Can I use a downtube shifter on my bike?

I have a 2003 Bianchi San Remo which I use to commute on (15 miles
each way, rolling terrain). I would like to change the drivetrain
from the 9 speed Ergo system which is there now, to something else. I
have another bike with a 7 speed RX100 drive train which I may steal
some parts from. The 9 speed triple that is on the San Remo is
overkill from a gearing ratio standpoint, and the Ergo shifters are
not as robust as I would like.

Here is what I want to do, I want to use a downtube shifter for the
Fder - on my commute, I rarely shift from the 40t ring, so I was
thinking of going to a double rather than the triple that I have, and
going to a DT shifter - question is if I can mount a DT shifter on my
downtube. The 2003 San Remo is steel, and has an oversized oval cross
section downtube - there are bosses on the sides where the cables
sheaths for the shifters are terminated - my question is if there is a
DT shifter that I can mount where these bosses are - I don't think
that I can use a clamp-on shifter since the tube is so big around.

For the rear, I am planning on going to a 7 or 8 speed arrangement
with a bar-end shifter for that, and probably move the ergo shifters
to the bike that currently has the RX-100 components.

Any comments/suggestions on the DT shifter for the front?

Why don't you go with bar end shifters for both Instead of one downtube
shifter? You could go to rivendell.com and order the bar end shifter
adaptors and use any downtube shifters. However, they also sell
friction shifters that work great. To turn into a double, all you need
to do is remove the extra ring.

Andres

I could do bar end on both bar ends, but I have a mirror on the left
bar end which I like, so I could keep that if I had the DT shifter for
the front.

Mark

On 14 Jan 2006 08:58:26 -0800, wrote:

Why don't you go with bar end shifters for both Instead of one downtube
shifter? You could go to rivendell.com and order the bar end shifter
adaptors and use any downtube shifters. However, they also sell
friction shifters that work great. To turn into a double, all you need
to do is remove the extra ring.

Andres

Mark in Maine wrote:
I have a 2003 Bianchi San Remo which I use to commute on (15 miles
each way, rolling terrain). I would like to change the drivetrain
from the 9 speed Ergo system which is there now, to something else. I
have another bike with a 7 speed RX100 drive train which I may steal
some parts from. The 9 speed triple that is on the San Remo is
overkill from a gearing ratio standpoint, and the Ergo shifters are
not as robust as I would like.

Here is what I want to do, I want to use a downtube shifter for the
Fder - on my commute, I rarely shift from the 40t ring, so I was
thinking of going to a double rather than the triple that I have, and
going to a DT shifter - question is if I can mount a DT shifter on my
downtube. The 2003 San Remo is steel, and has an oversized oval cross
section downtube - there are bosses on the sides where the cables
sheaths for the shifters are terminated - my question is if there is a
DT shifter that I can mount where these bosses are - I don't think
that I can use a clamp-on shifter since the tube is so big around.

Nope...barends are what you need.


For the rear, I am planning on going to a 7 or 8 speed arrangement
with a bar-end shifter for that, and probably move the ergo shifters
to the bike that currently has the RX-100 components.

Any comments/suggestions on the DT shifter for the front?

If you rarely change chainwheel then you don't really need a front
shifter at all.Stop at the bottom of a big hill and, with a covered
finger or a twig or allen key, simply pull the chain across.The rear
mech adjusts the tension as usual.The Crane brothers went across Tibet
doing this to save a little weight if my memory serves me well.
An old bike shop may have a friction shifter from pre 1990 in a drawer
somewhere.I have just been out on my old raleigh banana using
those.They seem to work with any number or make of gears without
adjustment, perfect for the everyday bike.
In uk the police find old bikes with that kind of kit on and sell them
very cheaply at auctions.
Shimano dt shifters would switch between indexed and friction in the
1990's.
TerryJ
TerryJ

wrote:
If you rarely change chainwheel then you don't really need a front
shifter at all.Stop at the bottom of a big hill and, with a covered
finger or a twig or allen key, simply pull the chain across.The rear
mech adjusts the tension as usual.The Crane brothers went across Tibet
doing this to save a little weight if my memory serves me well.
An old bike shop may have a friction shifter from pre 1990 in a drawer
somewhere.I have just been out on my old raleigh banana using
those.They seem to work with any number or make of gears without
adjustment, perfect for the everyday bike.
In uk the police find old bikes with that kind of kit on and sell them
very cheaply at auctions.
Shimano dt shifters would switch between indexed and friction in the
1990's.
TerryJ
TerryJ

Not really. 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.

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

"Mark in Maine" wrote:

I have a 2003 Bianchi San Remo

[snip]

question is if I can mount a DT shifter on my downtube.

[snip]

The 2003 San Remo is steel, and has an oversized oval cross
section downtube - there are bosses on the sides where the cables
sheaths for the shifters are terminated - my question is if there is a
DT shifter that I can mount where these bosses are - I don't think
that I can use a clamp-on shifter since the tube is so big around.

[snip]

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 Thomson

James Thomson wote:
"Mark in Maine" wrote:

I have a 2003 Bianchi San Remo

[snip]

question is if I can mount a DT shifter on my downtube.

[snip]

The 2003 San Remo is steel, and has an oversized oval cross
section downtube - there are bosses on the sides where the cables
sheaths for the shifters are terminated - my question is if there is a
DT shifter that I can mount where these bosses are - I don't think
that I can use a clamp-on shifter since the tube is so big around.

[snip]

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 Thomson

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. 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.

Andres

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