Downtube Shifter

[Ontherivet77]

As an addition to this question. I've found an old Sachs Huret friction shifter in the shed. It's a band-on type though. If I take the band-on off will it be okay to attach to the frame's braze on?

[Brucey]

As an addition to this question. I've found an old Sachs Huret friction shifter in the shed. It's a band-on type though. If I take the band-on off will it be okay to attach to the frame's braze on?

sometimes, but not always. There are at least four possibilities;

1) the lever is meant to mount to a campag/shimano lever boss and will do so without any problem
2) the lever will mount to a standard boss but you will need to modify parts of the lever or obtain replacement parts (e.g. backing plates which include the lever stop)
3) the levers are designed to fit some other kind of boss, e.g. a Simplex one, and won't fit a standard boss (*)
4) the levers are engineered to work on the band-on fitting only (even though they may look superficially identical to levers made by the same company that fit bosses).

The last of these can really catch you out; years ago I discovered that I had two different versions of Simplex retrofriction band-on levers; one which went on standard bosses and another where you could take them off the band, but they would then fit nothing else. They didn't look much different when they were assembled on the band.

#2) is not uncommon with Campag and SunTour levers (but not all models); I used to be able to buy the correct spare parts to convert one to the other sort and did so on several occasions.

(*) Simplex (and some Huret) lever bosses had no flats on them. Both Simplex and Huret (sometimes) used an M5 x 1mm threaded screw instead of an M5 x 0.8mm one, so look out for that.

cheers

[scottg]

IIRC the British gear bosses are a 2BA, for British Cyclo.

[Ontherivet77]

As an addition to this question. I've found an old Sachs Huret friction shifter in the shed. It's a band-on type though. If I take the band-on off will it be okay to attach to the frame's braze on?

sometimes, but not always. There are at least four possibilities;

1) the lever is meant to mount to a campag/shimano lever boss and will do so without any problem
2) the lever will mount to a standard boss but you will need to modify parts of the lever or obtain replacement parts (e.g. backing plates which include the lever stop)
3) the levers are designed to fit some other kind of boss, e.g. a Simplex one, and won't fit a standard boss (*)
4) the levers are engineered to work on the band-on fitting only (even though they may look superficially identical to levers made by the same company that fit bosses).

The last of these can really catch you out; years ago I discovered that I had two different versions of Simplex retrofriction band-on levers; one which went on standard bosses and another where you could take them off the band, but they would then fit nothing else. They didn't look much different when they were assembled on the band.

#2) is not uncommon with Campag and SunTour levers (but not all models); I used to be able to buy the correct spare parts to convert one to the other sort and did so on several occasions.

(*) Simplex (and some Huret) lever bosses had no flats on them. Both Simplex and Huret (sometimes) used an M5 x 1mm threaded screw instead of an M5 x 0.8mm one, so look out for that.

cheers

Thanks for the info. Out of those I think it may fit category 4, but I will have a fiddle at the weekend and see if it is usable.

[colin54]

If you get stuck, I have a tatty RX100 triple lever with the frame boss and screw you are welcome to.
Should work for double ?

[Ontherivet77]

If you get stuck, I have a tatty RX100 triple lever with the frame boss and screw you are welcome to.
Should work for double ?

Thanks Colin, I'll take up your kind offer. PM sent.