Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.

New: Take Part in the March Giveaway: Coming Soon 3/24


Alivio shifter upgrade
#1
1972 puch i put on flat bars, and a new rear wheel with wide rd and 8 speed cassette.

i have a twin up front, can i use the alivio 8 speed shifters with this set up.
  Reply
#2
To work with an Alivio 8 speed shifter you will need a Shimano (or compatible cassette). You will also need a Shimano derailleur if your existing one isn't compatible?

The Alivio front shifter will be designed for a triple chainset but you should be able to make it work with a double. The front shifter will have 3 positions (2 clicks) so you will have to limit it to 1 click (low & mid') to operate the double chainset.
Ride hard or ride home alone!
  Reply
#3
Yes i have a shimano 8 speed cassette and acera rd, the front is the original. I should be able to set the limit on the front to negate the 3rd speed position. Will the index throw be a problem for the front maybe having different spacing than a triple? I see the acera shifters might be a tad more sturdier than the alivio for not much more money. Thanks for the info.
  Reply
#4
Match the big ring up with the mid position of the shifter.
ie:- Adjust the cable so when moving the shifter to 2nd the chain moves onto the big ring.

Then set the low limit screw, of the front dérailleur, to stop the chain dropping off the small ring when flicking back down.
Ride hard or ride home alone!
  Reply
#5
The only drawback with the Alivio (or Acera) shifter is there is no "trim" position. There may be some chain rub on the dérailleur cage but with a normal double (or friction) shifter you can trim the cage to overcome this.

You will possibly have to set it so that the chain doesn't rub when on the small front ring and largest rear sprocket. You may also find that when on the big ring there may be cage rub if you want to use the large rear sprockets.

You might be able to overcome this with a triple front mech' but I couldn't guarantee this.
Ride hard or ride home alone!
  Reply
#6
I cross over the front to H or L around 1/2 way on cassette to avoid a large chain angle. so i should be ok.
  Reply
#7
How far up the feeding chain do i need to go to find a "trim" shifter? As you might guess my bicycle knowledge is stuck back in the 1970's.
  Reply
#8
(12-09-2009, 06:00 PM)dr1445 Wrote:  how far up the feeding chain do i need to go to find a "trim" shifter? as you might guess my bicycle knowledge is stuck back in the 1970's.

As far as I know there are no MTB shifters with a trim function.
They all have just the three positions.
(There might be, but unlikely, a 2 ring version as I have seen some MTB's with only 2 rings.)

Some of the Tourney thumbie shifters are just friction on the left shifter which would allow trimming, but are possibly not what your really after.

I suppose, if your really crafty, you might be able to make the third position (2nd click) your big ring and use the mid position as a trim point and so on.
Ride hard or ride home alone!
  Reply
#9
Armed with all this good info i should soon fall into the high of collecting the parts and then the low of working out the install, followed again by the high of a successful install.
  Reply
#10
i got a good buy on some shimano acrea rapid fires shifters. the rear had an acera dérailleur so that was not a problem. the fd is a suntour reverse working on 2 cogs, works great. the chain flies of the big cog when shifting to the small cog so that worked out great.
  Reply
#11
It's good when a plan comes together.
Well done.
Have you checked out if you get chain rub at all?
Ride hard or ride home alone!
  Reply
#12
no paint wear on the lower arm, but i have only put on about 60 miles since the new chain and rd. i only have about 12 miles on the rapid fire stuff, temps have been in the 20's with some snow here and there. i removed the fd for a full kerosene/teflon dry lube treatment, so i just ordered some fenders to replace the temp cardboard/duct tape/plastic tie job. lots of road sand and salt about the land.
  Reply


Possibly Related Threads...

Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
Expensive bikes with crappy wheels
Today 10:15 AM
Santini fluted frame
Today 07:44 AM
Where are you from and What is your favo...
Yesterday 11:43 PM
2007 Trek Pilot S.P.A. 5.2
Yesterday 07:06 PM
2010 Specialized Hardrock
03-26-2024 09:16 PM
1990 Specialized Rockhopper How to Fluff...
03-25-2024 07:05 PM
Thread busted on right pedal crank
03-24-2024 08:52 PM
Trek domane tyre
03-24-2024 05:48 PM
Modern rims crack at spoke holes
03-24-2024 05:32 PM
Cup & Cone — Simple & Durable or PITA & ...
03-24-2024 04:53 PM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. Painkiller
21 posts
no avatar 2. ReapThaWhirlwind
16 posts
no avatar 3. Jesper
15 posts
no avatar 4. GirishH
15 posts
no avatar 5. meamoantonio
15 posts