Simplex Retrofriction cables
 

I recently acquired a nice set of retrofriction shifters at a pretty reasonable price (though not a steal by any means). I put them on my PX-10, figuring that since I'd already spent what I consider to be big bucks on a long-cage SLJ rear and a matching front, I might as well go the limit.

Went for a short ride today, and I do like the way they operate. But as I think others have observed here before, cabling them was a little bit of a trick, because the holes in the shifter that accept the cable heads are a little undersized. I had to take off what I'd guess is a couple of thousands of material on the cable heads, via the crude method of dragging the heads across a piece of fine emery cloth while rotating the cable between my thumb and forefinger. It was a pain in the butt, but worked out fine, mostly because there's no need for an extremely precise fit in this area.

What gives, do you suppose? Were French cables really a couple of thousandths of an inch smaller back when these shifters were made? That seems insane even for the French. I suppose I could attack the cable fitting in the shifter levers with the appropriate number-size drill bit to adapt the size to standard modern cables, but it would be all too easy to make a mess of the job. Easier, I suppose, to customize the cable heads as needed.

Or do head sizes vary slightly from one manufacturer to the next? Given that no great precision is called for, you'd thing that the rational approach would be to size them on the small end of the range.

It just now occurs to me that it might have been worth trying a number of different cables (I have a whole box of them) to see whether they varied in size enough that a couple of them might have fit without modification. They're standard road shifter cables from SRAM, for whatever that's worth.

Don't know anything about retrofriction shifters but were the cables Shimano or Campy sized?
My notes say:
Shimano end barrel diameter: 0.173" (4.39 mm)
Campy end barrel diameter: 0.159" (4.04 mm)

It does seem to me that Campy cables fit in the end with no mods....but it's been a while since I put cables on a shift lever.

FWIW, when I have modded cable heads to fit in Simplex shifters I used a dremel with a sanding disc to make the head smaller. I held the cable in my hand and ran the sanding disc in a circular motion around the head; it's a lot faster and easier than doing it by hand.

Okay, there you go: I'll use Campy cables next time--it looks as if they should fit with room to spare. I guess I've missed out on a lot by never having any Campagnolo gear--it's all sort of a black box to me.


Wait, now that I think of it, my PX-10 does have a Campy down-tube cable guide. And both it and my Gitane have Campy hubs. That's it, though, I think.

My new Campy cables went right in to my regular friction shifter holes no problem

That's the best option, no doubt, although I hate to buy special-Campy-size anything--it just encourages them.

jonwvara-

Yes, Simplex and Huret shifter cable heads were smaller than Campy/Shimano/Suntour. My Retrofriction levers all needed their modern cable heads filed down before they would fit. Just another droll bit of Frenchness!

I've had zero problems when using Campy cables with retro-friction shifters.

Drill it out...

Good time to share a secret Frenchie tip, one of the best I can about retrofriction and the simple "sun" Simplex levers:

Here's the best $10 you ever spend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L8NDVD6/

I know it's "Schwinn" branded but the shift cables fit perfectly and the cable kit overall is good quality. I bought a bunch of these kits when they were on sale a few years back for $6.99/ea just to use on cheap flips, never thinking to try it anywhere else. I'd previously been filing down my barrel heads on a pile of NOS Huret cables for my bikes before because I had them and... I mean, let's put French on French, man...

Well, I was on a budget-build for a co-worker short on cash a while back ('82 P10S I got for $40) and I wasn't about to put $20 in Huret shift cables on his bike, I was already doing him a huge favor with a charity rebuild. Cracked open that Schwinn kit and was absolutely shocked when they slipped right into the sun-branded levers that are too damn tight for most other cables, just like the retrofrictions are.

Kid has since put thousands of miles on the bike I rebuilt for him and they're still shifting as clean the day I put them on and tuned it out. Bonus, you get a full brake housing+cable set with both end types that fit Weinmann/CLB/etc. like a champ.

Updated to add pic of kit:

PS - you guys are effing crazy using Campy bits on these :D [MENTION=52458]jonwvara[/MENTION] is right, y'all are just enabling them :D

Uhmm...... I just bought shifter cables for my 1st gen Campy Chorus shift levers...... Guess what,....... the cable heads do not fit in them. Got another set of new cables in my stash I bought not too long ago.......same problem....:foo:
I think the mid to late 80's Campy shifters (C Record era) had the same size cable head wells as the Simplex Retrofrictions.
I'm planning of using my Dremel at slower speeds with an abrasive drum tip and roll the heads against it to reduce the head diameters....very carefully....

I just went through this with my PX10. Not a big deal in my book and I can't see myself paying for the Campy name just to get cable heads to fit my Simplex down tube shifters. All I had to do was file the ends until the slid into place. Added a touch of grease to ensure they would not seize with time and good to go.

This is how I see it, too! Just cut down the heads that are a bit too big. It's not like they won't work in a Shimano set-up after I do that.

Come to think of it, we should all buy Campy-head cables since they will work in either system, AND the old French stuff!

Why did Shimano have to upset the apple cart? -- sheesh, those guys!!!

Useful to know, thanks!

There are plenty of decently priced Campy compatible cables out there. There's an eBay seller who sells Jagwire cables for $8 shipped for a pair and I have a set of these inbound.

Transfil Campagnolo SS Inner Gear Wire - Gear Cables - Ribble Cycles

...I've been using Jagwire cables for so long now that I forgot this was a problem. The heads on the shifter cables seem to fit everything I've tried them on, and you can buy the stainless die drawn ones for about a dollar each if you buy in bulk. Most people will have a hard time using up a hundred of them, though. :)

Jon, I've been there and also filed down the heads. Sure, it's annoying, but I like to get it done right now, and once it's done, I'm no longer annoyed.

If you have a grinder, hold the cable close to the head with one hand, and lightly press it against the grinding wheel. Rotate slowly, and you'll reduce the OD of the barrel enough.

Most MAFAC brakes use a derailleur cable as a straddle cable. It routes through a "thimble", as show in item #59 in the picture below. They're typically just a hair big, my method, above, makes them fit easily. Regardless, it's a good idea to put a little grease around the barrel else they can seize up over time.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/mafac-racer.gif

I wouldn't recommend drilling out the part when moding the cable is so easy to do.

You'd be surprised! ROI is something like 20 cables compared to buying singles.

Trust me - buy the $9.99 brake+shift cable kit, it's worth it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L8NDVD6/

No grinding. Way less painful. Plus bonus brake cables + housings and shift housing as well, ferrules, stops, the whole 9.

For the shorter cables, the way they wrap the housing up it leaves them a bit wavy. A couple of good tugs or a little blow dryer heat gets them straight if you use them.

thanks for this info, ordering some for my 81 PX10 rebuild

I'm amazed that a six-year-old link to a random Amazon product still works.

I dunno, they try to stay on top of keeping their ASINs straight. Unless of course it's from one of their sponsored fly-by-night ALLCAPS-BS-WORDS companies, which are all coming from the the same factory, they only change names constantly to avoid warranty claims on their garbage products. Those ALLCAPS brand names only recently got smart and started to create websites to make their brands look more legit. The Schwinn product shown is a clear brand name, so no need to change the ASIN or DP#. That would make it harder on referrers. But these days with how bad counterfeiting on their storefront has become on damn near everything, you're taking a huge risk buying anything on Amazon. They don't bother to scrutinize stock sent to their warehouses and make vendors pay extra fees to have inventory bins that aren't co-mingled with other vendors. All you need is one bad vendor ship some grey market or counterfeit goods in, and multiple vendors are fulfilling with fakes out of that comingled bin.

At the pricepoint of that Schwinn kit though, there's no reason for any counterfeiter in their right mind to try and undercut or fake it. I stopped buying virtually anything else on there. Doesn't matter which storefront you buy from, or who is fulfilling.

Too bad inflation has driven that kit up 23% in price, it's $12.99 now !

It's tough to beat these Jagwire cables at $3.49 which fit simplex/huret. It's what I use.

https://www.modernbike.com/jagwire-b...ess-compatible

See post 17 above.