Ratcheting Stem shifters
 

Didn't want to hijack another thread but how do ratcheting stem shifters work and are they better than regular friction stem shifters ....?

Hello. ratchet shifters work similar the "retrofriction" shifters touted on here as the best shifters of all time. racthet shifters however make a clicking noise when pulling the lever towards you, shifting into a easier gear in the back/bigring in the front.

both shifters have a type of spring system which creates tension when the shifter is moved toward the rider. this arrangement make the feel of the shifter very light when shifting to easier gears thereby making shifting smoother. the spring inside then holds the shifter/gear rather than pressure applied to the shift lever by a screw and washer. then pushing the lever forward of course release the tension.

this is rather basic, I hope it helps a bit. I am sure there will be dozens of posting later explaining it better and contradicting this one.

Ratcheting/ indexed shifers work as described above. Stem shifters work fine, the subject arrises daily here so you may want to search the threads.

However, I've never seen ratcheting stem shifters, only down tube ones. If they exist I suppose that they're good. I find friction, both down tube and stem, better than OK myself.

Thanks! Excellent explanation..

Got a pair of NOS ratcheting stem shifters off e-bay by mistake (thought from the photo they were band-on downtube ones). They were marketed by Emmelle (Moore-Large Limited) in the UK. I put them on a ladie's MTB I flipped out to a work colleague and she thinks they are brilliant, much easier for her to work than thumbshifters or twist grips.

Found some old Suntour ratcheting stem shifters at the Recyclery. Didn't like 'em though, they're HUGE.

Yeah, they work well but they have huge levers on them.

SunTour made an absolutely excellent set that was used by loads of Japanese made road bikes in the 80's. Yes, they are huge, but they were extremely well. Inside the right shift lever, there is a round pawl, similar to what is used inside a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub. There is a small metal piece , somewhat like the letter L, that sits above it. As you move the lever back, the L piece slides over the pawl. Hence the ratcheting sound. There is also, among the other 20 or so parts inside, a small spring above this too. Sure made shifting a cinch .

Both Suntour and Shimano made ratchet shifters. One brand ratchets in both directions and the other only ratchets in one direction. I'm not sure which is which. YES they made stem shifters that ratchet. My best recollection is Shimano made them and they appeared on Ross Eurosports for a period of time, I know I got some ratchet shifters off of a Ross Eurosport. I like ratchet because they provide a better estimate of where the next gear is. I think the Shimano shifters have a shorter lever than the Suntour model but its been a while since I worked with these.

The early '80's Raleigh Gran Sport I found for my wife has Suntour Power ratcheting stem shifters. They seem to work fine.

SunTour Power ratchet shifters are great. They were made in DT, stem, bar, and bar-end mount styles. The stem, bar, and DT versions go for cheap ($10-25) on ebay (the bar-end version goes for a bit more--$25-35).

They're the best non-indexed sifters I've ever used. Yes, people say the [Simplex?] Retrofrictions are better, but I've never used them. ST Powers must be a close #2, if so.

I have a set of the Suntour ratcheting stem shifters...not huge & they have a nice feel. I'm not a fan of stem shifters, but I was building up a pseudo/retro French city bike style bike and I'd picked these up for $5 from a parts bin at a local bike shop....they worked out perfectly. I also have a few sets of the suntour bar end ratcheting shifters. Both have a nice feel, but I'm not sure how much of improvement they are in function to regular friction shifters.

splenid bike !!

I don't like ratcheting shifters. There is a finite number of positions for the levers, depending on the number of teeth on the ratchet. It feels imprecise to me.

Are the Shimano Fingertip shifters the same as ratcheting shifters?
They appear to function as described above. They are spring loaded and have a clicking thing going on.
It doesn't really matter I like them regardless. They seem to shift almost effortlessly.

IIRC, ratcheting shifters do not work the same way mechanically as retrofriction shifters do with the retrofriction shifters providing an actual counter balance spring to go against the derailleur tension springs while ratcheting shifters only provided a tactile feedback with it's clicking feel to the rider, not assisting the action of the levers as retrofriction shifters do. The tactile feedback made it easier for the rider to finesse/adjust the derailleur shifts while riding. Retrofrictions also made it easier to finesse/adjust shifts in a different manner by substantially lessening the effort to move the shifting levers so micro adjustments to shifts is easy to do.
That's why retrofrictions that came after ratcheting systems, were considered so revolutionary/superior by riders and the bicycling industry. It was the next step after ratcheting systems.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

I had Simplex retrofrictions before I ever tried the Suntour ratcheting shifters. I think that the Simplex shifters spoiled me for anything else. I have Suntour ratcheting Barcons on one of my Peugeots and I plan to replace them if I can find a set of the elusive Simplex retrofriction bar end shifters.