CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Moving gear shifters from down tube to handlebars

(11 posts)

No tags yet.


  1. LivM
    Member

    My mother has asked me to renovate her nice old Claude Butler bike, which has friction shifters on the down tube, and had drop handlebars which I have now had changed to straight-ish bars (so she has a more upright position).

    I have had a test ride of the renovated bike (I didn't do the work...) and it seems nice, but I wonder if she will be happier if I can move the gear changing location to the handlebars.

    Does anyone have any advice on whether this would be possible? It has 5 gears at the back and 2 at the front.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    More than possible - and highly desirable.

    Two basic options - normal thumbshifters or levers that go on the stem (random example).

    Non-indexed thumbshifters easy to find at Bike Station. Stem ones less common.

    You will need somewhere for the cables to go to on the downtube (like this).

    However, I have cheapskated by using existing levers as the stops (not elegant).

    The cable from the current rear shifter is probably long enough for using from thumbshifter to front mech so you would only need one new cable.

    Of course that all assumes DIY. I suspect some shops will be keener than others to do the work depending on what parts they have to hand - so if you are wanting one to do the job I suggest you phone a few and get a firm quote - prices WILL vary!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    You could try thumb shifters on the bars, or stem shifters (like down tube shifters, but mounted on a quill stem). Either of these would work, the stem shifters can usually be switched to friction mode so they will work with the 5 speed block.

    Some for sale here and here also (friction only).

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    P.s. it's good that your mother wants to keep cycling (or return?) and straight bars is a sensible option for many people - not just because they are getting older.

    The work is likely to cheaper than a new bike!

    Her bike is probably lighter than most new ones unless she spent a 'fair amount'.

    An added bonus is that the brakes will probably feel easier, and more powerful, than her old 'back in the day' drop levers.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    If the bike already has brazed-on bosses for the downtube shifters, you will want some cable stops for them, like these. I know for a fact that The Bike Works has a big box of them through the back and sell them for a few quid each.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  6. crowriver
    Member

    You'll need new gear cables and some cable outers to go from the cable stops to the shifters. When I bought some NOS 6 speed SIS stem shifters for the Raleigh (I converted to drops so replaced the original thumbies), they came complete with cables and outers, the works, all for seven quid IIRC.

    Still available on fleaBay for only a couple of quid more than I paid. Don't seem to be cable outers in this pack, alas.

    Otherwise, these thumbies might work, though they are indexed to 6 speed so may not play nicely with the 5 speed block. You might be able to swap out the 5 speed freewheel for a 6 speed, but that's a job for the LBS I'd say (due to the brute force likely to be necessary to remove the old block) and rear dropout spacing/axle length may be an issue. Also some Shimano thumbies here but the same issue it would appear, SIS indexing on the rear.

    Agree with chdot that it's worth checking the Bike Station for friction only thumbies (especially the right/rear side, left/front tends to be friction anyway).

    Posted 10 years ago #

  7. LivM
    Member

    All that stuff is brilliant, thank you. I had not encountered non-indexed thumbshifters so will add that to my search list. A visit to the Bike Station seems in order. Is this the sort of thing? VINTAGE SHIMANO MTB THUMB TOP SHIFTERS SL-MY34 FRICTION (NON INDEX)

    The bike in question is a nice Claude Butler from the 70s (I think) with mixte frame and 531 tubing - very light, well balanced etc. She has not ridden for many years because of bad hips but has new ones now and wants to be able to pedal down the glen to visit friends, without troubling my father to drive her. The drop bars were going to be too much of a stretch for her; the new handlebars (a bit swept back) provide a nice upright and comfortable position, and the new brake levers are much more effective than the previous ones.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  8. crowriver
    Member

    @LivD, those thumbies look ideal. Given they're effectively brand new, might be a better investment than a used item from the Bike Station which may need a lot of fettling or might be rather badly worn, corroded, missing fixing screws, etc.

    Also I note from the ad: "If you need outer cables we e can provide 2 lengths 560mm outer casing & 1 length 300mm which would be the normal requirement for most bikes for only £2.50 extra". Not bad, might save a bit of trawing around the net/bike shops. I've bought from this seller before and the guy is very good.*

    * - I don't know him nor do I have any connection with him other than having been a customer on a few occasions.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  9. LivM
    Member

    Thanks for the advice, Crowriver. I have purchased the aforesaid item, although it's not clear HOW to buy the outer casings (have sent a message to ask), and if my mother decides she doesn't need to change the gear shifters, I will use them on something else... sometime... (hence garage full of bike spare parts). :)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    Probably it will be possible to arrange an additional PayPal payment for the cables. Of course it's your mother's choice, but I'd have thought the thumbies would be better suited for an upright posture and riser/north road type bars (which is what yours sound like).

    garage full of bike spare parts

    Yeah, tell me about it. ;-)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  11. LivM
    Member

    She's going to try it as is to see - I would personally change them, but she may be ingrained to using down-tube shifters after many years of it. I think that is unlikely, really!

    Posted 10 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin