agmetal

UPDATE 9/5/15: I've managed to make this work with a Shimano 105 left-hand triple brifter that I picked up for cheap at a swap meet. See post #44 for more details.

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I have a franken-3-speed built on a Panasonic Sport 500 frame, with a Sturmey-Archer AW hub.



I'd like to convert it to drop bars, and I'm having a tough time deciding on which shifter to use. It currently has one of the SA dual-lever shifters on it (Sturmey Archer | DLS30), and my other geared bike has brifters, so I'm used to being able to both shift and brake from my primary riding position without moving my hands. Obviously, this is less of a problem with an IGH since I can shift while stopped if necessary, but it'd still be nice to be able to shift while riding on the hoods. Problem is, nobody makes SA-compatible brifters, and I'm not spending Gevenalle money, especially when I already have brake levers lying around.

It seems that I have these 4 options:
1: Bar-end shifter (Sturmey Archer | SLS30 Bar End)
2: Downtube shifter (Sturmey Archer | SLS30 Brazed On)
3: Stem shifter by using the thumb shifter with the 22.2mm clamp (Sturmey Archer | SLS30)
4: Thumb shifter mounted on the bars, next to my interruptor brake lever, likely by using the same shifter as option 3 but with the 31.8mm clamp and shimming it to fit bars with a 26mm clamp diameter.

I'm concerned about hitting my knee on the shifter with the first two options (and the downtube is really far away from the hoods), and the 4th might get in the way of where I mount my headlight...so is the stem shifter my only/best option? Or is my fear of hitting the shifter with my knee (mainly while standing on the pedals, which I do pretty frequently) unreasonable? Or is there another reasonably-priced option that I haven't thought of?

nlerner

I think the bar-end is the best option. I've run that on a few drop-bar IGH builds and like it a lot. Or if you want to have your shifter close to the brake lever, you can go old school like so:

John E

I have happily used two different shifter configurations with a Sturmey IGH:

1. 3x4 hybrid with 14-16-18-20 cog block on an AW: I clamped a regular S-A trigger immediately below and slightly inside the left brake handle, for an almost brifter-like reach. (See Neil's, above. My brake handles facilitated tighter coupling with the shift trigger.) With the right side downtube lever controlling the derailleur, double shifts were trivial.

2. 3-speed AWC (coaster brake): I used a single right side downtube-mounted friction lever -- worked like a champ.

ncrnelson

Some day I'd like to build up a 3 speed road bike, maybe from an old Raleigh or something. I intend to use a bar end shifter, I love them on my newer road bike.

oddjob2

n+1!

agmetal

Even if I had the money and space, that wouldn't solve the problem!

Velognome 

Add the bars and locate the existing shifter as needed. Unlike nlerner, I positioned mine above the hood because I spend most of my time on top of the bars.


Raleigh Sports gone sporty

Ol Danl

Will the old-school trigger fit okay on 23.8 mm dia. bars?

rhm

Couldn't you use a 7 speed brifter (or some other brifter, really doesn't matter)? Set it up so some brifter position, such as 4th, is perfectly adjusted for 2nd gear; downshift as far as you can, and you'll have first; upshift as far as you can, and you should have 3rd. The only problem I can think of is if the spring in the hub isn't strong enough to pull the cable for upshifting. If that's the case, you might want to put a stronger spring into the hub. Or just take the spring out, it's about 1.5" long; stretch l it out to 2" and put it back in.

A left side brifter--if it's a triple-- might do the job even better.

If you have the extra parts, it's worth a try. If you don't have the parts on hand, maybe not.

No. Depending on the model, you may have to find a longer bolt and do some fettling. It's easiest to do this with one of the older triggers (like what you saw in nlerner's photo above). But one way or another, with a little ingenuity, it can be done.

Worse case scenario, there are plenty of 22.2 mm bars out there... love that chrome!

Another option is a different bar shape. I have a bar on one of my bikes that's a pretty close copy of a 1930's Lauterwasser bar:


Soma makes a pretty good copy as well, which they call a Lauterwasser bar. People mistake it for a mustache bar, but it is a different shape, much more like a drop bar, but it takes upright style levers and, crucially, it measures 22.2 mm. Here's the Soma bar on my commuter bike:

arex

I'm using the SLS30 barend shifter on my Raleigh. It works quite well and my knee goes nowhere near it. I can't think of a downside to it. Bear in mind that it does use a different cable, but new shifter ships with one.

AZORCH

I have my shifter set up old school and it works very well for my needs.

markk900

For those who (like me) have to do a fair amount of bodges, here's and example of what @rhm called " you may have to find a longer bolt and do some fettling".

Bike:


Shifter close up:


Over the bar tape as I wasn't sure I'd leave it....but its there now!

Fettle (aka: bodge):

Ol Danl

I'm going to start trying to use the words "bodge" and "fettling" in my conversations. Both are really descriptive, even if I hadn't looked up the definitions.

Bandera

#1 is designed for exactly that application and works a treat w/ my '50's AW, w/ moustache bars.
If you don't plan on splaying your knees massively outboard while standing they will more than suffice, and afford a nice tidy unobtrusive installation.

Fortunately you will not have to pass inspection by the Period Correct Police on your interesting and practical machine.

-Bandera

agmetal

Has anyone here routed the cable with a bar-end shifter under the tape all the way to the stem? Any issues with doing it that way? I'm not crazy about the idea of having a gap in the tape on what's primarily my wet-weather bike.

arex

I didn't go all the way to the stem, but did to the end of the tape. Dunno if it's proper, but it seems to work okay. However, it's a moustache bar, not a road drop bar.

agmetal

In practical terms, that's what I meant

Bandera

Avoiding any unnecessary drag on shift cables is a primary consideration in cable routing, particularly w/ AW hubs and barcons.
Routing all of the way to the stem on drop bars is asking for lousy performance in any system, a nice smooth route with an elegant/short loop from the bar to the frame's cable stop is most efficient.
The classic bar-con route proceeds from the shifter down the centerline of the drop and exists just below the brake lever in a smooth arc to the frame's cable stop.

Your bar tape requirements are another matter entirely, do not confuse the two.

-Bandera

agmetal

I read a thread on another forum where a few people were talking about routing the cables that way and not having problems...it's just so frustrating that there's no convenient way to have the shifter right at my fingertips. I hate the old-style trigger shifter and special cable it uses, too. I've had lots of problems with that type of shifter before, but my current one has been quite reliable...plus it uses a standard derailleur cable!

Bandera

Such is life with 1936 technology: an iPhone App for shifting an AW is unlikely to appear anytime soon for your convenience.
Welcome to C&V: Old bike stuff that acts it's age.

-Bandera

AZORCH

Please don't take this as trolling because mine is an honest question: How often are you shifting? Are you really shifting so frequently that reaching down to the bar ends or to the spot on the bends that are next to your brake levers that shifting is inconvenient? I find that I spend 95% of my time in direct drive, so I'm a little perplexed - forgive me if I'm misreading your question.

agmetal

I shift pretty frequently. This bike is set up so that the direct drive (middle) gear is how I like a single-speed to be geared, which is about halfway between my two most-used gears on my Volpe. By coincidence, the low gear on the 3-speed is almost exactly the same as what I use as my "starting" gear on the Volpe. Typically, I start in the low gear, and shift to the middle almost as soon as I'm rolling, and then I'll usually downshift in anticipation of a stop. This is pretty much exactly what I do on my Volpe, too...my starting gear and most-used level ground gears use the same cog on the cassette, but I switch from the middle to outside chainring, and back down in anticipation of a stop.

I could conceivably ride it more like my single-speed, but the bikes serve different purposes, and I like the ability to easily shift gears with a sense of immediacy.

noglider 

Rudi, your idea of using a brifter is so clever. It might work. I wonder if anyone has done it.

Velognome 

Yes, I ran from a bar end on both a drop bar & moustache bar to a 3spd hub. No issues with shifting at all. I also ran the cable along the down tube and under the BB; again no issues at all.

I was warned there might be issues with adjustment, cable drag causing slow shifts. I have not experienced any of those issues. The bike is a daily riders, approx 20 miles day for the last 3 years or so.

brianinc-ville

Did somebody say "old-school"? I like mine mounted above the brake lever, but diff'rent strokes...