Brake/Shifter Lever Rattle

Question: I just bought a Shimano Sora brake/shifter and mounted it on a Salsa handlebar with a Dimension stem. I am getting a rattle when I'm on rougher pavement. My mechanic says it's the brake/shifter mechanism with plastic parts inside that rattles. It almost sounds like it could be the stem, however. Have you heard of this? Is there anything that can be done about it? It's very irritating and I've never had this problem before with simple brake levers (no shifter combination). Thank you.
Claire.

Hi Claire,

Yes we have heard of this before, there are more bits and pieces in shifter/brake levers than your old brake levers and there is a chance of them rattling. The thing to check is if the brake cable is tight, this can cause the lever to rattle. Try spraying some oil into the lever as this sometimes helps.

Your problem is unlikely to be the stem or the handle bars, if you are worried then check for any damage or cracks, take the handle bars out from the stem and give the area where it clamps a good clean, as any dirt or grit can cause creaks and rattles. Then put grease on the bolts before you put them back in. Then do the same with the stem where it fits the fork steerer clean it and re-grease the bolts. If you can get the use of a toque wrench then tighten all the bolts to the required tightness, this can help to eliminate rattles.

Check the bolts that hold the levers onto the handle bars and look to see if the cables are rattling together when you go over bumps in the road. Hold the cables apart and bounce the front of the bike to simulate a bumpy road and listen for rattles. Do you have a wheel magnet for the speed sensor for your computer as this can make a noise on rough roads.

I'm sorry to say that your mechanic is probably correct in his thoughts that it maybe the brake/shifter levers, do the bounce check and try to pin point where the rattle is coming from, good luck and let us know how you get on Claire.