I have developed a problem with my rear shift lever. It has become very hard to shift to the upper and lower gears. It is like it is getting caught up on something right before the initial click. I re-ran the shift cable and it did not make a difference. I checked with my friends shifting and his is nice and easy with a soft click to where mine takes alot more force to shift. Anyone have had this same issue and anything I should try to correct. Lever is only about 1 yr. old so I believe that I could get the lever replaced under warranty. It almost feels like the lever is sticking for some reason.

Have you tried adjusting the high and low limit screws on the rear mech? Could also be a matter of way too much cable tension, though that seems less likely.

You can adjust the reach on the shifters maybe its to close and there is a bit to much contact,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BkT3WBYlI0

I just bought some used Red shifters on here and I have a similar problem. I think it's from the original grease becoming gummy. I quickly sprayed WD-40 and tri-flow in to clean & lube, and I have some gears where it shifts easy, some not so easy. I think this means I just need to clean & lube better.

But overall, I think that cleaning and re-lubing might fix your problem.

Did you just recable it or did you also switch the housing? I have started religiously changing out my cable housing every 6 months because of progressively crappy shifting.

I noticed this issue a few weeks ago when I was on a ride it started out fine mid way thru the ride it became really hard to shift then right before I got home it loosened up again. Then it happened again, I just changed bars and the housing looked good so I just changed the cable. Didn't make a difference still really hard to shift I was thinking about cable tension anyway to check??

Are you making sure that the cable tension is fully released (ie, smallest cog) before clamping it to the rear derailleur? Is the cable getting caught up anywhere? Any kinks in the housing or awkward bends that the cable is making? And you've properly adjusted the limit screws on the RD?

Yes,
I checked everything no severe bends I have been riding this setup for about a year with no problems then out of the blue this starting happening. No matter what gear I am in it is hard to shift so I do not think it is the tension, I can shift and get all gears with no problem so setup appears to be ok. I am going to open up the side of the lever and clean and grease the shifting mechanism and see if that helps. If not back to the bike shop and have them check it out.

Is the shift ACTION to the smallest/hardest cog actually difficult or is it still easy to press the lever but the chain hesitates in shifting onto that cog? If the ACTION of pressing the lever is difficult then you have a shifter problem. First thing to try is peel back the hood, take of the cover on the inside of the lever and blow it out with compressed air or an aerosol degreaser.

If the chain is just hesitating to shift to the smallest/hardest cog and the the shift action to go to the biggest/easiest cog is hard it is likely you have your limit screws in too far (and possibly your hanger is bent)

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If the cables have a coating on them the coating has been known to come off and clog up around the cable. Check all of the channels and holes the cable is passing through in the shifter body for this or other foreign material.

First thing I would do is to pull the shifter off and leave the cable in, then shift through the gears while manually pulling on the loose cable to simulate rear der. tension. That will tell you if the issue is inside the shifter body or elsewhere in the system. If you still have the issue in the shifter, run through the gears while looking up inside the body just in case there's anything obviously interfering. Move the cable in and out a few times to make sure it slides easily and nothing is stuck in the cable channels. If it's still junk, then warranty it if you can.

Here is what I did, I opened up the side of the lever and used my compressor and blew out the shift mechanism and used a light grease. I rode today and it appeared to operate correctly I will give it a few more rides, it looks like it was just dirty.

If you ride with sports drinks in your bottles, make sure that there's no old dried juice under your BB. This usually cause the kind of problem you're describing...