Old Bike On Ebay With Seatstay Shiftlevers? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

11-05-2003, 10:34 AM

I noticed this bike on Ebay and it looks like it has the shift levers
are mounted on the seatstay. Has anyone seen this set-up before? Would
this be operated with the feet or by hand?

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=36362621 71>

Note: I have nothing to do with this auction.

11-05-2003, 11:01 AM

5 Nov 2003 11:34:19 -0800,
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] >,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R.White) wrote:

>I noticed this bike on Ebay and it looks like it has the shift levers
>are mounted on the seatstay. Has anyone seen this set-up before? Would
>this be operated with the feet or by hand?

Hand operated.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

"Two levers run up the right side seat stay. One is to loosen the
wheel in the dropout and the other to do the shifting. The dropout is
notched to mesh with the axle which also has nothches on each end. The
wheel will move forward or back to accomodate the shift from one rear
cog to the next. Very tricky move to perform, especially in race
conditions. "
--
zk

11-05-2003, 01:59 PM

Zoot Katz <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>...
> 5 Nov 2003 11:34:19 -0800,
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] >,
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R.White) wrote:
>
> >I noticed this bike on Ebay and it looks like it has the shift levers
> >are mounted on the seatstay. Has anyone seen this set-up before? Would
> >this be operated with the feet or by hand?
>
> Hand operated.
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> "Two levers run up the right side seat stay. One is to loosen the
> wheel in the dropout and the other to do the shifting. The dropout is
> notched to mesh with the axle which also has nothches on each end. The
> wheel will move forward or back to accomodate the shift from one rear
> cog to the next. Very tricky move to perform, especially in race
> conditions. "

Thanks. I hadn't even thought of the chain slack that would result
with each shift and how it would be taken up/down. Now I have to
ask "why"? I searched and found this:

"The first, easy-to-use derailleur was invented in France in 1910
by Paul de Vivie and shifted among four gears at the pedals.
The first modern rear derailleur was patented two years later by a
Frenchman named Joanny Panel, according to David Herlihy, a bicycle
historian."

I'm assuming these early derailleurs compensated for chain length
the way derailleurs of today do. Moving the axle in the dropout
seems like an answer to a problem that was already taken care of, no?

11-05-2003, 03:48 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] >,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R.White) writes:

> I'm assuming these early derailleurs compensated for chain length
> the way derailleurs of today do. Moving the axle in the dropout
> seems like an answer to a problem that was already taken care of, no?

From the description provided by Zoot (about the bike with the
seatstay-mounted levers), it sounds to me like the cogset moves
inward-&-outward while the chain remains in the same chainline.
But I'm just guessing, and surmising it was an overly-engineered
attempt to avoid the extreme chainlines inherent with derailers.
Especially if the bike has multiple chainwheels and/or widely-
spaced cogwheels.

cheers,
Tom

--
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I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

11-05-2003, 06:27 PM

R.White wrote:

>I noticed this bike on Ebay and it looks like it has the shift levers
>are mounted on the seatstay. Has anyone seen this set-up before? Would
>this be operated with the feet or by hand?
>
><http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=36362621 71>
>
>Note: I have nothing to do with this auction.
>
Wow! Looks like a short journey from "doing ok" to "shift lever in the
spokes".
It may be a valued antique, but I would like somethin more up to date.
Bernie

11-05-2003, 06:37 PM

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 16:48:55 +0000, Tom Keats wrote:

> In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] >,
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (R.White) writes:
>
>> I'm assuming these early derailleurs compensated for chain length the
>> way derailleurs of today do. Moving the axle in the dropout seems like
>> an answer to a problem that was already taken care of, no?
>
> From the description provided by Zoot (about the bike with the
> seatstay-mounted levers), it sounds to me like the cogset moves
> inward-&-outward while the chain remains in the same chainline. But I'm
> just guessing, and surmising it was an overly-engineered attempt to avoid
> the extreme chainlines inherent with derailers. Especially if the bike has
> multiple chainwheels and/or widely- spaced cogwheels.

No. The chain moved from sprocket to sprocket after loosening the quick
release, by a mechanism somewhat like a modern front derailleur. There is
only one chainring.

There were other derailleur systems in existence before this appeared, but
racers did not trust them. They thought they would be too inefficient.
Since this, once you got the wheel back where it belonged, was more like
the fixed gear or single-speed freewheels that they were familiar with, it
had more acceptance among racers.

There is a great Campagnolo history on [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] that has an
explanation of this as well as many other tidbits.

BTW, this bike would seem to be a real collector's item.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
_`\(,_ | complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our
(_)/ (_) | temple. The philosophy is kindness. --The Dalai Lama

11-06-2003, 10:22 AM

Bernie <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>...
> R.White wrote:
>
> >I noticed this bike on Ebay and it looks like it has the shift levers
> >are mounted on the seatstay. Has anyone seen this set-up before? Would
> >this be operated with the feet or by hand?
> >
> ><http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=36362621 71>
> >
> >Note: I have nothing to do with this auction.
> >
> Wow! Looks like a short journey from "doing ok" to "shift lever in the
> spokes".
> It may be a valued antique, but I would like somethin more up to date.
> Bernie

The perfected version, Campy's Paris-Roubiax system only needed 1 lever,
it works quite well, takes about 50 yards for me to make a shift.
And for weight weenies it does weigh less. If it was good enough for
Fausto, it is good enough for me. Plus it is a gas to ride.

I figure a Seven set up for brazed on center pulls and a P-R mech
would be the bomb.

Scott Goldsmith