Hot answers tagged shifter
14
Downtube shifters will really get you in touch with your bike--more than with many other shifting systems, I believe that I can actually FEEL the rear derailleur moving in my hand when I use them.
Needless to say, I ride a lot of old road bikes.
You will quickly gain the control to shift either from various hand positions on your road bars. Assuming ...
10
There is no 'conspiracy' to keep friction shifters off the market just so that you have to buy the index shifters. It is simply a matter of supply and demand. Nobody in the OEM market wants friction shift gears because bikes with friction-shift simply do not sell. That leaves the after-market and you have a similar position there - the demand does not exist ...
9
With friction shifters this is usually caused by one of two problems:
Loose Shifter Screw: Friction shift levers usually have a wing-nut-screew used to adjust the tension and friction of the lever against the mounting housing. Tighten this screw, but not too tight or else you can't move the shift lever. You can also take the shifter apart (noting ...
9
No.
The full gearing ratio of the bike (from your foot to the tire contact patch) is determined by four factors: the crank length, the chainring diameter, the cog diameter and the wheel diameter. Since these components can be changed independently, it is impossible to develop a uniform numbering system for a single component ("uniform" in this case means ...
8
Depending on the tension of the chain, you might be slightly more likely to jump, e.g. going from big to little on both front and back at the same time is increasing the slack in the chain and moving it in both directions (front to the left, back to the right).
So depending on the timing, not only will the slack need to be damped out and the indexing might ...
7
The simple answer is, no, it is not advisable, and yes it can cause damage. The chain uses tension to shift. Shifting with both front and rear derailleurs at the same time will remove that tension. The answer above is absolutely correct, but they are a bit too phlegmatic about the risks involved. Drop a chain due to poor shifting habits, and you risk ...
7
Unfortunately you cannot do that. The COGSET and the SHIFTER must have the same "distance", or more correctly, the same lateral distance (on the pulley) for each lenght of cable pulled (on the shifter).
When you go from 7 to 8 speed, the distance between cogs is the same (because the freehub shell is longer), so you could use a 7 shifter with an 8 cogset ...
6
I think Shimano integrated shifters ("brifters") for the front derailleur on a triple normally have 5 indexed positions: 1-3-5 are the main positions that match the chainrings and 2-4 are intermediate spots to avoid chain rub for some chainring+sprocket combinations. If you give the front shift lever a short pull it will click once and the front derailleur ...
6
WD40 will work, for awhile, but in the longer term it'll work against you since it's a poor lubricant and will work to prevent future lubing. Spraying some penetrating oil into the ratcheting mechanism is the way to go, long and short term. Gaining access by working the brake on the shifter and spraying, using a long neck attachment for better aim, into the ...
5
Hehe- I'm a fossil who still uses downtube friction shifters on my 1972-vintage Euro roadster...
But I do admit that as I get even yet older the allure of those nifty "brifters" is there..
Once learned, they are easy to use, forgiving of adjustment, and accommodate a wide variety of gear clusters with no problems. I took my originally 5-speed rear end up ...
5
This is probably down to the gear cables.
If the cables are new they may have stretched a little and you'll need to take the slack out by adjusting the tension, you usually do this with a barrel adjuster either at the shifter or inline in the shifter cable.
If the cables have been on the bike for some time then the problem is probably sticky cables, ...
5
Downtube shifters can be hard to get used to. When I first used them (after having more experience with on handlebar shifters) I would feel a bit wobbly when trying to shift. It really just takes practice. If they are not indexed (click into gear) then just push the lever (up or down) until the gear changes. If there is some chain rattle, then adjust until ...
5
Neil is right, most all "auto shifting" or "ghost shifting" is the result of cable-tension problems.
If the cable is a bit loose, the derailleur will try to shift "up" to a smaller cog. If too tight, it will try to catch the next larger cog.
Cables stretch, especially after a short period where the new cables stretch to the point they're stable. after ...
5
I would try to avoid rim brakes for a low-maintenance commuter bike, because they're not low maintenance. And they don't work very well in the rain. They're also not much cheaper than cheap disk brakes. It's not worth the price difference.
In my experience the roller brakes are less effective than disks or drums. The roller brakes don't bite, they're very ...
5
Having restored a number of old cheap bikes, I can tell you that the biggest problem is almost never the derailleurs/shifters. Usually these bikes have not been ridden much and have spent most of their time in a garage exposed to the elements. The biggest problems are rusted parts, poor lubrication, and horrifically bad tuning. Frequently, on a bike like ...
4
This is based on my experience with the following type of shifters, but is limited to Shimano so others may have a different experience. I haven't tried to split out the different variations of brifters either since I've only used 105's.
Integrated brake/shift levers (aka "brifters")
Pros:
Shifters are always close at hand, so you can always shift when ...
4
The inimitable late Sheldon Brown left us a great post on shifters and gearing and compatibility. The highlights for this kind of swap are:
For the bike getting the bar end shifters:
Likely no problem. If the rear shifter is indexed but the indexing doesn't match the gearing then you can usually switch to 'friction' mode. May be annoying if you are not ...
4
One point that seemed to be missed in the answers so far (though I'll admit I didn't read every word) is that indexed shifters are only a small part of indexed shifting.
It used to be that you needed friction shifters because, in order to shift to a larger sprocket, you had to "over-shift" substantially -- push the lever beyond the point where it would ...
4
The Ultegra 6600 STI lever is available as a right hand only part. It should cost around $400 dollars for the right shifter only, and around $600 dollars for the set.
Any Shimano 10 speed rear shifter, including the new Tiagra 4600 10 speed will be compatible. If you have current brakes, and you use a 10 speed STI lever, as previously noted, you will have ...
4
You do need an indexed, Campagnolo shift set which is set up for the same number of gears that your bike has.
Centaur is 10 speed Campag, if I remember correctly, so something like this:
Campag Record 10 speed bar end shifter
If you bike is 11 speed, then this, or similar:
11 speed Campag bar end shifter
Keep in mind that you will also need a new set ...
4
I posed a similar question (or at least a question which raises similar issues) on here a few months ago: Upgrade Shimano from 9- to 10- speed
The issue is not the different Shimano ranges per se, its going from 9 to 10 speed.
You can imagine that the 10-speed shifters will be expecting a 10-speed cassette at the other end of the wire - these things are ...
3
The first place I look for 'unusual' parts is Loose Screws. They have Ultegra and Dura Ace bar end shifters available.
My second source is Rivendell Bicycle Works - They have a couple of different options.
Not sure what you consider a reasonable price, but $100 US seems to be the ballpark for new shifters.
Finally - you can always try eBay for used parts, ...
3
Opening it is simple. Remove the grip, grasp the portion of the shifter that turns to shift, and rotate it back like you are shifting, while pulling it towards the center of the bar.
Putting it back together is not simple, and will likely not happen without assistance. Ask your LBS to show you the procedure if you want to learn.
If not, ask them to fix ...
3
It is also possible that you have extra positions on the shifters to accommodate the chainline. I know my Sora group on my Trek has two lower positions. If I'm in the lowest position then my chain will rub slightly on the smallest cassette gear. I'll move it to the second position which doesn't shift it but removes the rub on the front derailleur.
When I ...
3
I've heard this referred to as ghost shifting, and a proper setup on your drivetrain will almost always make it go away. Someone else may be able to speak to the exact circumstances that cause this, but adjusting cable tension (see M. Werner's answer about this) and front and rear derailers, along with keeping your drivetrain clean and properly lubed, will ...
3
I thought you might want to know the historical background to this particular problem and how to fix it so that it stays fixed...
Suntour 'Power Ratchet' friction shifters contain a spring and a ratchet, with the ratchet working one way, the idea being that it should be easy to shift gears with them. On most of their shifters of this era, e.g. the down ...
3
There are basically 4 possibilities:
The derailer is bent.
The derailer is gummed up, has mud in it, or is otherwise being prevented from moving. (You said the cable has been completely loosened, right?)
The limit screws are misadjusted
It's the wrong derailer for that gear setup. Eg, a double derailer on a triple crank.
(It is curious that the decal ...
3
Look at the new Venture series from Scott. Designed as the ultimate touring hybrid, they are fast, agile, low maintenance, and strong. They are more aggressively positioned than most hybrids, but not as aggressive as a hard tail mountain bike or a road bike would be. It's a bike that was designed around the messenger concept. If you need to be on a bike ...
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