Crane on 9s??

Frank Knox said:

I'm going to build a new wheel with a 9s cassette hub to upgrade an old bike. Since I will be using
*friction* shifting for this, will my old Shimano Crane derailleur work or must I purchase a 9s
derailleur?

The only real issue here is whether the derailleur can manage to span the width of a 9s cassette,
which is wider; but there tends to be a lot of elbow room in older derailleurs, so I expect you
would have no problems.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!

Frank Knox said:

I'm going to build a new wheel with a 9s cassette hub to upgrade an old bike. Since I will be
using *friction* shifting for this, will my old Shimano Crane derailleur work or must I purchase a
9s derailleur?

IIRC the Crane was a 5 or 6 speed unit, you may find that it will span the gears with the limit
screws almost all the way out, but will probably skip when faced with a gear smaller than 13 teeth.

I suggest polishing up the Crane and putting it on a shelf and getting a modern derailleur
(derailer) which will shift well with friction providing your levers pull enough cable. Some
friction shifters have a small drum and will not pull enough cable.

I have had good luck using Suntour ratchet friction shifters in this application with a modern
Shimano rd.

Marcus