Mark Bulgier wrote:
>
> Chuck Schmidt wrote:
>
> > > The bar end shifter that preceeded the downtube
> > > shifter was only made in aluminum from my
> > > understanding.
> >
> > Scott Davis wrote:
> > >
> > > Chuck, here's a bronze bar end shifter, which I once
> > > owned...
> >
> http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
> Scott, why do you think those parts are bronze? Can you see bronze somewhere
> where the plating is worn off, or...? I have to say, just from looking at
> the photo, it sure looks like aluminum to me. Brass or bronze bike parts
> are usually chrome plated, and I'll bet a gross of twizzlers the part in the
> pic isn't chromed. It's possible nowadays to plate bronze to look like
> aluminum, good enough to fool me in a picture that size anyway, but that
> wasn't done back then that I know of.
Mark, Scott told me that these were his before he sold them and that they were very heavy feeling levers. Since Campagnolo introduced the Gran Sport derailleur with bar end shifters and the down tube shifters came later and the dt shifters were first made in chrome plated bronze it stands to reason that the preceding bar end shifters would be chrome plated bronze too. Any opinions out there?
Maybe the ones in the picture are chrome plated but have not be buffed out during the chroming process so look matt instead of shiny?
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California