Help...Downtube Shifter
 

Help! I have an early 2000's Pinarello Surprise aluminum that I am building up. The downtube shifter bosses are not on the bike...can anyone suggest where I might find some of the bosses? How are they installed?

Thanks

Duane

Is that a track frame? Why do you want DT shifter bosses?

Down tube shifters have not been fitted to most road bikes since the early-mid 90's when STI / Ergo shifters became common place; as such bikes are not designed for DT shifters; all that will be on the down tube will be a cable guide, either as a braze-on or boss.

Although you can get DT shifters still very few people use them, and you will normally only be able to fit these on steel frames, the Surprise you have is an Alloy road frame (the Surpise Pista being the Track version).

Would suggest getting STI or Ergo shifters as this is what used now, and was the orginal spec for your bike.

jimc101 is correct. About the middle 1990's downtube bosses started disappearing from high-line road frames and were replaced with headtube mounted or high downtube mounted cable stops.

For all practical purposes you cannot fit downtube shifters to these frames. Your choices are STI/ERGO type brifters or barend shifters.

If you really want to fit downtube shifters bosses, you can get a kit from a frame builder supplier. This requires drilling two holes in the downtube and fitting the kit.

Here's a picture:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=194498

That bike does not have bosses for down tube shifters. If you have the track model is more than obvious why not, if you have the road one is because bikes aren't using d/t shifters from the mid 90's maybe, I would not try to put d/t shifters to it also, bad idea. Clamps are too small also because the downtube is oversize. U can use shifters in the handlebars/stem or something but that would really kill the bike, you are the owner tho.

That bike was designed to be used with brifters.

There are the bar end pieces , you can put downtube shifters in them in the end of the handlebars.

Rivendale stuff..

But more practical to just use the bar end shifter kit. shimano 9 speed are good and widely available..

IF it was a steel frame, with typical steel frame down tube diameter, you could find some clamp-on downtube shifters, that don't require bosses on the frame. I converted my old Raleigh from stem shifters to downtube shifters, using some 1980-vintage NOS Suntour clamp-on DT shifters. But I would think that the diameter of your down tube is probably too big...