Downtube Shifters--

[raider60]

How many of you folks use downtube shifters? I still love them, and think they look better. If you use them, are they indexed or friction. Three of my seven bikes have them, two friction and one indexed.

 

[legrandefromage]

each to their own, I guess.

I have one bike with friction down tube, one with indexed, one with bar end shifters, one with Campag Ergo and one with Shimano STi.

The Ergos are the current favourites.

 

[Old Ned]

I've got them on my retro builds so as to stay in period but I wouldn't use them anymore for general road riding. You can't change gear halfway up a steep hill out of the saddle for one thing like you can with STI's.

 

[john]

Started with indexed dt shifters. Moved onto STIs and never looked back. Until now. Got a set of retrofrictions to go on the merckx, should be quite interesting

 

[Lysander]

I quite liked good old friction levers in a retro- fitness method way- if ye were goin' up a hill, ye had to tough it out most of the time rather than change down on really nast steep bits.

But STI are the Baws........have to try Campagnolos too some day too.

 

[kaiser]

But STI are the Baws.........

Do you contribute to any publications

 

[Lysander]

Nope.........Cycling Weekly in 1990 turned down my review of Biopace chainrings........apparently the title of "Lets all F*ck Our Knees Up, Mother Brown" was too flippant.

 

[raider60]

I've got them on my retro builds so as to stay in period but I wouldn't use them anymore for general road riding. You can't change gear halfway up a steep hill out of the saddle for one thing like you can with STI's.

True, downtube shifters require a different shifting strategy, but Eddy Merckx seemed to do all right using them--

 

[zed]

sti are much easyer to use , but for the classic bike you have to have down tube shifters, these are on my raleigh clubman , full campag gear set up ,

 

[Old Ned]

I've got them on my retro builds so as to stay in period but I wouldn't use them anymore for general road riding. You can't change gear halfway up a steep hill out of the saddle for one thing like you can with STI's.

True, downtube shifters require a different shifting strategy, but Eddy Merckx seemed to do all right using them--

Yes - but so did everyone else at that time. If you were road racing these days with DT levers you'd be at a definite disadvantage. Saying that, many of the top roadman sprinters (eg Van Looy, Reybroek, Michael Wright, De Roo) used bar end levers so they could flick onto the top sprocket in the gallop for the line.