Cold weather Ergo Ultra-Shift issues

[dbump]

I switched from classic 10s Ergo levers to the Veloce 10s Ultra-Shift levers this summer. As the temperature has dropped in the past week, I've started experiencing problems shifting the rear cassette (no issues with the front, though far fewer shifts there). The shift lever simply won't move all the way to the left--it jams, and no shift happens. After a few attempts, it will shift. Often, if I pull the lever back towards me, away from the brake lever, and shift at the same time, it works better--shifting either on the first or second attempt, compared to three or four without pulling the lever. I've searched for any info on this, and haven't found any. Is this a known issue, and I'm just not finding it online? Is there a better cold weather grease I could use in the mechanism?
I rode the previous levers for many winter seasons (down to single-digits, F), and I know they also had problems in the cold, but not this sudden. Around December or January, I'd suddenly lose the click sound/feel, though they would keep shifting, and if it was a long winter, the G springs would utterly fail before spring warmed up, and I'd have to rebuild. Sometimes, I'd make it into warm weather, and they'd keep running until fall (still with no click indexing, but shifting just fine). But they never had this particular problem.
It's possible the cold is coincidence, and something has started failing in the mechanism, and this is the symptom of that, but I've only been riding it 4 months, so roughly 20,000 shift actuations. That seems really early for a failure.
Does this sound like a normal failure mode? I have no experience with how Ultra-Shift acts when it breaks (it sounds like its a lot easier to fix--I hope that I won't be rebuilding them three times a year, rather than every 1.5 years, like I was used to).
Thanks!
--David
Denver

[bikerjulio]

That's a lot of shifting. I'm inclined to think it's wear rather than cold. I ride year round in Toronto and never a shifting problem. Someone may prove me wrong, but I don't think current Veloce parts are available.

[dbump]

Yeah; my route has a lot of lights and stop signs, mixed with stretches where I can get up to speed, so I'm doing about 300 shifts per round trip. I hadn't even thought about replacement parts! Ack. I'll check with Vecchio's, which has always been great for repair parts.
So you're currently on Ultra-Shift (the ones that only shift down 5/up 3 at a time), and no cold shifting issues? That's encouraging at least! However, this morning it was a balmy 44, and I didn't have a single jammed shift, which isn't what I'd expect with a wear issue.

Thanks for the info!

[bikerjulio]

I've got the 2010 Ultra-shift and earlier ergopower levers, never a problem in the cold, and minus 15C not unusual. But the total amount of shifting I do is far less than you.

Your problem is a little like what happens when the thumb button does not return properly. Not hanging up on the cover or anything is it?

[dbump]

Great idea. I did check to make sure the cable isn't fraying, which can cause similar issues, apparently. I can see how cold weather could make the rubber hood stiffer, and prevent the thumb lever from returning completely. I'll try cutting away some of the material there to make sure there's plenty of clearance.

Impressive! -15C is about my cut off for riding in--that's the point where my fingers approach frost bite, despite multiple glove layers (though my head/body are plenty toasty). What gloves do you use at that temperature?

Also, you're right about the difficulty finding replacement parts--the EC-CE110 part assembly shows as out of stock everywhere I've checked. Some folks indicate luck with writing/calling, even when it shows out of stock. Also, Vecchio's in Boulder can order them, but also does not stock them. I may end up swapping levers from my retired commuter--the rebuild is tedious, but at least it's easy to get parts.

[bikerjulio]

I use Garneau winter shoes



and three layer gloves. thin, then wooly, then lobster claw covers

[dbump]

Awesome! Thank you. I've had really good luck using standard mountain shoes, but depending on the temperature, layering a neoprene sock inside the shoes, and a neoprene bootie over top of the shoes. But I've always wanted to upgrade to actual winter shoes.
My weak spot has always been my thumb and smallest (pinky) finger getting too cold/vs not having enough dexterity to shift and brake. Lobsters help with the pinky, but the thumb is still isolated. I layer thermal conductive liners, Lake MXZero gloves, and an OR mitten shell. The Lakes alone are good down to 15F/-9C, and the shell allows me to go down to 5F/-15C before I lose feeling and mobility in my fingers. Part of that is just genetic bad luck, my circulation shuts down to extremities in the cold. At that temperature, I'll have a single-layer nylon windbreaker over a long-sleeve technical shirt, and I'll have to unzip the windbreaker halfway in because my torso is overheating, but I'll struggle to make my fingers get the key into my bike lock when I get to work. Fortunately, we only have a handful of days colder than that here, so I'm just dealing with alternate transportation, even if it takes twice as long to drive/bus as ride.

Back to the original issue: All the clues were there, I just wasn't putting them together. You're absolutely right--any tension on the thumb shifter will cause jamming on the finger shifter. And I was right too--it happens in cold weather. What I wasn't thinking about is that when it's cold, I switch to my bulkier Lake gloves. Apparently, the redesigned shape of the Ultra-Shift levers is different enough that the thumb web of my Lake glove is just barely pushing down on the thumb shifter. This morning I tested twice--the shift jammed both times with a normal grip on the hoods; then, each time, I'd pull my thumb off the hoods entirely and shift again--and it was smooth as a hot August day.
Duh! But, I wanted to post here, since it's possible some other winter commuter will have the same issue.

Thanks for all your suggestions--they really did provide the key clue to figuring this out. Your winter expertise was a nice perk too!

[bikerjulio]

You're welcome.

My experience with the circulation issue is that it gets better with every season, but it takes a while. I used to have cold feet for instance, and then just noticed last winter that it was not bothering me.