How well do Suntour's Accushift groups 'play well with each other?'

I mean will Superbe shifters index well with a XC Pro derailleur or the other way around?

I haven't had a problem with accushift playing with any DR, but I may just be lucky...

There was one lowend groupette (shifter + RD) that only worked with each other it was like A 4030 or something. otherwise it is pretty much like shimano SIS if the shifter is 6spd and FW 6 spd the system should work regardless of RD.

I actually ran a set of 7spd suntour barcons and FW with a 600 RD for a few years on my commuter, it worked OK.

They work quite well together, but I have my reservations about the lower-end Alpha and Blaze series RD's. Those have an overshift tension spring in them (similar to Shimano Light Action) that makes upshifts sloppy on occasion. Cyclone 7000 and up are better choices for crisp shifting.

-Kurt

Does anyone seek this stuff out? I'm growing a small pile.

-Kurt

you win.

Causalities of the indexing war, so sad.

Can you use those Accushift levers with any Suntour freewheel or do you have to have an Accushift freewheel?

I was able to get 6-speed Accushift to work with an ultra-spaced Suntour two-prong 6-speed, but it might not work that well depending on build tolerances of the freewheel. I used a Shimano IG chain; a newer UG or HG should work as well.

I paired the lever with a Suntour Cyclone 7000, for the record. I wouldn't try it with the cheaper indexing Suntour RD's that have the built-in spring that takes up extra cable tension.

-Kurt

I thought there were spacing issues on the smaller cogs...

Somehow, it seemed to work. Might have been a kludge-built 6-speed and I didn't know it. At any rate, the spacing was narrower than usual with that particular freewheel.

Next time I have a Cyclone 7000 group to kick about, I'll run a few tests.

-Kurt

So, are you saying you can pair the Accushift levers with non-Accushift freewheel & non-Accushift derailleur in some cases? Sorry if that's an ignorant question. This "more than 3 gears" stuff is new to me.

Well the book says no but several folk here have said they've been able to get it to work. There's a little play built into things, they overshift and bounce back a little I guess. Maybe there's enough slop in that function to allow...well, I really have no idea.

"So, are you saying you can pair the Accushift levers with non-Accushift freewheel..."

With the right spacing on the freewheel, yes.

"...& non-Accushift derailleur..."

Never. RD must be part of an Accushift group.

Saying "never" to any freewheel combination isn't 100% accurate. Freewheel spacers can be changed to make a compatible, custom setup with non-Suntour freewheels.

Mind you though, I didn't modify the 6-speed I mentioned earlier.

-Kurt

FWIW- last fall I came across a set of Command Shifters and bought an Shimano XT RD. I have a new Shimano 6 Speed freewheel and new Shimano chain and new cables. I was having goofy indexing issues, so I bought an XC Pro RD and I was still having goofy issues (about the same as with the XT RD) Although I did route the cables all goofy (going out to the front), I think the biggest problem was not using new cable housing. It works like a champ now.

Glad to hear that. pics?

Here's a video of Accushift shifters with a regular Suntour FW using a Shimano chain.

I've got Superbe shifters with AP (Accushift Plus) 7 speed and a Cyclone 7000 RD (pic below), but it hangs on the upshift occasionally, if I'm not careful. (make sure your clicks are concise) I think AP was arrested in mid-development and Suntour didn't get around to beveling and ramping all the parts due to Shimano's patents. The upshift issue is probably due to the AP chain, which is not beveled at all - compared to SRAM or HG. I would at least try to pair the RD and the shifters, since adjusting these things (SIS and AP) is touchy enough as it is. As for the cable and housing, I settled for SIS, because the prices for those little details are even more inflated in the used/NOS market. I still prefer Suntour designs from the same era however, the Superbe/Sprint/Cyclone lines were lighter and more elegant in my totally biased opinion.

I'm wondering if it isn't due to whatever Accushift shifters you're using. When I originally got my CrissCross, the 7-speed Accushift setup there (flat bars, shifter pods) drove me nuts. It absolutely would not hit the middle cog. Shift from 3rd to 4th (on click) and it'd go to 5th. Then you'd have to do a second click to properly line everything up, on to 6th and 7th normally. Go back up the cluster, and once again it'd jump you from 5th to 3rd, then do another click to take up the cable and line up everything properly. Shifting to 2nd and 1st went normally. On the rare occasion you'd get it to land on the 4th cog, it'd jump off within a couple hundred meters.

I finally got disgusted and replaced the whole setup with Alivio/STX indexed, and haven't looked back.

When I got the GT Tachyon on the road, it didn't have a rear derailleur to go with the 7-speed Command shifters. So, I held my breath and pulled the SunTour out of the parts bin and hook it up. That combination worked perfectly, is still working perfectly now, and I don't look forward to any problems in the future. Go figure.

Works fine, just not the 100% that SIS is. Accushift has a tighter more precise top pulley, it's more anal about the whole thing.

When I adjusted the Command shifters on my 560, I fiddled with the cable tension for a good clean 3-4 jump. As an added bonus, it now works smoothly through the whole range. That's with a Superbe Pro RD-00 and a Winner Pro 7-speed.

"Can you use those Accushift levers with any Suntour freewheel or do you have to have an Accushift freewheel?"

My first indexed bike came about when I bought 7-speed Accushift road levers and derailer paired with an old Pro-Compe Ultra-6 freewheel.
The shifting was good across the range, never had to do any adjustment compromises. I used a UG Narrow chain, which is dimensionally the same as current HG70/91 models.

The only incompatible Accushift parts were from the 3040 Accushift Alpha group, a low-end MTB system.

Shifting performance on any old Suntour freewheel is greatly enhanced with a Shimano 9-speed chain, since Suntour's thick cogs and narrowed spacing between the largest cogs really need the extra clearance.

I've also paired the 7-speed Accushift levers with a pre-index Shimano Crane/Tourney-type derailer, which indexed perfectly on a standard 6-speed freewheel.

Finally...

Is your rear derailer cable 30cm (i.e. 12")? It looks longer.

Accushift, due to stronger derailer springs than Shimano, works best with a 12" rear derailer cable, while Shimano likes a larger loop due to it's weaker springs.

Great bike.

I managed to get my accushift to index with a new (shimano?) freewheel, didn't know it wasn't supposed to work. It did take some fiddling but currently works just fine.