Confusion about Retro Friction
01-13-19, 10:28 AM
#26
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Nice. The clamped ones are scarcer, in my experience. And that's a useful clamp unit to have in any case.
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01-14-19, 10:17 AM
#27
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A tip for Simplex Retrofriction users,
It will be good if you replace the lever mounting screws from the original slotted ones to stainless steel ones with an Allenhead socket on them (get the ones with a button shaped head). It makes it easier to install and tighten adequately as the Allenhead socket is much harder to strip than the slot on the original bolts. Plus the original slotted screws tend to rust badly as the chrome they used was thin and bad quality.
Half of my bikes have retrofriction shifters and I have changed all the mounting bolts on them and have never had any problems with them loosening on me.
It will be good if you replace the lever mounting screws from the original slotted ones to stainless steel ones with an Allenhead socket on them (get the ones with a button shaped head). It makes it easier to install and tighten adequately as the Allenhead socket is much harder to strip than the slot on the original bolts. Plus the original slotted screws tend to rust badly as the chrome they used was thin and bad quality.
Half of my bikes have retrofriction shifters and I have changed all the mounting bolts on them and have never had any problems with them loosening on me.
Sold them for $50
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01-14-19, 11:17 AM
#28
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...IIRC, Gipiemme sold the Delrin version of the Simplex Retrofriction as part of their Gruppos in the early 80's, but I think they did not have their brand name on them either. Maybe Simplex was reluctant to let anyone else put their brand names on the Retrofriction shifters because they were very protective of their patent rights for it back then as they knew they had a very good product/design that everyone wanted.
The first Gipiemme version, circa 1982, was aluminum, had branding and appears similar to a Modolos Krono lever. The 2nd version, circa 1985, was also aluminum and looked like the MAVIC version.
For the record, I have no problem using retro-friction for any of the reduced force shift levers, regardless of the means to reduce the lever activation force. In other words, I consider retro-friction a general concept, as opposed to a specific method/design. A patent protects a design, not terminology. The only reason to restrict its use to Simplex and licensed versions would be if Simplex had trademarked the terminology.
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