Bike Forums - Retro?

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I remember the first time I heard this word used in a term - It was 1970 and my best friend had just ridden into to San Antonio to show his new build... A 53 Panhead rigged with a Suicide Shifter... He called the shifter very retro... I thought the word quite groovy...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cache (Post 15056147)

> Our local CL has turned into a joke, it's the same overpriced, overposted garbage every day.

I feel your pain. And the keyword spamming is out of control.

Same for Ebay! A search for "Cinelli" under Cycling, Road Bikes gives me every item with the word Cinelli in it. The word might be there because the seller mistakenly thought his Chinese smooth-finish stem was a Cinelli with a wierd Italian logo variation.

@ Grand Bois: good explanation! I've understood always that the Simplex Retrofrictions eased the effort to shift but never known why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobrabyte (Post 15056216)

Great thanks for the info! I do love my Suntour bar end shifters that are "Retrofriction". That little *click* is a satisfying sound to my ears. I do think the term retrofriction is odd though. Any idea why they chose to call it that?

...

The name pre-dates by some decades the modern use of "retro" to describe fashion and style. The friction applied by the coil spring acts to counteract the tendency of the derailer spring to cause the shifter to auto-upshift, as GrandBois and The Colonel have explained. Yet when you pull on the shifter to move to a larger sprocket, the friction magically disappears. They are truly wonderful shifters and really have to be used to be appreciated. Campagnolo also had a version which they called "Doppler", which I actually prefer to Simplex's, but not by much.

I think "Retofriction" was a nod to the retro-rockets used to begin the re-entry from orbit of manned space craft which were very much in the public's imagination in those years.

When it comes to "RETRO" I,m afraid I for one could,nt care less I just like what I like, dont care what they call it !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grand Bois (Post 15056062)

No, Retrofriction is not an ordinary friction shifter. You really don't know that? I would have thought that someone that has been around bikes for as long as you obviously have would know about Simplex Retrofrictions.

No, I really didn't know. I am pretty sure the only shifters I have ever seen with a return spring are newer MTB shifters or suntour bar-ends. I didn't figure Simplex made anything called retro so I didn't search.

I have a set of older Simplex DT shifters that I haven't played with yet.. Ill check those.

Thanks for the explanation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ftwelder (Post 15058326)

I am pretty sure the only shifters I have ever seen with a return spring are newer MTB shifters or suntour bar-ends.

But, SunTour BarCons do not have a return spring. There's a tiny spring to hold the pawl, but not a return spring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ftwelder (Post 15058326)

I have a set of older Simplex DT shifters that I haven't played with yet.. Ill check those.

Not all Simplex friction shifters are Retrofrictions, of course. If they have wing nuts, they are not. Retrofrictions just have screws, usually slotted and unplated.