Bicycle Tutor

So I seem to have lost the screw that holds the shift lever to the actual brake lever. Has this ever happened to anyone? Any clues on how to fix this? I went to 2 local bike shops and they made it seem like I was out of luck and would have to buy a new shifter, at upwards of a couple of hundred dollars.

The problem is that it doesn't give the lever a pivot point, and therefore won't shift up. Shifting down is no problem, as that is through the acutal brake lever.

I'm assuming that the same screw exists on the front derailleur shifter, and have thought about taking that one out and bringing it to a hardware store to see if they can replicate it.

I definitely do not have the $$ to buy a new shifter and it seems a bit extraneous as it's only a missing screw. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

Thanks...

Unless it's a specific part, perhaps with an unthreaded section or a shoulder on it for example, it will probably be a standard metric screw/bolt size.

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Measuring/

Once you know what it is, allen bolt, machine screw, etc. and what size it is, you should be able to find one easy enough. They are generally only sold in large quantities, but you can find sellers on Ebay that will sell them individually or just 5 or 10 at a time. For a bicycle, it's worth spending a few pence extra and buying stainless.

Xerxes, thanks for the heads up. I'm going to pull the exact screw off the other shifter and bring it to a hardware store. It's pretty obvious it's a problem which can easily be solved. As a salesperson, I understand where they are coming from at the bike shop, but I'd be more of repeat customer if they helped me out when I need.