skinny matt

I've heard that campy made a retrofriction type downtube shifter and I was hoping someone could post a pic or clue me in on some identifying details. Any help would be appreciated.

Bianchigirll 

to my knowledge there were two types. I believe the most common, these days, is the ones from the C-Record era '85ish to '93. they look externally just like the friction shifters but when you take them apart there are no friction washers just some brass cupped washers.

I have seen one or two pics of Super Record style retrofriction shifters and these have a noticable bigger 'barrell for housing the spring mechanism.

sorry this is not the best scan but as you can see the C-Rec do look alot alike.



here is a pic I lifted from Velobase of the Super record retro
https://velobase.com/ViewSingleCompon...e1666&Enum=104



C-Rec retorfriction on the bike, right/rear side only, left Syncro



Hope this helps

mudboy

Wasn't there a Campy retro lever that was a rebranded Simplex Retrofriction?

Bianchigirll 

good point there may have been but I do not know for sure. I think most of the time they were just used as is since the actual Simplex logo was so small

cudak888 

Not to my knowledge. There was a Mavic retrofriction lever which was a rebranded Simplex. One other company (Galli? Gipemmie?) had them re-badge the retrofrictions as well.

-Kurt

Grand Bois

The shifters in the diagram don't look like my idea of retrofriction. There is no spring.

Bianchigirll 

I'll have to look and see if I have a pic of the shifters but the spring assembly is in the shifter and does not come out. atleast I never tried to take it out, sort of a 'if it aint broke' kind of thing.

vjp

They are a different design than other retrofriction levers, there is a clutch inside the lever that does not come out or apart so you can't see it in the diagram above.

vjp

Grand Bois

They published a parts diagram that doesn't show all of the parts because some of them don't come out?

Bianchigirll 

that is the way it appears

gioscinelli 

There's a big difference between the Campy Retro Shifters and Simplex Retro Shifters. Campy shifters are easier to tighten while riding, where as the Simplex require a dime coin to make an adjustment on the fly. The theory goes like this, on each shift the levers will move forward slightly to seat the chain into the freewheel cog, eliminates the need to manually make the trim adjustment. I prefer Campagnolo Retro-Shifters, for performance and beauty, like a glimmering gem on your down tube vintage road bike.

Simplex Retro Shifters:







Campagnolo Record C Retro-Shifters:

Grand Bois

I assume that Simplex felt that there was no need to adjust their shifters on the fly. The bar end retrofrictions require both a screwdriver and a wrench to adjust them because they have locknuts.

Bianchigirll 

if the shifters are properly adjusted there should be no need for adjustment, although we all reach down and fool with it because it is the only thing we can 'check' while riding.

are these shifters installed? any chance you can spread the parts on the table and take a pic of the washers and the inside?

vjp

They show the part. It is the lever with a piece (the clutch) press fit inside of it. The clutch does not come out so it is not illustrated seperately.

vjp

skinny matt

Will these mount on old school stem and downtube clamps?

JohnDThompson 

Not to my knowledge. Campy was very late getting on the retrofriction bandwagon; within a year or so of introducing the Doppler levers, it became obvious that indexed shifting was the future.

Simplex introduced their retrofriction levers in the early 70s, and marketed them under several brands over the years. The levers were a popular upgrade for otherwise full-Campy bikes because they really did work so much better than Campy's friction levers. Perhaps it just stuck in Campy's craw to have to license something from Simplex, so they just waited until Simplex' patent expired before offering their own version?

Grand Bois

Is it just a theory, or do they actually do that? They overshift and then readjust themselves?

I'm skeptical, but willing to be convinced.

Bianchigirll 

Originally Posted by gioscinelli
The theory goes like this, on each shift the levers will move forward slightly to seat the chain into the freewheel cog, eliminates the need to manually make the trim adjustment. "

I don't know that I ever heard that.

cudak888 

Suntour's Accushift indexing shifters do it, but I can't imagine that from a friction shifter.

-Kurt

Chombi

I've been using Simplex/Spidel/Mavic Retrofrictions since the 80's. Never had I had to adjust them on the fly. You install them and that's it. They function. That's why they did not provide a anything more than a slotted screw to mount them on your bikes.

Chombi

Grand Bois

Too bad it's an unplated slotted screw that always rusts. That's the only negative thing I have to say about Simplex Retrofrictions.

embankmentlb

I have a C-record style Campy retro-friction shifter that interestingly has a larger diameter cable pull than the normal shifter. I would post a pick but the bike is in storage. It somewhat looks like a syncro shifter but is not indexed. As stated before, the only problem with the simplex is they rust.

conspiratemus1

Campy's C-record retrofriction shifters don't go out of adjustment while you're riding. The D-ring screw is more so you can adjust the degree of friction to your taste. I like the front one a little lighter for the longer pull and to make it easier to trim the front cage with just a nudge from the base of my thumb. (If they are too loose you lose the anti-ghost shifting effect that is the whole point of retrofriction. There needs to be some compression on the works in order to make the clutch engage. But they don't need to be screwdriver tight ever.)

But the Simplex spring units are nice, too.

Chombi

That's why I replaced them with domed allen head type water bottle cage bolts:

Looks better, easier to install/remove plus they are usually more corrosion resistant/better finshed than the slotted screws that came with the shifters.
Best yet, I never had to pay for them as the LBS usually hands them out for free....if they like you enough

Chombi

embankmentlb

Sharp!