Bicycle Tutor

Hi,
Getting to old and cronkey to reach my downtube shifter. Would a cheap and cheerful SRAM indexed shifter from Halfords be compatible with my old vx7? I dont mind leaving the front change lever on the downtube.
Malcolm White

Malcolm - no current index shifter will work reliably with your Suntour derailleur unfortunately...

Is your cassette/freewheel Suntour also? Some will work with SRAM MRX twist grip shifters - some will not. Our T50 has a 7 speed Suntour cassette - which mounts differently than a Shimano; any changes will require a new rear hub which is bad because the hub are very nice sealed bearing units. The SRAM MRX works great with the Shimano Deore rear derailleur.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml
http://www.yellowjersey.org/STCASS.JPG

Provide us some pictures, and your budget, and we will offer specific suggestions.

Thanks nf?

I will take some pictures (then find out how to post them)
Malcolm

(Jul 21, 2012 09:31 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  Malcolm - no current index shifter will work reliably with your Suntour derailleur unfortunately...

Is your cassette/freewheel Suntour also? Some will work with SRAM MRX twist grip shifters - some will not. Our T50 has a 7 speed Suntour cassette - which mounts differently than a Shimano; any changes will require a new rear hub which is bad because the hub are very nice sealed bearing units. The SRAM MRX works great with the Shimano Deore rear derailleur.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml
http://www.yellowjersey.org/STCASS.JPG

Provide us some pictures, and your budget, and we will offer specific suggestions.

[attachment=3345][attachment=3345][attachment=3345]

(Jul 22, 2012 12:28 AM)malcolmbike Wrote:  Thanks nf?

I will take some pictures (then find out how to post them)
Malcolm

(Jul 21, 2012 09:31 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  Malcolm - no current index shifter will work reliably with your Suntour derailleur unfortunately...

Is your cassette/freewheel Suntour also? Some will work with SRAM MRX twist grip shifters - some will not. Our T50 has a 7 speed Suntour cassette - which mounts differently than a Shimano; any changes will require a new rear hub which is bad because the hub are very nice sealed bearing units. The SRAM MRX works great with the Shimano Deore rear derailleur.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml
http://www.yellowjersey.org/STCASS.JPG

Provide us some pictures, and your budget, and we will offer specific suggestions.

---

I am having problems getting a photo into my posting. Any tips?
Malcolm

(Jul 22, 2012 11:30 AM)malcolmbike Wrote:  

(Jul 22, 2012 12:28 AM)malcolmbike Wrote:  Thanks nf?

I will take some pictures (then find out how to post them)
Malcolm

(Jul 21, 2012 09:31 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  Malcolm - no current index shifter will work reliably with your Suntour derailleur unfortunately...

Is your cassette/freewheel Suntour also? Some will work with SRAM MRX twist grip shifters - some will not. Our T50 has a 7 speed Suntour cassette - which mounts differently than a Shimano; any changes will require a new rear hub which is bad because the hub are very nice sealed bearing units. The SRAM MRX works great with the Shimano Deore rear derailleur.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml
http://www.yellowjersey.org/STCASS.JPG

Provide us some pictures, and your budget, and we will offer specific suggestions.

I think I have only managed to get one pic uploaded.
Budget? yes well, not great. I would buy a new rear mech to get a click shifter. Any recommendations?
Malcolm

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(Jul 22, 2012 11:58 AM)malcolmbike Wrote:  I think I have only managed to get one pic uploaded.
Budget? yes well, not great. I would buy a new rear mech to get a click shifter. Any recommendations?
Malcolm

Hi Malcolm;

From your picture, it looks like the hanger is on the derailleur and not part of the frame - because I am seeing what looks like a little screw behind the quick release.

Low budget approach:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Tourney-RD-TX75-Rear-Derailleur/dp/B003ZMDJSK/
http://www.amazon.com/SRAM-Bicycle-Twist-Shifter-7-Speed/dp/B0017YX2OO/

If the hanger is not part of your derailleur and is attached to the frame, you want this one instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Tourney-TX75-Speed-Derailleur/dp/B003ZM9REA/

the shifters come with cables, but not housings for the cables - if yours are in good shape, just lubricate and re-use.

You should replace your chain at the same time - the 10-24 speed Bell brand at Wal-mart is under $10- and works fine.

One more thing - your Suntour VX is probably worth more on ebay than the new Shimano derailleur and shifters combined.

(Jul 22, 2012 02:28 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  From your picture, it looks like the hanger is on the derailleur and not part of the frame - because I am seeing what looks like a little screw behind the quick release.

Actually this screw is probably the adjustment screw for the correct axle position, as used to be custom. It seems to stick out in the rear (hard to tell when the bike is not in front of you, so check this!). If the hanger is on the dérailleur it is (usually?) not attached with a bolt. On the photo you can see a hex bolt there.

Another note on the hanger: some hangers on old bikes were part of the frame but not threaded. The local bike shop can do this for you because it is a rather uncommon thread (I was told).

Look like a fairly standard horizontal drop-out to me. I can't see a separate hanger, looks like the mech is atached directly to the drop-out. As Joe suggested the screw is to adjust the wheel alignment, so that it sits straight when you remove and re-install it, several of the frames I had in the 80s had horizontal drop-outs with aligment screws.

With regards to indexing, the shifter and the cassette sprocket spacing need to match up, but the derailleur itself doesn't really matter, and the Suntour VX was a good mech, I had one years ago and did thousands of trouble free miles with it. http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/SunTour_Vx_S_derailleur_%282500%29.html. One exception is SRAM, some of their mechs require a different cable pull and don't work with Shimano shifters.

If you look at the link that Nigel posted: http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml, if the spaces on your 7 speed cassette are 5mm, you should be able to use a Shimano 7 speed shifter with it and your derailleur. I've heard some bad things about cheap grip shifters, but there are plenty of thumb shifters available on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=thumb+shifters&_sacat=0&_odkw=thumb+shifters&_sop=2&_osacat=0&_dmd=1 - there are even some Suntour shifters.

Are your gears indexed? If not you could pretty much use any friction thumb shifter, early 90s Shimano and Suntour shifters had a little switch on them, so that they could be either indexed or friction only.

That sounds really useful.
I will measure my sprocket spacing.
You are right about visible screw, it is for wheel alignment, the button is ls lost. The frame is a Mercian Vincitore that i have had from new, about thirty years. It has a kinked top tube due to an accident whilst on top of the car.
But its a tough old bike and steers straight despite the bump.
I guess I stopped cleaning it after that bump.

(Jul 23, 2012 08:01 PM)xerxes Wrote:  Look like a fairly standard horizontal drop-out to me. I can't see a separate hanger, looks like the mech is atached directly to the drop-out. As Joe suggested the screw is to adjust the wheel alignment, so that it sits straight when you remove and re-install it, several of the frames I had in the 80s had horizontal drop-outs with aligment screws.

With regards to indexing, the shifter and the cassette sprocket spacing need to match up, but the derailleur itself doesn't really matter, and the Suntour VX was a good mech, I had one years ago and did thousands of trouble free miles with it. http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/SunTour_Vx_S_derailleur_%282500%29.html. One exception is SRAM, some of their mechs require a different cable pull and don't work with Shimano shifters.

If you look at the link that Nigel posted: http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml, if the spaces on your 7 speed cassette are 5mm, you should be able to use a Shimano 7 speed shifter with it and your derailleur. I've heard some bad things about cheap grip shifters, but there are plenty of thumb shifters available on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=thumb+shifters&_sacat=0&_odkw=thumb+shifters&_sop=2&_osacat=0&_dmd=1 - there are even some Suntour shifters.

Are your gears indexed? If not you could pretty much use any friction thumb shifter, early 90s Shimano and Suntour shifters had a little switch on them, so that they could be either indexed or friction only.

Just found a Shimano 7 click changer in a junk box. Looks ok and I will get some cable and try it before buying anything. One difficulty, it wont go around my bends so I will have to fit straights or fit it before the levers.
report progress when I have tried it.
Malcolm

(Jul 24, 2012 04:41 AM)malcolmbike Wrote:  That sounds really useful.
I will measure my sprocket spacing.
You are right about visible screw, it is for wheel alignment, the button is ls lost. The frame is a Mercian Vincitore that i have had from new, about thirty years. It has a kinked top tube due to an accident whilst on top of the car.
But its a tough old bike and steers straight despite the bump.
I guess I stopped cleaning it after that bump.

(Jul 23, 2012 08:01 PM)xerxes Wrote:  Look like a fairly standard horizontal drop-out to me. I can't see a separate hanger, looks like the mech is atached directly to the drop-out. As Joe suggested the screw is to adjust the wheel alignment, so that it sits straight when you remove and re-install it, several of the frames I had in the 80s had horizontal drop-outs with aligment screws.

With regards to indexing, the shifter and the cassette sprocket spacing need to match up, but the derailleur itself doesn't really matter, and the Suntour VX was a good mech, I had one years ago and did thousands of trouble free miles with it. http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/SunTour_Vx_S_derailleur_%282500%29.html. One exception is SRAM, some of their mechs require a different cable pull and don't work with Shimano shifters.

If you look at the link that Nigel posted: http://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.shtml, if the spaces on your 7 speed cassette are 5mm, you should be able to use a Shimano 7 speed shifter with it and your derailleur. I've heard some bad things about cheap grip shifters, but there are plenty of thumb shifters available on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=thumb+shifters&_sacat=0&_odkw=thumb+shifters&_sop=2&_osacat=0&_dmd=1 - there are even some Suntour shifters.

Are your gears indexed? If not you could pretty much use any friction thumb shifter, early 90s Shimano and Suntour shifters had a little switch on them, so that they could be either indexed or friction only.