BSA Top Tube Shifter



Hi All,

I did ask over in rec.bicycles.tech, but got only one reply......


Does anyone here remember what the internals of a BSA top tube shifter
should be like?


That is to say a BSA manufactured (and possibly designed) gear shifter
which attaches to the top tube of a bicycle to control a 3 speed
Sturmey Archer type hub?


I am trying to get one working, but it looks as though someone has been

in there before me.


Most bits seem to be there exceprt for the bit that the cable attaches
to. It looks like i'll have to make something, but if any of you with
long memories can remember what the original was like, it would help.


Picture is at


http://static.flickr.com/57/167561522_47c2457931_m.jpg


The oblong bit with 2 holes on the right of the lever is I think a
previous owners attempt to make up something to attach the cable. The
item on the right is the cover plate that goes on the outside of the
lever, I imagine that it would have been possible to change a cable
using the access hole in this.


The end of the cable and the nipple are at the left and from the way
the cable (run bare without an outer) is routed on the frame, if it
were to run horizontal it would come in at the top of the half moon
shaped plate. This would be no good, so I assume it actualy runs
downwards Hmm.... it's not obvious from the picture, but the cable
entry is only from about
8.30 - 6.30 (if you think of the half moon plate as the bottom of a
clock face.


Anyways, i've burbled enough.


All (polite, non injurious, and physically possible) sugestions
welcome.
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I did ask over in rec.bicycles.tech, but got only one reply......
>
>
> Does anyone here remember what the internals of a BSA top tube shifter
> should be like?
>
>
> That is to say a BSA manufactured (and possibly designed) gear shifter
> which attaches to the top tube of a bicycle to control a 3 speed
> Sturmey Archer type hub?
>
>
> I am trying to get one working, but it looks as though someone has been
>
> in there before me.
>
>
> Most bits seem to be there exceprt for the bit that the cable attaches
> to. It looks like i'll have to make something, but if any of you with
> long memories can remember what the original was like, it would help.
>
>
> Picture is at
>
>
> http://static.flickr.com/57/167561522_47c2457931_m.jpg
>
>
> The oblong bit with 2 holes on the right of the lever is I think a
> previous owners attempt to make up something to attach the cable. The
> item on the right is the cover plate that goes on the outside of the
> lever, I imagine that it would have been possible to change a cable
> using the access hole in this.
>
>
> The end of the cable and the nipple are at the left and from the way
> the cable (run bare without an outer) is routed on the frame, if it
> were to run horizontal it would come in at the top of the half moon
> shaped plate. This would be no good, so I assume it actualy runs
> downwards Hmm.... it's not obvious from the picture, but the cable
> entry is only from about
> 8.30 - 6.30 (if you think of the half moon plate as the bottom of a
> clock face.
>



Terrible picture, but is it one of these: www.m-gineering.nl/sashifter.jpg ?

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl
 
in message <[email protected]>,
[email protected] ('[email protected]') wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I did ask over in rec.bicycles.tech, but got only one reply......
>
> Does anyone here remember what the internals of a BSA top tube shifter
> should be like?


The inner cable is probably a single strand of piano wire, not a
multi-stranded cable like they are these days, and was probably bent in
a dogleg through one of the holes in the lever. If I'm right there would
have been no nipple. I've certainly seen bikes with control cables like
this. It probably also has rod-and-stirrup brakes?

Multi-stranded cables were I think rare and expensive pre-war.


--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; lovely alternative to rice.
 
M-gineering wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:

<snip>

>
> Terrible picture, but is it one of these: www.m-gineering.nl/sashifter.jpg ?
>


No, that would be too easy.

I have found some similar Sturmey Archer items on the net, the outer
plate is circular and I now see that they have a connector rod type
thingy that comes out of the left side. It looks as though I should be
making up something to replace that with a method of attaching the
cable and then some method of attaching it to the shifter inside the
housing.

Again if anyone knows what really went in there in the olden times, i'd
love to hear (or preferrably see a photo :=))
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I did ask over in rec.bicycles.tech, but got only one reply......
>
>
> Does anyone here remember what the internals of a BSA top tube shifter
> should be like?
>
>


Is this any help:

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/bsa.jpg



>
> Most bits seem to be there exceprt for the bit that the cable attaches
> to. It looks like i'll have to make something, but if any of you with
> long memories can remember what the original was like, it would help.
>


You'll probably have to make up a cable: the 'nipple' at the lever end
is like a flat bit of brass with a hole though it to fit over the spigot
on the lever.

--
Andrew
 
Simon Brooke wrote:

>
> Multi-stranded cables were I think rare and expensive pre-war.
>
>


This'll be the Boer War, I presume.

--
Andrew
 
Naqerj wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Hi All,
> >
> > I did ask over in rec.bicycles.tech, but got only one reply......
> >
> >
> > Does anyone here remember what the internals of a BSA top tube shifter
> > should be like?
> >
> >

>
> Is this any help:
>
> http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/bsa.jpg
>


Yes, a great help. I had found this picture in the meantime, but in a
smaller scale. Your comments below are also very helpful.

Thanks


>
> You'll probably have to make up a cable: the 'nipple' at the lever end
> is like a flat bit of brass with a hole though it to fit over the spigot
> on the lever.
>
> --
> Andrew