shafter

I'm building up a 1xsomething bike and would like to put a 10 speed cassette on it. The shifters for 10 speed are expensive though, and I'm thinking about just throwing a downtube friction lever on it. Can friction handle ten speeds, or is the precision too rough?

ThermionicScott 

The shifter can, depends on how precise the rider can be.

79pmooney

I ride Campy 9-speed friction and love it.

Ben

shafter

Glad to see it works.

Is it a headache? I may just go with fewer speeds if it's easier.

CliffordK

I also have a bit more of a franken-install.

Campy NR Friction Shifters
Ultegra RD (6600?)
9s Shimano Cassette.

They work great. Almost anywhere I put the lever, I'm in a gear, although slight trimming can help.

The usable range for the right shifter is quite long, essentially from tube to tube. I'm not sure it would have enough throw to do a 11s cassette, although I think a Campy derailleur would have less pull and give me a bit more dynamic range.

smarkinson

You mean like this:
Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 10sp Downtube Shifter Set | Chain Reaction Cycles

Or do you mean any old non-indexed shifters?

I've get a set of the dura ace ones on my tt bike. I don't see any reason why normal non-indexed shifters wouldn't work with 10 or 11 speed rear derailleurs if the dura ace ones work.

Dean V

I have used those shifters and they work great.

shafter

[QUOTE=smarkinson;19775496]You mean like this:
Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 10sp Downtube Shifter Set | Chain Reaction Cycles

Or do you mean any old non-indexed shifters?

/QUOTE]

Any old non-indexed.

Dean V

I have ridden the previously mentioned DA 10sp indexed shifters in friction mode. Shifting was fine. Not quite as easy to get the positioning as with a 7sp but still quite manageable.
In index mode they are very precise. Better than any Brifter. No doubt due to the simplicity and short/direct cable run.

brianmcg123

I have 9-speed friction shifting on a LHT and I can say that I probably only use 5 gears.

When I'm in middle ring, I use the middle three gears on my cassette. If I go up a really steep hill, I just dump it into the 24/32 combo. Then going down I might use the 48/12 combo.

But 90% of the time I just use the middle three.

I don't shift it at all like my road bike with STI where I shift much more often staying in the best gear to match my cadence.

exmechanic89

I was using late 80's 7 speed 105 indexed shifters (set to friction) to shift my 9speed ultegra set up on my road bike. Worked fine. Just takes a light touch when shifting.

RPK79

I have these on my TT as well.

Are you just trying to be cheap and use an existing set? You could always just try it and if it doesn't work outlay the ~$50 for the SIS shifters.

shafter

Yup, I'm trying to be cheap. 10 speed brifters are pricey. I may just buy a right downtube shifter and give it a shot.

I would like to do 10 spd because then the wheels will be interchangeable with my other bike.

RPK79

They're not horribly expensive.

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/shima...les/#pid=20624

mcours2006

You might even be able to find a older 4500 or 5600 set of shifter for cheap. I've seen them often around here...but then there is the issue of that cable...quite unattractive.

79pmooney

That bike is a joy to shift. Every time I ride it I think that the racers of the 1970s would have felt they died and went to heaven with that shifting.

It has: 53-42-28 Shimano 105 Hollowtech chankset, Dura Ace FR, Campy Mirage RD, SRM 9-speed chain and SunTour top mounted DT friction shifters. I run cassettes from 12 to 28 in all combinations. (The shifters that are on a box that sits on top of the DT so they are close together and my knees don't it them. They are racing shifters, not the self-adjusting shifters that self trim the front when you shift the rear which I also like. They do throw nearly 180 degrees to get the full rage of 9 cogs but I think a lot of this is the Mirage derailleur taking a lot of cable pull, a lot more than my previous Cyclone derailleur.)

The Mirage RD is one of the best kept secrets out there. What a joy! Smooth as silk. Positive. Makes zero difference which chainring I am on or the crossover. And I basically haven't looked at it since I put it on a few years ago other than wiping it clean and tri-flo on the pivots. A mid-range derailleur that stays on my best bike because it shifts that well.

Oh, one thing that I feel works here is using the Campy cogs, not Shimano. I run a 28t 7-speed Shimano FW on another bike with SunTour Power DT shifters and I hate that FW. Yes, it shifts easily under load, but it also shifts anytime the derailleur isn't exactly lined up and it feels like shifting. Sometimes it doesn't like the new cog so it shifts back! I can see this as a plus for index, but for friction, this is a curse! Fine if you ride slow and do every shift carefully, but if you ride like a racer, come into a hill with speed and slam the chain down a few cogs just before you come out of the saddle, you may well find the chain finding the next cog 10 pedal strokes later. It may even decide to go back when you sit down! This is a phenomenon I have never had with either SunTour FWs or Campy cassettes. Yes, if I am half way between, there may be one shift to the cog the chain really wants, but when it is there, no further surprises. And being off a little bit with the shift? Not a big deal, just a slightly noisy chain.

Now others love the Shimano Hyperglide FWs and friction shifting. To each his own. But I will do my best never to have it again with friction. (Too bad, my FW is new and really well made. I may suffer a while before I can justify replacing it with FW of inferior quality.)

Ben

shafter

Thank you for that wealth of information!

Not sure what I'm going to do yet. Still weighing options, you know.

redlude97

microshift 10 speed shifters are dirt cheap