Whats wrong with this Simplex Retrofriction?
 

Hello,

the left lever works ok, but the right one is stiffer in the cable pulling direction and looser in other direction so the function is reversed. I believe the spring is unidirectional and could not be assembled wrong. The shifter is clean.
I have two other bikes with Retrofrictions and these work well.

Is this some kind if special shifter for special RD or something? Any solutions? :foo:

Thanks!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ab10305497.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2f672f67d9.jpg

That looks like a left-side spring/clutch, if I'm thinking this through correctly. That direction of winding should loosen its grip when shifting forward (on the right), the opposite of what you want.
If I'm right then you have two left springs. Take them out and compare, they should be mirrored opposites but I'll guess you have two the same. Maybe due to a repair attempt by a PO who didn't know there are right and left springs?

Mark B

Ok, this makes sense, thanks! :) I thought it was impossible to install the spring backwards, but this applies to the same side spring and lever, it should be possible to install left spring to right side and then the action would be reversed!
I will check them in a couple of days.

Is this the left-side view of the right lever?

If so, it appears that the spring is in correctly, i.e. to become a tighter wrap on the spool as the lever is pushed forward.


EDIT: Looking at the assembled photo, I see that this is the right-side view, so it's the wrong spring as Bulgie noted.

Lemme guess, it was a swap-meet purchase(?).

Yes, it is the right side (outer, bolt side) of right shifter.
There are no swap-meets here in northern Finland :) They were in my parts bin for years, can't remember, probably bought them from local "Craigslist" or even ebay...

I also have Spidel version of these, but for braze-ons, wonder if levers or springs are directly interchangeable?:foo:

Yes I believe the springs are. Lots of the little parts are different between the clamp-on and BO style (why would they do that? sigh.) But the springs stayed the same I believe. Sorry I'm not 100% sure though.

Here in the States we have a source, Wayne Bingham of Velo Classique who bought the remaining inventory of Mel Pinto Imports when Mel retired. He sold me pairs of retrofriction springs for a reasonable price a couple years ago, hopefully he still has some. Hopefully there's someone closer to Finland, but if you want to try the Velo Classique route, here's some contact info:

Wayne Bingham
Velo Classique
100 East 'O' Street
Purcellville, VA 20132 USA
540-338-8376
https://docs.google.com/uc?export=do...RnlON0dnU2NjPQwww.flickr.com/photos/veloclassique/
www.veloclassique.com

Thanks for information and for Velo Classique contacts! :)
The spring of the right lever is indeed from the left shifter.
In my parts bin I found yet another set (Simplex) for braze ons, but looks like they would work quite well on band-on, so I'll change them and call it a day.

Glad you're all sorted. Just wanted to add, I think it's so cool we've got a member from northern Finland. And, luckily for us monolinguistic Americans, your English is perfect, better than most of the Americans on this forum (myself included!)

I bet you get lots of time for working on bikes indoors this time of year, eh? Even Seattle's chilly drizzle is enough to drive me indoors most mid-winter days, but you guys are made of sterner stuff.

Apologies for drifitng off topic.

Mark B

Thanks for your kind words, Mark!

It is still at least 3 months untill roads start to get suitable for cycling here (some use studded tires, but more in urban areas), so yes, lots of time to work on bikes :) This and last winter I spent lots of time building projects that were waiting for several years. Also, dowgrading the stable a bit.

I don't want to contradict or discount anything that's been said by our esteemed and experienced members above. Personally, although I've been using these shifters for decades, I wouldn't have recognized the right/left spring issue myself, and some of the comments got my mind all twisted up, too. That said...Did you try using them with a cable installed? In my experience, there is a bit of difference with the pull-push tension on retrofriction shifters prior to setup, which then gets counterbalanced by the tension from the derailleurs.

Pretty pink sparkle. I don't recognize that fork crown. Is that a "Z"? What are you working on, if you don't mind my asking?

I don't know the brand of his bike but the crown is a Zeus. The bike could be a Zeus, but any builder could buy that crown (I have a couple of them for example).

Mark B

Looks like a Zeus crown:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0de9aad50c.jpg

Yes, I tried levers with installed cables, only then I noticed the problem. The right one was slipping back until tightened very tight, but still was not working like normal retrofriction.

Yes, the crown is Zeus. Frame is made by Mercier and branded as Jean-Pierre Danguillaume, a french racer that won 7 stages of TdF (and some other races). Super Vitus 971 tubes. Was originally equipped with Shimano Arabesque, but I am building with mostly Mavic parts.

The frame is in good shape otherwise, but has a strange horizontal crack on the back of head tube, below upper lug. Newer seen anything like this before. I can't find any indication of a front end collision. A bit of a bummer. I am not willing to strip the paint because the paint is in good condition and I hope that it is just a crack in paint surface. I think I will be carefully rinding and checking that tube. Below that crack is other line that looks like a thickening in paint (above the lower lug).

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...77c8116887.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cfdbdb6d98.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a9e80018a3.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21d6239005.jpg