At 10:50 AM 11/17/2001 -0800, Mark Bulgier wrote:
>Chuck wrote:
>
> > Actually the spring in a Simplex Retrofriction down tube shift
> > lever operated as a clutch and not as a spring to oppose the
> > force of the rear derailleur.
>
>Quite right. There was one shifter where the spring actually did oppose the
>rear derailleur spring - the pre-indexing Shimano bar-end (70s - early 80s).
Yeah, and as shifters, those suck. A backward concept, really, and pretty heavy to operate. Maybe I should try mine with a brand new Light Action (tm) derailleur. Nobody's bought them at the Cirque, in two years of trying. But, they'll still be $25 next year, 'cause they bring back fond commuting memories. Love my SunTours, though
>These work well too but can be a tad annoying at times. For instance, to
>install a new cable, you have to clamp down on the friction adjustment or
>they spring to the opposite end of their throw from where you want. And
>I've had them attached to a derailleur with a weaker spring than normal, and
>they tended to drift like a friction shifter - except in the opposite
>direction. In this case it was a front derailleur that would creep toward
>the big chainring if I didn't have the friction adjusted high enough.
>
>I like 'em better than Suntours though - never did like the ratcheting all
>that much. And I agree with Jerry Moos that Suntours were not
>"retrofriction".
>
>Mark Bulgier
>Seattle, Wa
>USA