Removing a broken off cable head from inside a Shimano gear shifter
![Tool for removing a broken off cable head from inside a Shimano gear shifter](https://munix.dk/sites/default/files/styles/tutorial_/public/0-tool-cable-head-cover.jpg?itok=7-W-L6SD)
The rear gear cable on my bike snapped while I was biking on it today. Luckily I had a replacement cable with me, so I thought I could replace it right away. But it turned out that the cable head inside the gear shifter was jammed, and impossible to get access to and remove.
So I brought my bike home and searched for solutions on the internet. It turns out that this is a common problem with Shimano gear shifters, see for example this thread: Drilling extraction hole in shifter to remove broken cable head stuck inside
I tried some of the suggestions, though I didn't drill any holes, but I couldn't get it out. I could sort of reach the wire with a screw driver, and press the ends a little bit, so that the cable head moved 4-5 millimetres in the right direction, but that was all. I thought about it for a while and realised that I might be able to hook the cable head with a wire made of thin and hard metal. I found some sturdy wire, bend the tip of it about 2 millimetres, so that it could get behind the cable head and hook it, and it actually worked on my third attempt :-) I also inserted the end of a thin Allen wrench to fix the shifter inside, so it didn't rotate.
Cable head has been hooked and pulled out
I removed the button and top cover to see what was going on inside the shifter, loosened it and turned it for easy access.
![Cable head removal tool](/sites/default/files/cable-head-removal/1-tool-cable-head.jpg)
The cable head removal tool
It doesn't look like much, but it got the job done.
![Cable head removal tool, close-up](/sites/default/files/cable-head-removal/2-tool-closeup.jpg)
Comments
Thank you sir
I found myself in a similar situation and didn't know what to do. I rigged up a tool like this using a broken spring that I had and it worked great. Thank you very much, this was incredibly helpful.