Suntour downtube friction levers problem

craker
craker Posts: 1,739
edited May 2008 in Workshop
I've reassembled an old Raleigh Europa I found in the rubbish dump

I must have put the friction shifters back together wrong - the rear mech has enough spring in it to pull the lever round. Any suggestions? How complicated can it be?


As an aside, I've fitted some 105 STi to use as brake levers. There's no use trying to use 9 speed shifters on a 7 speed cassette is there?

I've got a spare 9 speed wheel at home (came from the same dustbin as the levers) but to use them I'll have to spread the rear dropouts, get a new chain and probably new chainrings & cranks too?? Too much money for a skip bike if you ask me.

Comments

  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    I used to have some Suntour down tube shifters, XCD I think, which at the time was pretty good stuff. I'm sure there was a type of minature wingnut that could be tightened by hand to increase or decrease the friction. I've still got them in box somewhere, I'll have a look.
    The Master
    The Moser
    The VN
  • robbarker
    robbarker Posts: 1,367
    I've just done much the same thing with a firend's Carlton circa 1980 that didn't appear to have been cleaned, let alone serviced, since new. (Just waiting for the final componenet to arrive - pic to follow).

    Simply tighten the screw holding the lever in to increase the friction.

    (Rob, yn Sir Fynwy hyfed!)
  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    mr_si wrote:
    As an aside, I've fitted some 105 STi to use as brake levers. There's no use trying to use 9 speed shifters on a 7 speed cassette is there?

    I've got a spare 9 speed wheel at home (came from the same dustbin as the levers) but to use them I'll have to spread the rear dropouts, get a new chain and probably new chainrings & cranks too?? Too much money for a skip bike if you ask me.

    Check www.sheldonbrown.com for tips on the downtube shifters. You won't have to change either the chain rings and cranks or spread the dropouts. Steel frames can spring out a couple of mm with no issues whatsoever. The 9/8/7 speed cranks thing is basically marketing. You ought to buy a new chain, and I'm assuming that your 9 speed cassette is in good condition, so it should not cost too much :)
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Term1te wrote:
    I used to have some Suntour down tube shifters, XCD I think, which at the time was pretty good stuff. I'm sure there was a type of minature wingnut that could be tightened by hand to increase or decrease the friction. I've still got them in box somewhere, I'll have a look.

    I have a set mounted on a trainer. You're right Term1te, they have wingnut on them. They also have a kind of rubber bushing on the inside to tighten the wingnut against, to provide
    this friction. Kind of hard to describe.

    Dennis Noward
  • robbarker
    robbarker Posts: 1,367
    The 9 speed route could be viable - pick up a square taper 9 sp chainset cheap on ebay like this:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/105-CHAINSET_W0QQ ... dZViewItem

    The frame will be 126mm between the dropouts and needs to be 130mm, not a great problem to spring but better to cold set for a pub bike project like this, a big bit of wood and some string to check the frame alignment would do the job admirably according to Sheldon:

    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
  • robbarker
    robbarker Posts: 1,367
    You can see the screw to tighten on the piccie of my friend's Carlton..

    DSCN0593.JPG

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