Adam Hammond wrote:
>I'm in the process of putting together a randonneuring bike, and
>will be running a friction-shifting setup. Two of my bikes -- one
>with a Nuovo record drivetrain and one with a Shimano 600 -- shift
>with friction, and both have thread-on freewheels, and I like them
>very much. Since I will be using my randonneur for very long
>distances, I understandably want it to be extremely reliable. And
>since I'm building it from the ground up, I have a tremendous amount
>of choice in components. For aesthetic and practical reasons, I've
>assembled a largely Mavic SSC-based group of components (with
>Simplex-made retrofriction shifters), though I'm a bit reluctant to
>get the matching hubs. From reading things Sheldon Brown, for
>instance, has had to say, it seems that cassette hubs are simply a
>better design, and when buying something new, it would only make
>sense to go with a cassette hub.
That's true. The cassette system is superior in all respects to the
old-fashioned thread-on freewheel system.
>(The only cassette hub I think will look very good with the setup is
>the Phil hub -- which are not inexpensive.)
>
>However, friction shifting and ramped cassettes (from what I read)
>don't appear to go well together. It seems that "ghost shifting" is
>a problem. I'm only planning on running 8 gears in the back, so
>things aren't as narrow as a 9 or 10 speed setup would be. But it
>seems like it would still be a problem.
I was briefly running a Nuovo Record rear derailer with a 7-speed Hyperglide cassette, and it shifted like a dog compared with modern Shimano stuff. The Nuovo Record was hot stuff in its day, but really doesn't make sense for a "rider" in my opinion, unless you're the sort of cyclist who rarely shifts, and you're going to be using it with pretty tight gearing.
My experience with friction shifting and Hyperglide is that the shifting is confusing because of the smoothness of th Hyperglide shifting. Normally, with friction shifting, you get an audible/tactile clue from the drivetrain if you have not got the jockey pulley lined up with the desired sprocket, but with Hyperglide you don't get this feedback.
I really don't understand why anybody would want to put friction rear shifting on a new built bike anyway. There's no benefit to it that I can see.
It would be different if you were restoring a collectible bike either for display or for parade-type riding, but for a new-built "rider" you would do much better with modern parts, even if you use a classic frame.
I loved the ride of classic '60s and '70s frames, but never had much attraction for the clunky old parts they came with.
Sheldon "Old Frames, New Parts" Brown
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| It were not best that we should all think alike; |
| it is difference of opinion that makes horse-races. |
| -- Mark Twain |
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