Sorry about your experience Phil. Mine has been quite different. I spent nearly 20 years riding and racing with Campy DT shifters and NR deraillers. They had a definite overshift and it became second nature to me to shift pass the gear (first 6 & then 7 spd freewheels) and back a smidge. In 1998 or 9 I was having a hard time getting good freewheels (they have since made a comeback) and made a big investment to go to Ultegra 9 spd. The LBS was emphatic that I would be "in shifters hell" with 9 spd friction. So I reconfigured 2 bikes into 9 speed triples with Ultegra SIS brifters. Instead, I found myself constantly fussing with the front shifter. And I found myself bored by the whole experience. Some how, much like my car, shifting felt integral to the experience. So I went back to friction, this time with Silvers. I have never regretted it nor do I ever think of it as "obsolete." In fact, my experience has been that friction shifters are much easier to set up and maintain than Shimano brifters. When I chat with casual riders, they often tell me they need to take their bikes to a good mechanic when the shifting becomes erratic. This doesn't sound easier to me.
I have no experience with Campy indexed, other than V1 Chorus, which was awful. Riding with a 31 TT double I rarely, virtually never, need to fuss with the setup. New cables stretch out, as they do on all systems, and then I adjust the system. After that I just ride. I began this post with the hope of helping people who were struggling with this. I believe it is excellent, but probably has functional limitations. What's most important is what doesn't interfere with the joy you put into riding. Do what works for you. Michael On Saturday, August 25, 2012 6:41:57 PM UTC-4, Phil Bickford wrote: > > Thanks for writing up your experiences with these different and quite > interesting bikes. I could never get the Silvers to work for me. I wish > Grant had gone one (big) step more in engineering and designed them with a > ratcheting action like the Suntour Bar-ends I had on some of my older > bikes. They seem to shift quite nicely with a soft tick or two and ghost > shift far less. YMMV. > > I'm sort of fascinated with the level of precision you expect from an > ancient and obsolete system of tightening of a cable, and from the human > hand after hours of riding. And all this on a system with narrow spacing > and thining sprockets. If I was using friction shifting of any kind, I'd > be reaching to tighten up the D ring every time I stood up to pedal. > > It would drive me bonkers speculating what else could be hampering my > shifting, there are so many variables. I would first have to convince > myself the derailler was up to the job, then study the cable routing and > stops also being sure the cables inside your Ferrells are cut and ground > cleanly to eliminate any chance of movement. Frayed or broken wire > strands? Got some kind of guide for the cables over the bottom bracket? > > It might be enough to convince me to go back to five speed cassettes. > > My last cable shifting derailler bike was Campy Chorus, so I've already > gone over to the dark side. But, considering what my expectations would be > comparing that with the old way, I'm afraid I'd be disappointed too much of > the time with friction. > > Keep up the fight, and be comfortable with whatever you ride with. > > Phil B > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/4-WIf-sXG2UJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
