Straightening gear lever
 

I came off today and the gear lever got bent right back to where it was touching the footpeg. I kicked it out just enough to be able to ride back home and now want to bend it back to its original shape. I'm a bit concerned though about it breaking from metal fatigue and wondered if there is a technique for reducing the stress on the metal. I've checked the weld and shaft with a magnifying glass but couldn't find any hairline cracks so I'm hoping it will be ok and save me £30 something on a new one. Thanks guys.

No problem, give it some heat before you start and take it slow.

I've bent back my gear and brakelever with a size 46 boot several times, havent been an issue for me.

^^ What he said

^^ and what did you say?nothing!

Cast aluminium doesn't bend well. It has a granular structure and if you try to bend it cold it usually only goes a little way before it snaps abruptly.

It is often possible to bend it hot and reduce the tendency to snap, as long as you can avoid outright melting it! The advice usually given is to hold it in a vice, smear soap on it and heat it with a blowtorch (not oxy acetylene!) in the area you want to bend. When the soap turns black it should be hot enough. Don't do it on the bike - not only could the blowtorch damage something but you could bend the gearchange shaft.

Honestly the best thing you can do is buy a new one anyway and try to straighten the old one as a spare. Then if it does snap at least you're not back to square one.

Is it original cast alu shifter?Mine have steel shifter, maybe changed for what i know.

If it's steel you can bend it cold. Should still do it in a vice though.

Thanks for the replies. Sorry - I meant to respond earlier but have only just got around to straightening it. It turned out to be steel and the heat did the trick beautifully. It's now in a better position than it was before.

Glad to hear it worked out. FWIW, I've had good results bending back aluminum brake and clutch levers using a propane torch and vice. I position the lever in the vice so that I apply slow even pressure closing the vice itself to bend it, rather than just putting it in the vice and slipping a pipe over the lever to bend it.