Vitus 979 shifter boss orientation

[Graemee]

Hi, I hope someone can help with this. I'm currently building up a 979 and have overcome several problems but I'm now stuck with this one.

I'm trying to fit Shimano 7800 downtube shifters and run the 8 of 9 gearing on the Sheldon Brown site. It appears that the flats that are machined into the shifter fixing posts are at 90 degrees to the normal orientation so that the shifters sit at a strange angle when fitted. What are the options and is this a normal/vitus/French quirk?

I guess I could file flats at the right angle but I'm not keen to do that. I'd like to stick with indexed shifters although if I have to I could swap to an older shifter or otherwise convert to brifters?

Here's an image of the boss:


Thanks in advance!

 

[pigman]

Not sure I understand, that looks ok

 

[Graemee]

Not sure I understand, that looks ok

It should look like this:

The flats in the image above are parallel with the downtube, mine are perpendicular. It affects the shifter position so that mine is 90 degrees to standard and the shifters run the risk of fouling the front wheel. I'm off to discuss it with the bike mechanic this morning so I'll take some more pictures while I'm there.

 

[pigman]

Ah I see. I was looking at the interface with the frame.
How does it all attach to the frame? It is a separate piece so im thinking it must come off and can be remounted

 

[Graemee]

Ah I see. I was looking at the interface with the frame.
How does it all attach to the frame? It is a separate piece so im thinking it must come off and can be remounted

Sadly not, I think it's glued and screwed. It's also one piece so if I rotated it the fluting on the interface between the frame tube and the lug wouldn't match up.

Having spoken to the shop mechanic it looks like I'll need to look at some friction shifters and forget the indexing.

 

[hamster]

If it's like the bar-end shifters, you can rotate the innards round. Fit the levers to the frame, rotate the lever to the end, then remove and refit 90 degrees out.
Alternatively I have some Shimano A400 non-indexed shifters...

 

[pigman]

The bit I don't get (and i only have my tricolour 7 speeds to compare to) is all the sti positions and the lever stop is contained within the shaped bit that butts against the frame tube. I couldn't mount mine on what is already there on the vitus. I'm beginning to think that the vitus is designed for friction only. Maybe the maker had those simplex/mavic friction shifters in mind. To fit Shimano, the existing bits would need to come off

 

[Graemee]

The shifter mounts fine if I substitute the half moon Shimano plastic washer for a flat TT one but it's just the orientation that's wrong. I'm starting to thing a basic friction shifter would be the best option...

 

[pigman]

You've now said something else that's got me interested. They make flat mounts? For my frame with ovalised tubes, I ended up filing the mounts to give a flatter shape

 

[Graemee]

You've now said something else that's got me interested. They make flat mounts? For my frame with ovalised tubes, I ended up filing the mounts to give a flatter shape

These replace the half moon plastic bits that come with the shifters:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/shimano-sl6028-lever-boss-cover-for-alloy-frames/