Can I use a downtube shifter on my bike?

James Thomson wrote:

Most newer bikes don't, it's true, but several of Bianchi's 2003 steel
models appear to:

When I got my warranty CrossCheck frame back from the shop, I was
surprised to see that the replacement frame has the DT shifter mount
braze-ons instead of just the cable braze-ons. I was fairly pleased
with the change.

--
Dane Buson -
"Absolutely nothing should be concluded from these figures except that
no conclusion can be drawn from them."
(By Joseph L. Brothers, Linux/PowerPC Project)

My bike is exactly as the one in the photo-link from James Thomson,
and it has the cable bosses that do look like the ones in the photo.
I have not removed them yet to see if there are indeed lever bosses as
shown, but my assumption is that it is so.

Thanks James
On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:18:50 +0100, "James Thomson"
wrote:

wrote:

James Thomson wote:

If your bike looks like this:

http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...Remo_zoom.html

then removing the things that look like this:

http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/graphics/C...Stops%20Lg.jpg

will reveal lever bosses like these:

http://www.bikeusa.com/Merchant2/gra...gs/FS1027s.jpg

to which you can mount the great majority of downtube gear levers.


James:

I don't think that he has shifter bosses and cable guides bolted in. I
think that instead he has cable guides welded where the the downtube
shifters would fit in.


Andres:

I don't know whether or not Mark from Maine has shifter bosses with cable
housing stops bolted in, but he does have a 2003 San Remo, and the Bianchi
website picture of a 2003 San Remo to which I linked shows a frame that
appears to have black plastic Campagnolo housing stops bolted to either
side of the down tube.

http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...24_SanRemo.jpg

That's why I pointed out that *if* his frame was as shown, Mark could
simply remove those stops and fit downtube levers. If it isn't, then of
course he can't, but I don't see any reason to assume that it isn't, and it
would only take a few moments for him to check.

in my opinion, this is a stupid idea. Having welded down tube shifter
bosses is a much better idea, but newer bikes don't have them
anymore.

Most newer bikes don't, it's true, but several of Bianchi's 2003 steel
models appear to:

http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...om/30_Eros.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...1_Campione.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...m/22_Imola.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si..._Vigorelli.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si...7_VeloceX2.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/si..._Veloce-BW.jpg

as do a number of the Reparto Corse models.

James Thomson

Great, you ar in luck. All you need to do is remove the little screw
that is holding the cable guide, pull out the cable guide and voila.
Kudos to James for suggesting this! The rest of us, we are all fired.

Andres

dvt wrote:
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

With a rear derailleur, and the resulting spring, , the
chance of spitting the chain off the crank w/o something to hold it on,
like a front der, is high. Ask Robert Millar, in the fairly unbumpy
race.

Are you talking about David Millar in the prologue of a recent TdF?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Yep, he told his wrench to take the fd off to save weight..and he spit
his chain off the crank.

dvt wrote:
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

With a rear derailleur, and the resulting spring, , the
chance of spitting the chain off the crank w/o something to hold it on,
like a front der, is high. Ask Robert Millar, in the fairly unbumpy
race.

Are you talking about David Millar in the prologue of a recent TdF?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

David Millar, Robert Millar, all scots look the same to me...

In article . com, Qui
si parla Campagnolo ) wrote:

dvt wrote:
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

With a rear derailleur, and the resulting spring, , the
chance of spitting the chain off the crank w/o something to hold it on,
like a front der, is high. Ask Robert Millar, in the fairly unbumpy
race.

Are you talking about David Millar in the prologue of a recent TdF?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Yep, he told his wrench to take the fd off to save weight..and he spit
his chain off the crank.

I thought it was the directeur sportif who ordained that the whole team
should have their front derailleurs summarily? IIRC five or six of them
all had the same problem.

--
Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
Help me, Mrs. Medleycott, I don't know what to do. I've only got three
bullets and there's four of Mötley Crüe.

With a rear derailleur, and the resulting spring, , the
chance of spitting the chain off the crank w/o something to hold it on,
like a front der, is high. Ask Robert Millar, in the fairly unbumpy
race.

Journey to the centre of the earth, by Richard and Nicholas Crane
1987:'to save weight there was no front derailleur or lever, we used
kick down for lower gearsand finger lift up for higher.'
I do not think the roads between Dhaka and the gobi desert are smooth
by uk standards.
Anyway, a dt shifter should be easy enough to find if you insist.
TerryJ