New thumb friction shifter Sturmey Archer 9 speed?????

[ScottishRetro]

Hey hey normally only post in the retro road section but in need of a solution!!!

I need a thumb shifter for a friends bike im building for him and after telling him the price of "Pauls Thumbies" and getting a funny look I thought about using a 5 speed sturmey archer shifter for the rear mech,,

But I can not for the life of me remember if they have a "friction" option as well as a click and if the stroke will be long enough for a 9 speed set up?????

model im thinking about is SLS50 T5

any input??

 

[jamabikes]

i doubt they would have a friction mode as sa hubs need a definite position to change properly.

 

[was8v]

I looked at these the other day as they look nice!

However I concluded that they didn't have a friction option.

I did think about taking them apart - indexing usually achieved by a little ball bearing - you could remove this.

However I didn't know if there would be enough friction to hold the gear so I gave up.

 

[ScottishRetro]

Just wondering if the clamp will accept a standard Ultegra or Dura ace lever, as Pauls thumbies are soooooooooooooooo expensive for what they are,

For the cost of £15 maybe worth getting one and seeing if any of my friction levers I have in the shed will work with it...

Of course if someone has already done this then that would save some head scratching

 

[jamabikes]

if you dont mind what they look like, you can use a shifter mount from a set of stxrc shifters or similar.

 

[was8v]

Just wondering if the clamp will accept a standard Ultegra or Dura ace lever, as Pauls thumbies are soooooooooooooooo expensive for what they are,

For the cost of £15 maybe worth getting one and seeing if any of my friction levers I have in the shed will work with it...

Of course if someone has already done this then that would save some head scratching

Good thinking - the SLS50 shifter blurb here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sturmey-Arche ... 0258365309 says it can be mounted to a downtube, so assume the fitting is the same!

Just not sure on the diameter of the "reel" bit of the shifter - if a shimano is bigger then it might not fit.

Let us know if you try it out!

I was thinking of running 1x10 on a retro MTB frame. Prob have to use an index shifter tho for 10 speed.

 

[was8v]

if you dont mind what they look like, you can use a shifter mount from a set of stxrc shifters or similar.

But how do you mount the cable stop?!

 

[jamabikes]

dont need a cable stop if running them in friction mode. oh and a six speed thumbie has just enough throw for a 8/9 speed block.

 

[ScottishRetro]

oh go on then I will order one and take a punt... Pic and report in a few days!!!

 

[hydorah]

They actually look pretty cool

If they work out well that will be very interesting