Raison d'etre for STI

[Andrew Lee]

"M-Gineering import & framebouw" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Back in the early '20s, there were no front derailers. The rider had to reach down to the chain
> and pick up the chain to shift. This was a perfectly satisfactory system for any Real Cyclist.
> There were no moving parts, no cables to stretch, a great system, elegantly simple!

You only have to pick up to move it to the big ring. You can nudge it over to the small ring with
your foot. I did this on my hand-me-down first road bike after the plastic Simplex derailleur died,
and also on my brother's old Peugeot... this was when I was a kid with no spending money.

 

[Brian Huntley]

Benjamin Lewis <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Carapace Completed Umber wrote:
>
> > You might think this wasn't a big deal, just another choice--but just _try_ to find a lever type
> > front derailer anymore! The Evil Parts Cartel has conspired to remove this wonderfully simple
> > option from the marketplace and to force us all to use their Rube-Goldbergesque
> > remote-controlled front derailers instead. Harumpf! Bah! Pfooey!
>
> I'm sure that Sheldon guy still stocks them.

Somewhat seriously, were rod-operated brakes ever combined with lever-type derailers to make a
'solid state' bike?

 

[Anthony Campbel]

In article <[email protected]>, Andrew Lee wrote:
>
> "M-Gineering import & framebouw" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Back in the early '20s, there were no front derailers. The rider had to reach down to the chain
>> and pick up the chain to shift. This was a perfectly satisfactory system for any Real Cyclist.
>> There were no moving parts, no cables to stretch, a great system, elegantly simple!
>
> You only have to pick up to move it to the big ring. You can nudge it over to the small ring with
> your foot. I did this on my hand-me-down first road bike after the plastic Simplex derailleur
> died, and also on my brother's old Peugeot... this was when I was a kid with no spending money.
>
>

The Crane cousins did this to save weight in their ride to the "centre of the earth" in
Central Asia.

AC

--
<<|
| http://www.acampbell.org.uk/cycling/
_________ ,___o / \ __________ _\ <;_ / \ OCD Cycloclimbing ___________ (_)/ (_) / \
http://www.ocd.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Erik Brooks]

> You only have to pick up to move it to the big ring. You can nudge it over to the small ring with
> your foot. I did this on my hand-me-down first road bike after the plastic Simplex derailleur
> died, and also on my brother's old Peugeot... this was when I was a kid with no spending money.

When I was a kid, I got the first multi-gear bike in our backwoods town - a 3 speed twist
grip (1961?).

THe cable broke pretty soon, and I 'shifted' for a while by carrying 2 small rocks. Stopping and
cramming the larger rock in would lock it into the lowest gear, and no rock gave me high gear.
Pretty soon I gave up the rocks and rode it as a single speed from then on. We rode everywhere in
hilly terrain, and I credit this bike with the legs I've got now.

 

[A Muzi]

> On Sun, 19 Jan 2003 09:07:27 -0500, Jon Isaacs wrote:
>
> >>Sheldon Brown" wrote:
> >>> Back in the early '50s, front derailers wern't cable operated. The rider had to reach down to
> >>> the _seat_ tube and push a lever sideways to shift. This was a perfectly satisfactory system
> >>> for any Real Cyclist.
> >
> >>> There was only one moving part, no cables to stretch, a great system, elegantly simple!
> >>
> >>
> > Not only that but it was probably easier to trim.....

"Steve Palincsar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Funny you should say that. An article by Jan Heine in a Riv Reader not long ago, describing an old
> Rene Herse bike equipped with this type of front mech, mentioned that because it had no springs,
> it was self-centering - the action of the chain would shove the cage over enough to trim the cage.
> If the article is to be believed, these are quite easy to shift (assuming you can actually reach
> the lever, that is!).

Reach it? Not any lower than a seat tube mounted bottle.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Bruce]

When the front der on my first 10speed Schwinn Continental rusted dead I removed it and shifted with
my foot. Down with my right heel and up with my left big toe.

-Bruce

"Andrew Lee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "M-Gineering import & framebouw" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Back in the early '20s, there were no front derailers. The rider had to reach down to the chain
> > and pick up the chain to shift. This was a perfectly satisfactory system for any Real Cyclist.
> > There were no moving parts, no cables to stretch, a great system, elegantly simple!
>
> You only have to pick up to move it to the big ring. You can nudge it
over
> to the small ring with your foot. I did this on my hand-me-down first
road
> bike after the plastic Simplex derailleur died, and also on my brother's
old
> Peugeot... this was when I was a kid with no spending money.

 

[Bfd]

[email protected] (Michael Doleman) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> I maintain that both types of lever are serviceable only in the same sense that your VCR is
> serviceable. Yes, they can be fixed given enough time and the right spare parts, but the parts may
> cost you half as much as a new unit, and unless you plan to do the work yourself, your local bike
> shop will charge you the other half in labor. I know a few bike shops, in fact, that won't even
> touch them, they just recommend a new lever.
>
I have to disagree in part with this assessment. Repair parts are readily available and fair cheap.
The first time we took apart an older 94(?) Record 8 ergo lever, it took us a little over a 1/2 hour
to change out the shifting cam, went from 8 to 9, springs and put everything back. The total price
of the parts was like $20-25. If you take it to a shop, assuming you find one that was willing to
work on Campy levers, labor should be around $25-30. That's a total of $40-50. In contrast, I
understand you can get a brand new Mirage 9 right ergo lever for like $40. Therefore, IF you're
mechanically inclined or have an LBS that is WILLING to work on ergo levers, its probably cost
feasible to repair/upgrade a lever. However, if you're not inclined or don't have a cooperative LBS,
then its cheaper to replace....