New rear mech time -- advice please

Tony W said:

The rear mech on my early 1980's Galaxy is, I think, the original (well --
apart from various replacement bits). It is now, to use the technical term,
buggered. The twiddle adjuster has started to break up and its ell nigh
impossible to twiddle any more. It still works -- sort of -- but it can't
get all of the gears -- and its time for a new one.

The bike has down tube shifters and a six speed block -- which I will keep
for the time being.

Most of the Shimano range say they are suitable for 8 or 9 speed.

Does this mean they are NOT suitable for 6 speed?

What are my options? Any recommendations? A good, basic unit that will
work well and give no problems for a few years is all I need. Gold plated
units made from Ti, CF or cheese not required.

IMBW but I don't think it matters; the maximum top/bottom limit is set
by the screws if you use less than the stated number of gears; Sora is
perfectly good but it has a largish top jockey wheel which may not be
compatible with your rear cassette/freewheel (maximum 26T IIRC)

Tony W said:

The rear mech on my early 1980's Galaxy is, I think, the original (well --
apart from various replacement bits). It is now, to use the technical term,
buggered. The twiddle adjuster has started to break up and its ell nigh
impossible to twiddle any more. It still works -- sort of -- but it can't
get all of the gears -- and its time for a new one.

The bike has down tube shifters and a six speed block -- which I will keep
for the time being.

Most of the Shimano range say they are suitable for 8 or 9 speed.

Does this mean they are NOT suitable for 6 speed?

What are my options? Any recommendations? A good, basic unit that will
work well and give no problems for a few years is all I need. Gold plated
units made from Ti, CF or cheese not required.

Apart from some weird Dura-Ace stuff, ALL Shimano rear mechs index
perfectly with ALL speeds of shifter, whatever it says on the box.
Period. If yours is friction shift then it's not even a concern.

I'd pick up a Deore or LX one. XT is nice but the ceramic bushing top
pulley has a lot of seal drag and it's more suited to muddy MTB, where
the need for longevity in adverse conditions outweighs the need for
outright efficiency. I don't think the lower-end mechs have this type
of pulley.

Zog The Undeniable said:

I'd pick up a Deore or LX one. XT is nice but the ceramic bushing top
pulley has a lot of seal drag and it's more suited to muddy MTB, where
the need for longevity in adverse conditions outweighs the need for
outright efficiency. I don't think the lower-end mechs have this type
of pulley.

I have an XT on my commuter/MTB. I don't think I can say anything bad
about it. It 'just works' and behaves itself. Previous attempts at
being happy with non-ceramic bushed rear mechs have been not so happy.
I will admint to never having noticed this 'seal drag' in the
slightest.

Dere or upwards for long life and happiness. If you get XT you won't be
wishing you bought a cheaper one. It'll just keep on going and you
won't be worrying about it at all, bar the odd squirt of WD40/GT85
every couple of hundred miles/ few weeks/when you can be bothered..

...d

David Martin said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

I'd pick up a Deore or LX one. XT is nice but the ceramic bushing top
pulley has a lot of seal drag and it's more suited to muddy MTB, where
the need for longevity in adverse conditions outweighs the need for
outright efficiency. I don't think the lower-end mechs have this type
of pulley.

I have an XT on my commuter/MTB. I don't think I can say anything bad
about it. It 'just works' and behaves itself. Previous attempts at
being happy with non-ceramic bushed rear mechs have been not so happy.
I will admint to never having noticed this 'seal drag' in the
slightest.

Dere or upwards for long life and happiness. If you get XT you won't be
wishing you bought a cheaper one. It'll just keep on going and you
won't be worrying about it at all, bar the odd squirt of WD40/GT85
every couple of hundred miles/ few weeks/when you can be bothered..

Is yours the big chunky silver-painted current model? The previous one
(with the black parallelogram) seemed to run more freely.

"Tony W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The rear mech on my early 1980's Galaxy is, I think, the original (well --
apart from various replacement bits). It is now, to use the technical
term, buggered. The twiddle adjuster has started to break up and its ell
nigh impossible to twiddle any more. It still works -- sort of -- but it
can't get all of the gears -- and its time for a new one.

The bike has down tube shifters and a six speed block -- which I will keep
for the time being.

Most of the Shimano range say they are suitable for 8 or 9 speed.

Does this mean they are NOT suitable for 6 speed?

What are my options? Any recommendations? A good, basic unit that will
work well and give no problems for a few years is all I need. Gold plated
units made from Ti, CF or cheese not required.

I wouldn't worry about the 8 or 9 speed labels. If it's indexing that you
are worried about, that's done at the lever end. For what it's worth I am
using a Shimano Acera rear derailleur with a seven speed cassette on my
Galaxy. Spa cycles recommended and supplied the mech and I have no quibbles
with their judgement. It's two years old with no obvious signs of wear.

HTH

Vernon

Correction,

the rear mech is an Alivio

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

(') said:

The rear mech on my early 1980's Galaxy is, I think, the original (well
--
apart from various replacement bits). It is now, to use the technical
term,
buggered. The twiddle adjuster has started to break up and its ell
nigh
impossible to twiddle any more. It still works -- sort of -- but it
can't get all of the gears -- and its time for a new one.

The bike has down tube shifters and a six speed block -- which I will
keep for the time being.

Most of the Shimano range say they are suitable for 8 or 9 speed.

Does this mean they are NOT suitable for 6 speed?

Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed, it does not
matter a damn. Any derailleur mech will happily move /less/ than its
designed range, so if a mech is designed to work over a range of eight
or nine speeds it will certainly work over 6.

I was going to say I'd advise SRAM X-5 or X-7, but actually I wouldn't,
since with the 1:1 actuation ratio you may not get enough movement on a
downtube shifter. Campag Xenon (about thirty quid) or Mirage (about
forty) are available in long cage and will be reliable for a long time;
if you want polished finish a Veloce '9 speed' will cost you about a
fiver more.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
There's nae Gods, an there's precious few heroes
but there's plenty on the dole in th Land o th Leal;
And it's time now, tae sweep the future clear o
th lies o a past that we know wis never real.

Tony W said:

What are my options? Any recommendations?

Shimano Tiagra is a reasonable model, I have one on my winter bike. It
works with no problems.
Must get round to cleaning it sometime...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-Tiagra-Rear-Mech-SS-NEW-2006-Model_W0QQite
mZ7233986549QQcategoryZ42329QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

--
Mike

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,

Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

T

Thanks for the advice and reassurance folks.

Tony

Tony W said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,

Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

Only two positions then?

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

"Chris Eilbeck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,

Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

Only two positions then?

LOL

The right hand one is clicky, while the left is smooth. :~p

David Martin said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

I'd pick up a Deore or LX one. XT is nice but the ceramic bushing top
pulley has a lot of seal drag and it's more suited to muddy MTB, where
the need for longevity in adverse conditions outweighs the need for
outright efficiency. I don't think the lower-end mechs have this type
of pulley.

I have an XT on my commuter/MTB. I don't think I can say anything bad
about it. It 'just works' and behaves itself. Previous attempts at
being happy with non-ceramic bushed rear mechs have been not so happy.
I will admint to never having noticed this 'seal drag' in the
slightest.

Dere or upwards for long life and happiness. If you get XT you won't be
wishing you bought a cheaper one. It'll just keep on going and you
won't be worrying about it at all, bar the odd squirt of WD40/GT85
every couple of hundred miles/ few weeks/when you can be bothered..

..d

My XT has also been fine on my winter commuter/audxer/tourer.

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

(') said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W

Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,

Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

H'mmm. Well if your original derailleur was Shimano, get a Shimano, and
if it wasn't, you may need to replace the shifter as well. I have an
indexed downtube shifter for a Sachs Huret rear derailleur on my winter
bike. Fortunately the derailleur is still working fine, but I'm not sure
what I'll do when it dies.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ring of great evil
Small one casts it into flame
Bringing rise of Men ;; gonzoron

Tony W said:

"Chris Eilbeck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W
>
> Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,

Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

Only two positions then?

LOL

The right hand one is clicky, while the left is smooth. :~p

In that case, a medium-priced Shimano rear mech (assuming they were Shimano
before hand). The indexing is in the shifter, and AFAIK, Shimano haven't
changed the cable pull requirements.

I have a Shimano-badged-as-9speed mech on an old bike with a 7-speed
screw-on block. It indexes fine with a 7-speed shifter. Previous mech was a
1980's Shimano, which was originally on a 5-speed block (friction shift),
block was later swapped to 7-speed.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Zog The Undeniable said:

Is yours the big chunky silver-painted current model? The previous one
(with the black parallelogram) seemed to run more freely.

Definitely silver (once the dirt is scraped off). I got it maybe a year
ago. Seems very much like the one on Wiggle.

Works a treat. Never a missed shift, though I think it needs a little
tweak now. A quarter turn or so on the cable tension.

...d

Simon Brooke said:

I was going to say I'd advise SRAM X-5 or X-7, but actually I wouldn't,
since with the 1:1 actuation ratio you may not get enough movement on a
downtube shifter.

I had an SRAM 5.0 rear. OK while it lasted, bu that wasn't very long.
If you are planning to expect the bike to just look after itself,
bearings that do not rust are a key thing in the jockey wheels.
I may still have the body somewhere. It had some nasty non-standard
design for the jockey wheels which would have made it uneconomic to
keep running. XT has been much better value for money.

...d

Nigel Cliffe said:

Tony W said:

"Chris Eilbeck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tony W" <[email hidden]> writes:

> "Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
> news:[email hidden]...
>> in message <[email hidden]>, Tony W
>>
>> Given that your downtube shifters are probably not indexed,
>
> Yes they are -- they were the dogs bollox when I bought the bike!!

The right hand one is clicky, while the left is smooth. :~p

Decent DT shifters have been indexed since at least the mid eighties. I
had seven speed on my road bike with a 1988 derraileur (Sante). It
worked a charm. Swapped the DT levers for some RSX 7 speed STI. Works
just fine. Swapped the Sante mech for an Ultegra long cage 10 speed (on
a 7 speed block). Works just fine.

Quoted message said:

In that case, a medium-priced Shimano rear mech (assuming they were Shimano
before hand). The indexing is in the shifter, and AFAIK, Shimano haven't
changed the cable pull requirements.

An XT one is £5 more than Deore and the same price as LX on Wiggle at
the moment. £35 quid. It will last better than the Deore and save the
extra fiver in increased lifespan.

...d

In article <[email hidden]>,

MSeries () said:

My XT has also been fine on my winter commuter/audxer/tourer.

I've got XTs on my MTB, trike and Speedmachine. Nary a problem with any
of 'em and that on the Speedmachine has done almost 20,000 km.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Nicht in die laufende Trommel greifen.