QNelson

According to their website most Shimano downtube shifters will work with the pods if you buy the additional spacer. My question is this only clamp on downtube shifters or will braze on ones work as well?

The shifters in question that I'm trying to use are Shimano 105 6 speed SIS Braze-ons from a 89 Cannondale Criterium frame. Anyone have an experience with something similar?

DIMcyclist

Actually, you're supposed to take the levers completely off the original assembly, seat them into the spacers, and then screw them into the pods.

So (if I understand you correctly) braze-on or clamp-on shouldn't make any difference, since you're only after the lever itself, not the rest of the assembly.

Here are couple of shots of the modified 7sp (Exage) Sport LX levers I've mounted to my XO-3 with Riv. pods & the correct spacers:



These are SIS DT shifters, and they work like a charm. Not too shabby lookin' either, if I do say so myself.

QNelson

Awesome, those look great, the pods seem to be a cheaper solution then most of the bar end shifters i've seen on ebay.

DIMcyclist

Those were my own motivations exactly, QNelson: Shimano no longer makes 7sp bar-end shifters and vintage & aftermarket units are expensive, hard to find, or both.

I snagged the shift levers out of a bin at a LBS for $5; so, with the price of the pods, adapters, & shipping, it came to about $50 total.

Assembling the Rivendell/ Silver pods is a fairly intuitive process, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with them; just double check to make sure you get the right adapters (iIrc, they make a couple of different kinds).

Anyway- Good luck!

ColonelJLloyd 

The groove on your 6s indexed shifters will not line up right with the hole in the bar end pod, but they will work.

DIMcyclist

Really?

Not that I'm doubting you, but I've never noticed that there was any difference in the 6 & 7sp seating interfaces (then again, I've never had to make a close comparison between them).

Is the groove in a different spot on the 6 speeds?

QNelson

So what does the groove affect?

ColonelJLloyd 

It directly follows the hole through which the cable runs, but the shifter itself is slightly wider between the groove and the flat part of the shifter that would butt up against the pod. This is not something you would notice or that would have any effect if you were using them as DT shifters.

DIMcyclist

Ahh- I see: so,

A) the difference between them isn't in the seating interface, but in the width of the lever itself, and therefore,

B) that would move the cable position slightly further to the outside,

C) creating a minor tension point in the cable at the end of the groove, where (on the 7 speed) it would route directly through the guide-hole & into the pod. That's to say, the cable might rub slightly on both the edge of the hole and on one side of the groove the end of the lever, correct?

Would that be off by any more than a couple of millimeters?

Over time, do you think that would that have any appreciable affect on either cable wear or the levers & pods themselves?

ColonelJLloyd 

What you have described is correct. The negative effect is in the increased tension during shifting, but doesn't have any practical detriment to the shifting accuracy that I've experienced. I would think the increased wear is more or less a non-issue.

QNelson

So other then having to replace the cable a little more often i should be fine?

ColonelJLloyd 

Yes, you should be fine. Just a little increased friction to deal with.