Suntour Command - Friction Setting
 

I got a set of Suntour Command shifters cheap. They're unused, in perfect shape..but are for Suntour 6 speed indexing. There's a switch to switch the indexing from "6" to "F6" which provides lighter indexing, but not pure friction.

I've read in the past, somewhere, that you can take the indexed shifter apart and file down the detents that make it index...I've searched and searched and can't find the thread I saw it in.

Does anybody have a link or know what I'm talking about?

Why dont you just turn it to friction mode as that what F6 stands for.

all its got is '6' and 'F6' there is no pure friction mode unless I'm not seeing it.

Have you tired them in F6? Did they come with an instruction book?

In F6 they are what I could best describe is 'lightly' indexed. Its like its only half turned-off. In my searching I've come to find that what I'm feeling on the F6 setting is what's expected, and I'm also seeing plenty of reference to the ability to modify these shifters to remove the indexing completely, but no mention of how.

The only thing I can imagine is that it has to invlove getting this little circlip underneath the main screw to come off. its really small.

partway there.

I found the mechanism that makes the clicks in the indexing. Its two little ball bearings that slide into little divots in the shifter body. Removing the bearings removes the indexing, but it also leaves some extra space in there...enough to make the friction too weak now.

I need a friction washer of some kind to go in there and take up the space the ball bearings used to and I should be good.

I've just turned them around and used the indexed lever for the FD. It's worked fine that way. I was using it that way at the time on a bike with a triple with and Shimano MTB-pull FD. 2 or 3 clicks to change chainrings, one click to trim, as needed. My Command is 7-speed.

"F" mode is indeed not actually friction, but just lighter indexing. I'm not sure if there was ever a version made that had an actual friction mode.

On mine, I removed the c-clip and removed both bearings and reassembled. Instead of adding an extra washer, I've just tightened the thumb screw down. I've been riding it off and on for the last 4 months without any problems, although adding an extra friction washer does sound like a good idea while you've got it apart. I love mine, operating a rapid-rise XTR RD across a 9spd cassette.

BTW, I've also done the same mod to a set of 7 spd XCPro thumbies without any problems.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/1270/barf.jpg

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It could be that there were different versions of these things, I don't know. Mine came with instructions, which I read, though unfortunately did not take any meaning off the page. Then I disassembled them completely and lost the instructions.

The rest of the process is hazy in my memory, but I do know that in the absence of printed instructions I had no trouble reassembling the shifters in a way that made more sense than the way they had come apart. The first thing you want to do is attach the clamp to the handlebar, loosely, with just the butterfly shifter bit attached, and play with it with your hand on the brake lever; figure out where you want the shifter to go. Now take everything off it and tighten the clamp. Note that the clamp has about six holes on it; and the next part to go on has evenly spaced studs that can register with any of those holes; so you have six rotational options, and you have to pick the one that works best for you. In all likelihood it wont be the way it came from the factory. Anyway, once you know where that piece goes, you'll know where the cable housing has to end; tape the cable housing in place and wrap the handlebars before proceeding with the shifter assembly.

As for shifter assembly, I don't remember the details, but I can tell you the way I eventually had mine set up, the indexing was at one end of the rotation. The lower end, I think. By which I mean that a full rotation of the shifter, from one extreme to the other, with no cable attached, went something like this: ______________________1__2__3__4__5__6. So I set mine up to do all the shifting down at the bottom end of that rotation, where the shifter works in friction mode.

All this while I sit in my office, many miles from my Suntour Command shifters. I hope this helps!

much appreciated Rudi. I like the idea of having it half-index half-friction, I could probably accomplish that by putting one of those Ball bearings that creates the clicks back in.

Oddball shifters these. I'm just doing something to hold me over until I can afford some Ergos...or who knows maybe i'll love it.

I thought removing the balls would make it a true friction but ,apparently not.

Anyway, if the index-plate is the type which isn't drilled through like:
http://dt6110.web.fc2.com/parts/accushift/A18.jpg
then installing the plate upside down seems like the way to go.