The shifters arrived the other day, and are now fitted - thanks Mark and others for the positive feedback and technical advice.
They are very good, and suit me and my dodgy thumbs very well. Mine is the 9 speed version, on a Ripio frame.
The rear shifter (currently fitted on the R H of the bar) is indexed but can be set to friction. The front shifter (currently L H of the bar) I think is friction only.
I like this set up very much. The only downside, and a trivial one at that, is that there is less room on the bars for lights, computer etc. but I have sorted that out and am delighted with the set up. No doubt before long the bell will fall off, be discarded, or repositioned . . . . A good shout always works for me . . . .
It reminds me very much of the first 'good' bike I had, back in the 1960s, a touring Witcombe I found in a junk shop. I rebuilt it, rode it all over UK, and fitted bar end shifters, to a 'fiver' at the back and a 'double' at the front. The ratios worked so that I went up changing alternately front / back - very satisfying.
So now I have 27 gears and am back to the same control system!! But it suits my physical condition far better than the Rapidfire or whatever it is system that was fitted to the Ripio.
The bike is now more or less sorted the way I want it and I will post somewhere else how it is going.
Lewis
