Noah Scape

I discovered that it IS possible to piece together some nicely functioning 6 or 7 speed indexed bar-end shifters using Sunrace clamp-on shifters and the Shimano pods. You can go here for more detail. I know it's a little nerdy, but this is a nice retrofit for older bikes and something I've been looking for since I've become slightly index-dependent.

unworthy1

those look pretty dang nice! good to know that it can be done.

Primitive Don

Very cool. I too love C&V but appreciate the merits of indexed shifting.

Rabid Koala

Those don't look nerdy at all, I like them.

nlerner

Very nice! I've mostly avoided indexing, but recently put 8-speed indexed Shimano bar ends on my go-fast bike, and I have to say I really, really like the performance. I'm not going to switch everything in the fleet over, but I'd definitely consider it on something that gets ridden a lot.

Brian, in your blog you note that "I mill down the boss that slides through the bar-end pod so that it will fit the clamp-on style shifters." Could you describe that step a bit more? And what's the whole system you're running in terms of rear derailleur, freewheel, chain? Thanks!

Neal

Noah Scape

Hey Neal,

Well, as I mentioned in the blog, the milling process was pretty primitive. I have a guy down the street that is very skilled machinist, but he’s not around this week, so I was left to my own devices. Anyway, I cut an old QR skewer – which has the same threading as the boss – and put it in the drill press chuck with just a little of the threaded end protruding. Then I threaded the boss onto the skewer and basically used a file to remove material from the boss as it spun in the press. I used bosses that came from old Shimano thumb shifters and fit the holes on the pods. They’re carbon steel. I’m not sure if the original Shimano bosses were/are stainless. If so, this process wouldn’t work well, obviously I used older (late 80s – early 90s) Deore XT derailleurs, a Shimano HG freewheel, and a basic KMC (brown) 6 speed chain. The 180mm crankset came in a trade from balindamood.

nlerner

Cool! Thanks and great bike (and bags, of course).

Neal

southpawboston

Brian, that seems like a nice trick! I've been toying with the idea of somehow migrating my Trek's stock 6-speed Shimano indexed downtube shifters to bar-ends, and this might be the ticket.

Noah Scape

One of the challenges with using these pods is making certain that the alignment of the cable coming off the levers matches the cable hole on the pods.

Doohickie

Nothing stopping you from putting an indexed grupo on an old bike and driving it with friction shifters. It's not quite indexed, but pretty dang close. I'm driving a 7 speed SIS RD & cassette currently; I have a 9-speed combo I want to try eventually... although I think I'll need one of those fancy chains.

randyjawa 

Great job of converting the shifters. I really dislike down tube shifters on any of my bikes and opt for Barcons, from time to time. That said, I too would like to find a way to convert indexed shifters to handlebar mounts of some style that blends into the vintage theme. We'll see...

Puget Pounder

Very nice looking. I think I would've waited for some indexed Shimano 6 speeds so I wouldn't have to fudge with anything. Good to see that it can be done though.

Ciufalon

Isn't it possible to just use Shimano 6 or 7 sp. indexed down tube shifters with the pods, avoiding the need to mill anything to fit?

nlerner

I've tried matching up old 6-speed indexed downtube shifters hanging in my parts bin with the bar-end pods, but the problem was as Noah Scape pointed out: the cable exit point on the levers didn't match up with the cable entry point on the pods. That's probably not true for all 6-speed shifters (and I can't tell you what I tried--some sort of "accushift" perhaps?), but it's kind of trial and error at this point.

Neal

Puget Pounder

Maybe I've just been lucky. The few 7s/6s DT shifters I've tested onto some pods match up perfectly.

nlerner

Which brands/models? Inquiring minds want to know!

Neal

Puget Pounder

I've only bothered with Shimano ones. 105 6 speed, RX100 7 speed, and Light action 7 speed have worked fine with the flat washer that I have.

Noah Scape

If you have a set of braze-on indexed 6 speed shifters, I'd try those first. It's just that they're hard to find, and getting harder every year.

nlerner

I bought a set of the Sun Race shifters to experiment with. Lots on eBay for roughly $15 shipped.

Neal