Bicycle Mechanics - friction shifters--maintenance

I have a 1983 Trek racer with Suntour Superbe components. It has friction shifting (6-speed), mounted on the down tube.

What is the proper maintenance procedure for the shift levers? To lube or not to lube--with what? etc.

When I shift down, the nut on the shifter loosens very slightly. I have to retighten it perhaps twice in a 100km ride. (It is easy enough to reach down and tighten, but I doubt that I should have to.) When I have it tight enough to do its job, the shifting is pretty stiff. Come to think of it, I only have this problem on the right side (i.e. for the rear derailleur).

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

I have a 84 Trek 660 with the complete Superbe group, I now have over 80,000 miles on this stuff without a problem; how's yours?

Do not lube the shift levers, in fact take it apart and clean the washers and bushings then reinstall. Next squirt some WD40 into the cable housing where it enters the rear derailleur and lube all the rear derailleurs pivot points. Also check the bottom of the bottom bracket there should be a plastic guide fastened to the bottom of the frame and make sure the cable there is aligned with the groves, if not just loosen the allen nut and reposition and retighten then put some wd40 on the groves. When all done work the system back and forth several times than wipe off any excess lube or dirt will get attracted and gum up things eventually.

I hope this helps.

Whatever you do, do not overtighten those shift levers, they should be snug or else you could damage those washers.

Froze, thanks for the tips.

I’ll take the levers apart for a cleaning and see what that does. I know what you mean about damaging the washers--they are paper thin.

The problem cannot lie on the derailleur end, since I’ve been good about routine maintenance there. The rear D got a complete overhaul in Feb, only about 1800 km ago, and the problem was there before that. Also, the problem is coming from the shifter’s inability to resist the pull of the derailleur. Interestingly enough, my BB shell has cable grooves directly in the shell, with no plastic guide.

Glad to see your Trek is running strong after so many miles. With a major cycling hiatus in the 1990s, my 760 has only about 40,000 km on it. But, the Superbe group lives up to its name. Its indestructible. A Campy Record copy, perhaps, but, Superbe shifting doesn’t need “trimming” like early 1980s Record does.

The only thing to break down has been the rubber hoods on the break levers. I have not yet located replacements (but I just learned of a possible mail-order source here). For the meantime, I have mounted a couple of late-1980s Dura Ace levers (brand new condition) that a shop owner dug out from the depths of his store. I have also been forced to put a Shimano freewheel on it, since I needed a bit deeper gearing than the straight block I was running when racing in the 1980s.

I also wish I could find a way to get perfectly matching touch up paint (for a reasonable cost). The bike has virtually no rust, but plenty of small chips. For the moment, I keep the rust at bay with clear fingernail polish.

Thanks again,
Jamie

The "washers" you fellows are talking about are friction cups. They wear out - actually, they can get compressed and need replacement.

The suggestion to clean them is good - do NOT lubricate them in any way.

You should be able to get replacement friction cups from a good bicycle shop that has been around awhile.

I have had very good luck "lubricating" friction shifters with White Lightning.

I cleaned it all up. After 70 km this evening, things seem to be in working order. The shifting is now smooth, and the lever stayed in place.

There was lubricant in the shifter. When I posed my original question, I had doubted that it should get any at all. Now, since generally no one else works on my bike, I suppose that I must have put it there. But, I don't remember ever having done that--maybe it happened after I had been sniffing a bit too much of Pedro's Orange Peelz.

The friction cups (a.k.a. "washers") seemed to be in okay shape, but I may go get new ones anyway--you never know when it will become impossible to do so.

Once again, Bike Forums to the rescue. My thanks for the tips.

Best,
Jamie

By the way, the Superbe stuff was not a Campy copy!! SUNTOUR not Campy invented the slant enclosed parallelogram rear derailleur in 83 and Suntour derailleurs shifted faster and more accurately than Campy or Shamano. Even the Cyclone from Suntour out shifted the Nuovo Record or Huret Jubliee at a cost of $16 in 1975 VS $40 for the Campy and Huret PLUS the Cyclone was lightest of all except for the Huret. Suntour freewheels were also the best made FOR LESS MONEY! Suntour also used cold forged steel bearings for their pedals, cranks, headsets and hubs. These bearings were the most expensive way to make bearings and they lasted the longest and were light, yet Suntour kept the cost below that of their competitors. But it was that theory of keeping cost down to entice buyers ultimately was their downfall; people just didn't think that at those costs the stuff was that good.

Froze, you are absolutely correct that Suntour Superbe's materials were at least equal or superior to Campy, and, most importantly, the rear derailleur technology was superior in all respects. That is why it was adopted by everyone as soon as Suntour's patent ran out. In that respect, you are right, they are not copies.

Cosmetically speaking, however, many of the Superbe parts (at least my 1983 stuff) are clearly Campy copies (which is all I meant to say). I've compared them side-by-side. While riding, I get comments from guys all the time: "Wow a classic Trek with vintage Record components. Cool!" They see it, while moving, from couple meters distance, of course. They are always disappointed when I tell them it's Suntour. What they don't understand is, as you pointed out, the Suntour shifted and lasted longer--witness your 80,000.

I know that soon after 1983 Suntour gave the Superbe gruppo a make-over, which gave them a unique look. But, what is on my bike would fool many from a distance.

Cheers,
Jamie

I hear you on the looks issue. My hubs, breaks and cranks came from 1979 to 82 and they do have that "Campy" look. But the derailleurs came from 83 (the Tech series) and they don't have that appearance anymore.

It is good to see there are a few people left who know what this stuff was all about.

And, the rear derailleur probably had to look at least a little different because of the slant parallelogram design.

I am probably getting a new bike this summer, but the Trek will not gather dust. It may see mostly winter kilometers, but it won't just sit in the basement. It's been good for too many years.

Cheers,
Jamie