Something for the bicycle guys.............

[fred cook]

Here are some Shimano brake and shifter parts that I just took off of two Specialized Hard Rock bikes. The bikes are about 25 years old. There are 3 hand brakes and 3 shifters, one 3 sp and two 7 spds. The other brake assembly and shifter were not salvageable so I tossed them. These parts are GS200 items (I think). Now for the best part! Free to anyone that can use these parts! I just finished re-furbishing my two bikes and have enough "I might use this later stuff" lying about. I'll even pay the shipping!

[Scott Douglas]

More info on the 7-spd shifter please!
I have a perfectly good mtn bike that needs a shifter for a 7-speed free wheel.

[Otter74]

Those are early Shimano Rapidfire levers from about 1991-92. They will shift a Shimano-spaced 7-speed freewheel perfectly, a Suntour one not.

[Scott Douglas]

Perfect!

[Scott Douglas]

Here is what I'm going to ask it to shift if he'll send it to me.



Sorry it's upside down. The bike is hanging in the rafters in the garage.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Cool stuff!
Those parts are bulletproof.

All those 6-7-8 speed drivetrains are so great in terms of durability and simplicity. Love em'

[fred cook]

The gears on the rear hub (Shimano) that these shifters worked are spaced about 3 centimeters from low to high. Since your rear derailleur is a Shimano, they should work.

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by Otter74

Those are early Shimano Rapidfire levers from about 1991-92. They will shift a Shimano-spaced 7-speed freewheel perfectly, a Suntour one not.

That's about right, I think we bought these bikes in 1993. They've been sitting for several years and I just got thru putting new tires and tubes on one and new tubes on the other. Both got new brake lever and shifter assemblies. The grease in the old shifters had them gummed up but a good bath in penetrating oil got them working again. However, I found a couple of new sets that I liked better so on they went!

[Otter74]

Yes, those shifters will shift that derailleur and cogset. Everything 7-speed and 8-speed Shimano is cross-compatible except for some limitations with 8-speed Dura Ace due to, I think, a different motion ratio on the rear derailleur. Actually, nearly everything through 9-speed mountain and 10-speed road is compatible. Also, FYI, 10-speed Campy Ergopower levers shift 8-speed Shimano cassettes more or less perfectly. Ditto for 11/9.

[Scott Douglas]

Fred - I'll send you a PM.

[fred cook]

Sent out the bicycle parts this morning via USPS priority mail. You should get the box on Monday the 13th. Hope they work ok for your bike. If you get the chance, you can pay the favor forward!

Fred C.

[jwasbury]

Originally Posted by Otter74

Those are early Shimano Rapidfire levers from about 1991-92. They will shift a Shimano-spaced 7-speed freewheel perfectly, a Suntour one not.

^few people will still be riding any Suntour stuff these days...I am one of those few. My '93 Breezer has a Suntour drivetrain, 7 speed Accushift. I had to replace the rear wheel and its tough finding good quality thread-on freewheels now, let alone Suntour. I ended up with a used Araya RM20 laced up to a period Shimano Deore XT 7 speed freehub. The Suntour Accushift levers index perfectly on the Shimano cassette, believe it or not.

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

^few people will still be riding any Suntour stuff these days...I am one of those few. My '93 Breezer has a Suntour drivetrain, 7 speed Accushift. I had to replace the rear wheel and its tough finding good quality thread-on freewheels now, let alone Suntour. I ended up with a used Araya RM20 laced up to a period Shimano Deore XT 7 speed freehub. The Suntour Accushift levers index perfectly on the Shimano cassette, believe it or not.

I believe it. My primary all-rounder bike since 2009 has been a Rawland cSogn that I built up with an all-Suntour drivetrain, purely out of iconoclasm (it replaced a lovely 1991 Bianchi Via de Oro, a sort of flat-bar XO-1, that had been intelligently specced with XC Pro and not a single Shimano part on the entire bike) - XC Pro cranks and derailleurs, and Command Shifters on the bars (how's that for retro?) I've run it that entire time on Shimano-spaced cassettes which, as you know, shift about 95% perfectly. At the beginning of the year I decided to make it my Albatross-bar bike and switched to XC Pro thumb shifters, and put an early 90s Shimano LX derailleur on it because the reverse-pull XC couldn't move the cage out quite far enough to not rub on the chain when on the outer ring, and I didn't feel like replacing or re-spacing the bottom bracket just for that when I could swap a FD in 1/4 the time.

My willful-iconoclast days are largely over, but I'm a Shimergo fan - my rSogn, my co-primary bike with the cSogn, is running 10-speed Campy Chorus levers shifting an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, which again shifts about 95% perfectly.

I do still have a couple of virtually new XC Pro rear hubs and freewheels in my parts stash.

[jwasbury]

Originally Posted by Otter74

My primary all-rounder bike since 2009 has been a Rawland cSogn that I built up with an all-Suntour drivetrain, purely out of iconoclasm

Dang, I thought I was iconoclastic by avoiding Shimano entirely when building the Breezer up in '93. That was right around the time that Suntour went belly up and Shimano pretty much gained a monopoly on the OE component market. Would not have been easy or cheap to collect parts to do a nice build like yours in 2009.

Both Ringle hubs that were originally on the Breezer have failed, so it now has Shimano parts on it. Now the bike is iconoclastic because of it's vintage...

[RSBob]

Road 30 miles today on the backroads using my 35 YO Campi Chorus with brake shifters. The stuff is stout. Had Suntour on my first mtn bike which I upgraded to XTS. Current mtn bike is full Shimano. My tandem has Shimano

[look 171]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Road 30 miles today on the backroads using my 35 YO Campi Chorus with brake shifters. The stuff is stout. Had Suntour on my first mtn bike which I upgraded to XTS. Current mtn bike is full Shimano. My tandem has Shimano

All right, you're out doing more riding

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

Dang, I thought I was iconoclastic by avoiding Shimano entirely when building the Breezer up in '93. That was right around the time that Suntour went belly up and Shimano pretty much gained a monopoly on the OE component market. Would not have been easy or cheap to collect parts to do a nice build like yours in 2009.

Both Ringle hubs that were originally on the Breezer have failed, so it now has Shimano parts on it. Now the bike is iconoclastic because of it's vintage...

Actually, it was neither hard nor expensive! I get most of my parts off of people on a mailing list I've been on for about 20 years. I could probably assemble an entire XC Pro drivetrain for you in about a week.

Also, I think your Breezer is super cool! I've always had a particular thing for those NORBA-era Breezers. My MTB is a '93 MB-4 and I also have a '92 MB-3 because the 4 is in pieces, but I virtually never go MTBing any more. I'll rebuild it into some kind of other bike eventually, but for MTBing I prefer modern bikes.