12
votes
Accepted
What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an aluminum frame?
Since you have a relatively "flat" spot there (at least flat in the longitudinal direction) you have two options:
You can epoxy on a replacement boss
I did this on a recent Al frame with the exact ...
- 1,058
9
votes
Accepted
Friction-shift (rear) always changing up the gears
Rode downtube friction shifters bikes for a while.
I can see two possible causes : either the shifter was too lubricated, or the screw isn't tightened enough. Try to tighten it more, but pay ...
7
votes
Accepted
How to replace downtube shifters with stem shifters?
You'll need longer cables in order to bridge the distance between where your original downtube shifters were and the stem (where the new shifters will be mounted). And you'll need to install a shifter ...
7
votes
Accepted
Rear derailleur compatibility for friction shifting
It basically doesn't matter among rear derailleurs you might reasonably use in this situation.
It is possible to contrive a situation where the derailleur you chose needs more total pull than your ...
- 81.9k
6
votes
I want to covert my bike from a 7 to 9 speed. I have a Shimano 600 derailleur. Will this work or what would you advise as affordable upgrade?
The community generally seems to advocate against upgrading your bike. I'm not sure why, it often makes alot more sense than buying new and more than buying used much of the time.
If your bike was ...
- 13.6k
6
votes
Installing downtube shifters with no clamp
Without any additional knowledge on the bike, my advice would be don't drill into the down tube. You run the risk of making it structurally unsound. That being said, some bikes with downtube shifters ...
- 46.1k
6
votes
What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an aluminum frame?
Good epoxy is known to bond metals, especially aluminum very well. Make sure the surfaces are clean and slightly rough for a better bond. I use the same two part epoxy hobbyist aircraft builders use ...
- 369
6
votes
Accepted
Can a Shimano 7 spd rear derailleur work with a Campy Athena down tube shifter?
If you are comfortable operating in friction mode, your existing lever should be fine.
IMO friction mode with a 7-speed cassette is still reasonable. I wouldn't want to use e.g., a 12-speed cassette ...
- 3,464
5
votes
What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an aluminum frame?
If you have a 3D printer, you can design cable stops that fit your frame and print them. This is one I made:
I have been using this version for a few years now and didn't have any problems with it.
...
- 151
4
votes
Friction-shift (rear) always changing up the gears
You already have the correct answer for you (tighten up the friction screw) but there's something else you should look at: balanced stem shifters.
Regular stem shifters hold their place by friction --...
- 29.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Which shifters are compatible with dura ace 740x?
The 740x rear derailleurs are unicorns that only index with 7400 shifters. I believe there is an SL-7402 downtube shifter.
7400 shifters have a cable anchor routing trick that allows them to work with ...
- 81.9k
3
votes
Vintage Basso and downtube shifters
Beautiful bike. I'm afraid there could be any number of problems behind this:
Cable is seized in the housing. Disconnect cable from derailleur and see if you can rotate the shift lever back and forth ...
- 29.2k
3
votes
I want to covert my bike from a 7 to 9 speed. I have a Shimano 600 derailleur. Will this work or what would you advise as affordable upgrade?
Basically everything shifting related.
9 speed uses a narrower chain and a wider cassette so you’ll need: New shifters, new chain, new cassette, new rear derailleur, new chainrings. Your old front ...
- 26k
3
votes
Accepted
Downtube shifters won't stay in low gear on rear derailleur
Downtube shifters are usually called "friction shifters" and friction is key when fixing the issue you describe. I own and periodically use an old Cannondale with such system. Every now and then I ...
- 334
3
votes
What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an aluminum frame?
I tried epoxying the frame stop onto the frame, and took utmost care but front deraileur cable stop came off.
Now I am considering this "On Frame Cable Stop, Alloy Double, 31.8mm , Black" instead.
- 41
3
votes
Accepted
shifting (hah!) from downtube to integrated shifters
You just remove the downtube shifters, put cable stops in their place on the bosses (e.g. Shimano SM-CS50), and then route the cables for the brifters using those cable stops like you would any other ...
- 46.1k
2
votes
Different types of down tube shifter mounts
You can re-thread the old Huret/Simplex mounts and install a Shimano downtube shifter as shown in this video:
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
Different types of down tube shifter mounts
I don't know anything about the history or whys, but I have seen shifters by huret that match up with this type of mount (as @danielrhicks was getting at):
As you can see they have a square baseplate ...
- 1,981
2
votes
Accepted
Preventing downtube cable stops from sliding out of place
That calls for a shim. Cut a narrow strip from a drinks can, about 3-5cm long and lay it under the cable stop before re-tightening the screw. Make sure all the surfaces are clean and degreased. The ...
- 8,269
2
votes
What's the strongest way to bond a cable stop to an aluminum frame?
I have the same problem with a downtube that is 38.7 mm in diameter and I cannot find anything suitable ready made.
So I made my own and it works.
Word of warning, this is only for shifting gears and ...
- 121
2
votes
Bought a Vintage Bianchi 1985 road racer, came with Shimano 600, can I easily turn it into index shifting?
Some pictures of the levers and the RD may be welcome and clarify the situation.
Shimano 600 was an indexed shifting system and stands at the beginning of the Ultegra line of products. It can be ...
- 8,269
2
votes
Problems with cheap housings
I think it will work fine for a while, but the slight angle will increase friction and therefore wear on that point of the cable. This will make it harder to move too over time.
Water from rain or ...
- 121k
2
votes
Accepted
Shimano downtube shifters 3x7 speed
7 and 8 speed cassettes have the same spacing, so you can use either in your situation.
As for indexing on the rear, usually there is no indexing, though I've seen 'semi-indexing', where they do have ...
- 12.1k
2
votes
What are the steps required to revert from STI shifters to friction shifters?
Basically you may drop steps 2, 3 and 6. You'll just remove the shifter cables from the STI levers. It might not please the aesthetes but it will work. If the STI levers have the shifter cables run ...
- 8,269
2
votes
Shimano 105 front derailleur, Sugino crank and large chain ring, chain touches the derailleur cage
Solved it, it was the nut oriented incorrectly on the dura-ace downtube shifter.
Turning the inside nut so that its oriented correctly against the main tube, inside from the lever, and retightening ...
- 341
2
votes
Which shifters are compatible with dura ace 740x?
When I bought bar-end shifters for my 8-speed drivetrain bike, I had to select the bar-end shifters marketed as "8-speed Ultegra". Those ones marketed as "8-speed Dura-Ace" are the ...
- 18k
2
votes
Can a Shimano 7 spd rear derailleur work with a Campy Athena down tube shifter?
From what I have read, all 7 speed freewheels have similar spacing.
(see first green table: http://www.cornant.uk/info/rear.html )
If you wanted to preserve the indexing, you would need a 7- or 8-...
- 13.6k
1
vote
Can't get lowest gear and derailleur shifts on its own
We know it worked once, but we don't know what was changed, so it's time to go back to basics.
Auto shifting
The rear derailleur has a spring that wants to move the chain to the smallest cog.
The ...
- 20.7k
1
vote
Which downtube friction shifters work with 2021 Campagnolo 11-speed cassettes, and how well?
Friction shifters are infinitely adjustable - by definition they don't have stops or detents for each gear position. If they did, they'd be called "indexed"
So there are only three ...
- 121k
1
vote
Help me identify downtube shifter boss type
Those look like standard shimano-style downtube shifter bosses. You would need some downtube shifter levers ending up something like this:
If you want to use brifters (integrated levers) then you ...
- 121k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible