Hello,

I have a vintage Motobecane (see below) that I'm having issues with. The bike is my main rider, which I simply love. From what I can tell, it's a mid-70's Grand Jubilee or possible Grand Record. I wish I knew... but, that's another forum topic (although if you know how I can find out, please let me know!).
I have Suntour paddle style shifters on the drop bars, which I really enjoy as they have perfect placement for me. I have Shimano in the rear for my derailleur. This is starting to cause issues as adjusting these both seems to leave me with gears that aren't changing well no matter how much I tweak it.
I was told that I should change either the levers to Shimano or the derailleur to Suntour so that both components 'played nice' together. I love the paddle shifters so I figure it would be to my benefit to change the derailleur to Suntour.
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My question is 1) would the issues I describe sound like some sort of compatibility problem to you and 2) if I was to change to a Suntour derailleur, can anyone recommend a higher end vintage replacement for my Shimano?

Thank you for all your help! This is a great forum!

I need some clarification. The paddle shifters are indexed? That is the only way I could see there being a problem as you describe.

That said...assuming indexing...what brand is the freewheel? I believe it would have to be Suntour in order for indexing to work with Suntour shifters. And not all freewheels are index compatible.

CV-6 is right. We need more info. We need to know what freewheel you are running and how many speed. Not all shimano or suntour rear derailleurs are index compatible. If you run suntour index shifter you will need suntour rear derailleur or vice versa. BTW, that not a mid 70's motobecane. It is pre-73 and not a grand jubile or grand record.

Unless they are all upgrades over the years (the shifters, crank, brakes, and levers), I would date that to be mid to late 80's. The paint looks too modern (multi color) to be a 70's era Moto.

But the headbadge looks way old.

Hello.
Good questions and unfortunately, I don't have the answers at the moment. I'll have to look when I get home and report back.
However, the one question I do know an answer to is yes, the shifters are indexed but at the moment I've switched them back to friction which seems to help quiet the shifting chatter, but does not eliminate it totally.
Also, abarth, thanks for the info on the Moto. Pre-73, huh!? Wow. I had no idea but I suppose the head badge would indicate that. As for the paint, I'm friends with the previous owner and he had a custom paint job done. He does not know what year/model the bike was as I've already asked. Any idea how I can get more info on the year/model?

I believe those are called Suntour Accushift Command shifters, there was a fellow on this forum who recently de-indexed his shifters so they could be used with any setup. Also, Suntour freewheels are fairly hard to find nowadays.

Ahh, thank you schwinnman! Nobody could ever give me a name to my, apparently, unique shifters. "Drop bar paddles" was the best I got.
I'm fairly sure I have a Shimano freewheel, but, who knows....

And therein the problem lies, the spacing between the cogs are different on the Shimano and Suntour freewheel, in other words, they do not play nicely.

Here are some info on the shifters https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tour+accushift

Here is the only way I can think of to make it work with Shimano components https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...mmand-Shifters

May I also commend you for choosing such a great format for your username.

As to which Suntour derailleurs are good, most of them are. One of the better ones you see a lot of are the Cyclone. They are offered on ebay just about continuously. Check the marketplace on this forum for one as well.

Those command shifters sell for pretty good money on ebay by the way.

+1 You will need a Suntour freewheel, check the marketplace and ebay for one of your choice.

Typically you will find that those derailleurs with four digits in their name will do the job. And also usually the Suntour freewheels using the four prong removal tool are made for indexing. That is not to say others cannot be made to work in both cases.

I'm intrigued by that bike: it sure looks like a "modern" paint scheme, yet there are other details (chrome forkcrown, old stem, split cable with guides on TT) that are older-looking.
How about the series of pix we like?
One complete of the driveside, then a bunch of details of the frame: all lugs, the seatcluster, BB, dropouts, fork and anything else distinctive, especially serial numbers, decals.
This has the appearance of a very classy re-spray with masking and lining.

Wow, a lot to respond to here.
SchwinnMan - You gave me a laugh. I didn't connect our names up until you pointed it out. Awesome!
Thanks for the links. Those both helped. I've bookmarked them.

wrk101 - Great! Thanks! I'm already on eBay and CL for Cyclone parts. Those are the Suntour derailleurs I've heard of, but, I like the confirmation of the group.
I'm gonna check my freewheel tonight, hopefully. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for, but I'll poke around and see if it has any markings without me having to take it apart.
As for the shifters, there's no way in hell I'd give them up. They are the smartest, leanest and most intuitive system I have found, but, thanks for letting me know that they are spendy shifters!

unworthy - The bike I have was owned by an older gentleman who lives near me. He is a recumbent rider now but back in his hayday, apparently he has had many, many different kinds of amazing/rare bicycles.
This was the last of his beauties before he sold off all his upright bicycles and I picked it up for a mere $200 about 4 years ago. He knew he could get that alone for the frame (due to his custom paint job that he, himself did, which is gorgeous and gets comments all the time). He wanted to see it go to someone who would treat it well and appreciate it. So far, it's the most beautiful and classiest rides I have in my now growing stable. I keep it tuned, lubed and well loved.
I'll do my best this weekend to take some shots. I can tell you, however, that there are no decals and the PO doesn't recall anything about the bike on what year or model it was although I have access to him in the form of questions at any time, so, that's good to know.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm learning a ton!

Upon further inspection, I see that I have a 6-Speed Suntour Perfect (VV?) Freewheel.

So, the shifters and freewheel are compatible, but the derailleur still isn't.
Sounds like all signs are pointing toward my derailleur, yeah?

Suntour Edge derailleur would work. That's what my Fuji had and it was a good setup.

Most likely not the issue but just for grins check your chain for wear/stretch. Lay a ruler or tape measure along it and see if the links all match up nicely with the 1/2" marks on the ruler. The longer of a run you can check the easier it will be to tell. If a link is more than 1/4" or so out of step with the ruler over 6" then replace the chain, but if the chain lines up within 1/8" over 12" then continue on with the derailleur search.

Also see if you can remove the rear wheel and get a metric measurement between the inside faces of the rear dropouts. Some of the above comments coupled with the bike having a 6-speed on the rear makes me curious.

Nice looking bike and those shifters look interesting.

BUT....not all freewheels are index compatible.

Did this ever index properly or has it been an ongoing problem?

All good comments!

Shp4Man - Thanks. The Edge derailleur sounds like it may be as good, if not better than the Cyclone.
Treebound - Funny you should mention the chain stretch. Just after this last riding season, I measured and it's spot on. No issues should be there. I do think you make a good point about the setup being a 6 speed and after reading about the Command shifters, it sounds like they are for 7 speeds. But, I suppose that's ok. I say that because it ties in with CV-6's comment. It has indexed properly before. I rode it for over 2 years without a hiccup, then the issues started.
I'm not sure if any of this helps or just helps cloud the problem issue(s).

Thanks for the comments. Keep 'em coming!

Unworthy1, I shot a few images of the Motobecane today. Take a look below.
The BB shell has some interesting numbers written on the bottom (1809?).
The stem is Pivo, the front/rear hubs are SA, the crank is Sakae SA, brakes are Dia-Compe and the rear derailleur is Shimano (no other markings?).
If I've left anything out, let me know as I have some time tomorrow to shoot more if need be.

Try //bulgier.net, he has quite a stash of catalogs.The headbadge looks pre 1970's.
In like,,1980 Motobecane went to a style like that,with bolder decals. The 1970's were the contrasting cable housings,, matching the lugs and decals,,etc. The bottom bracket could be French threads.

I'm sure this is an earlier frame, and I've never seen those strange stamped dropouts, before. Might be pre-70s, might just be prior to the bike-boom, and I'd guess prior to Ben Lawee sort of re-designing their line for his marketing purposes. Looks like a mid-range frame (with the stampies and kick-stand bracket), but a really first-rate paint job!

Good info! Thanks guys!