Far as I am concerned, a "suicide" component is one with a definite structural flaw that will cause it to catastrophically fail, without warning, at an unspecified time in the future; not a component that requires any additional skill past normal bike handling as we know it to operate.

Granted though, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) did write a very entertaining piece about the inability for someone to pilot a penny farthing without crashing to the ground...

-Kurt

I agree with all you say, but some people apply the 'suicide' tag to the double brake levers, for example, that lots of people find convenient and OK for a leisurely rider.
The denigrating epithets applied to these ( 'turkey levers' comes to mind) are slightly, really, even totally ridiculous IMHO.
Similarly with the levered front mechs that required taking the hand off of the bars to change.
You do have to take one hand off of the bars to change ordinary down-tube levers, after all.

Incorrect.

Dave Moulton on Suicide Shifters

Originally Posted by tatfiend
Be sure to build it with chromed steel rims (no hook edge) and high pressure Kevlar bead tires.
Nice one.....


I actually made it a block down the street before my tube blew up on my Raleigh 3-speed steel rims. My ears were ringing from the explosion.

What I did to this monster I created for brakes was: One very badly worn-out Weinmann center-pull on only the front wheel. And I applied a generous layer of Teflon to the rim.

A Vitus frame should also be worthy of consideration for this build.

SixtyFiver, Dave Moulton is a British transplant living in the US, and citing an example of one British expat doesn't mean the British cycling population in general call them suicide shifters. Suicide shifter is a motorcyling term, popular in America. Some Americans use it nowadays for lever front derailleurs in bicycling. The vast majority of British posters to the Classic Rendevous list do not call them suicide shifters. The UK based Veterans Cycle Club doesn't call them that in their newsletter and magazine. They weren't called suicide shifters in Britain back in the day either. It is a recent arrival in American use misapplied from motorcyling to bicycling, since there is nothing suicidal about using a hand operated lever front derailleur. You take your hand off the handlebar to do many things on a bicycle and they aren't termed "suicide". Suicide cycling jerseys with three pockets in the back? Cheers, peter

Peter... The majority of cyclists have never seen a lever actuated front derailer let alone used them and nearly everyone who has seen my old Peugeot has described the Competition shifter as a "suicide shifter". I am also well aware of the motorcycling origin of this term.

I do agree that the rod actuated shifter really is not that hard to use but folks will continue to refer to them as suicide shifters whether we like it or not.

All in all... I posted it in fun for the folks who may have never seen one.

'Suicide' is too much, I agree. What I meant - in the joking mood of this thread - is that comfortable as they may be, they are flexy, have a lot of travel and don't stop as well as the main lever. It's not safe to have two set of levers with different feeling on the same machine, IMO. Didn't mean to offend anyone.

Can we all really build this?
Send parts to a person and have them build it?
I'm down.

I have previous experience in building such - and I enjoy it. It's ART. Not mechanics. Send it along!

Almost forgot - bottom bracket: YST threadless. Never mind SR's TI spindle.

-Kurt

I saw one that instantly transformed into a huge taco when the rider stopped for a light.

I'd suggest running brakes from the shift levers, and vice-versa - just for fun.

My nominations include:

1) old school Weinmann or DiaCompe brake pads, or even late model Shimanos;

2) brake extension handles;

3) Simplex Tour de France and Benelux/Cyclo normal-low bandspring rear derailleurs (snap the cable or loosen the shift lever pivot, and your derailleur is in the rear spokes);

4) AVA stem of death;

5) Viscount fork of death;

6) early 1970s Hi-E front hub quick release skewer with aluminum shaft;

7) first-generation Sugino Mighty Compe cranks (fracture at pedal eye);

8) early Campagnolo Record cranks (abrupt breakage);

9) any high-pressure tires on non-hooked rims;

10) radial spoke lacing (can cause hub flange failure);

11) carbon fiber forks;

So who is gonna be the test pilot ?

I had the idea to assemble such a delinquent bicycle (taking into account words posted here) and offer it on ebay.
Just to see what happens you understand.
But I bet it would get a good price.
Is this PC?

The "ultimate suicide" bike. More so in some neighborhoods ("hoods") than others.