Convert Index to friction shifting

Hello.
I have to twist awfully hard on my SRAM X-7 to shift the front Shimano
Tiagra derailleurs to catch on my triple chainrings. Even after tweaking
everything tweakable and replacing the cables, I've not attained
enlightenment. As I'm more used to the old fashion downtube friction
shifters, I wonder if it is at all possible to convert index to friction
shifting without too much trouble.
Thanks for any suggestions, how tos, dos and donts.

On Wed, 3 Nov 2004 14:51:21 +0800, "Kak61"
wrote:

Hello.
I have to twist awfully hard on my SRAM X-7 to shift the front Shimano
Tiagra derailleurs to catch on my triple chainrings. Even after tweaking
everything tweakable and replacing the cables, I've not attained
enlightenment. As I'm more used to the old fashion downtube friction
shifters, I wonder if it is at all possible to convert index to friction
shifting without too much trouble.

The twistgrips with which I'm familiar aren't convertible to friction.
Their detent system is their only concession to keeping the moving
part in it's selected location.

In my opinion, your best bet is to do away with that twist-grip. In a
similar situation involving a friend's cross bike, we just mounted an
old friction thumb-lever shifter in place of the twist-grip, and put a
full-length grip on the bar on that side. (Oddly enough, a week later
he was back, asking if I had another of those levers for the other
side. Unfortunately, the rear der was one of SRAM's non-SIS 1:1
units, so my old Shimano levers didn't have enough throw. But a used
Shimano der from the pile-o-stuff solved that problem, and he's a
happy camper now.)
--
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In article , Werehatrack
wrote:

In my opinion, your best bet is to do away with that twist-grip. In a
similar situation involving a friend's cross bike, we just mounted an
old friction thumb-lever shifter in place of the twist-grip, and put a
full-length grip on the bar on that side. (Oddly enough, a week later
he was back, asking if I had another of those levers for the other
side. Unfortunately, the rear der was one of SRAM's non-SIS 1:1
units, so my old Shimano levers didn't have enough throw. But a used
Shimano der from the pile-o-stuff solved that problem, and he's a
happy camper now.)
--

Way back when I used to have a set of Shimano 6spd thumb-lever shifters
on an old mtb. And the right (rear der. shifter) had the index/friction
option. These were great shifters: durable and light.

luke

"Kak61" writes:

As I'm more used to the old fashion downtube friction shifters, I
wonder if it is at all possible to convert index to friction shifting
without too much trouble.

I have done it but I do not see why not: I guess the pull about the same
cable length. You would just need to check you had the correct cable
ends to fit in the new levers.

And if you do not have any down-tube levers, then you LBS probably has
some old ones around that for next to nothing.

--
Simon Kellett, Darmstadt, Germany | http://home.arcor.de/zoxed
Hase Kettwiesel trike | ex-Pashley PDQ SWB
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