I think you have a point, John. There is a certain amount of snobbery that creaps into our thinking. These shifters do present an injury hazard in a crash - but the same could be said of those adjustable Cinelli steel track stems or pre-WWII Paramount stems. We probably think of stem shifters as ridiculous because they appeared on some pretty junky bikes. If Rene Herse had used them extensively, we'd probably be calling them "classic".
Regards,
Jerry Moos
John wrote:
> Just out of curiosity, what is it, exactly, that makes stem mounted shifters
> "ridiculous"?? Stop guffawing, you veteran experts. I really want to know.
>
> John Dunn in Napa Valley
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: brian blum <brianblum@hotmail.com>
> To: <jfbender@umich.edu>
> Cc: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 5:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Atala and "Schwinn Approved" plus
> commercial
>
> > I find it hard to imagine a Varsity as quality, though it could be
> > consistant. I have a photo of an abandoned Schwinn Sports Tourer that has
> > been lock in this rack for many years. It was there when I started working
> > here 4 years ago. Grand Tourismo, TA cranks, brazed Reynolds 531 and
> > rediculous stem mounted shifters just like a Varsity.
> > http://albums.photopoint.com/
> >
> > Brian
> >
> > ----Original Message Follows----
> > From: Joseph Bender-Zanoni <jfbender@umich.edu>
> > To: "brian blum" <brianblum@hotmail.com>
> > CC: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Atala and "Schwinn Approved" plus
> > commercial
> > Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 19:24:22 -0800
> >
> > Ah but a Varsity is a wonderful thing in terms of quality. Consistent,
> > reliable. It worked. See Sheldon's site about the electroformed frame
> > process. The consistency of the Schwinn product and what it stood for
> > across the line is remarkable.
> >
> > My point about the Chiorda is that you have the good one and it is fine,
> > but the lesser bikes were painful and they hurt their image.
> >
> > And now a special "Schwinn Approved" offering. Toe straps. White. NOS
> (some
> > have a little rust on the buckles. Made in Italy. Schwinn Sprint $2.
> > Schwinn Approved $4. Plus shipping ($1-$3.20). Delivery may slide to
> > January.
> >
> > Joe