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Unless you're seriously skilled with epoxy, I'd say there's a risk of glueing some of the moving parts together.

Instead I'd suggest gaffer tape, also known as duct tape or duck tape. It has threads running through it for strength and is pretty weatherproof. If you get it in the wrong place or it wears out it's cheap to try again. The tricky bit will be covering the hole properly. I suggest cutting it to size with scissors as it will end up neater.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about a small amount of water getting in. I doubt they're completely waterproof anyway. If you can keep any mud/grit out that should be enough.

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Try some sugru, a moldable rubber like putty, it should provide a seal against water and cover the opening. It's great for repairs, and you can get it in small packs. You can find more info at http://sugru.com/

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