I’ve just got some Silver/Dia-compe bar end levers,and was admiring how the lever has a nice light action when you’re pulling against the spring tension,and more resistence when you push it in the other direction,which got me wondering about how it worked inside.

It’s not on the top of my list of things to think about,but has anybody ever heard of gear lever ratchets failing?

No doubt they’ll last a long time however.

Tim

I was just vaugely wondering.

I always liked the simplex “retrofriction” down tube shifters, a nice feel up or down the block, and pretty as well. God knows how they worked tho!

I had a Dura Ace bar-end lever fail once. The disc that controlled the indexing fractured.

I’d only done 50,000 miles or so on it….

Yeah just replaced the front shifter on my dads old 531 ribble. Had a few miles and a few Col’s to it’s name

if you drag your finger across a surface towards you, it travels smoother and lighter than if you push it forward over the surface away from you.

The same type of effect is probably being used somehow inside the levers. … if that makes sense.

I wondered if they did.

Has anybody ever fitted Campag friction downtube levers onto SJS thumbshifter mounts,the sort of levers which just have a plastic washer underneath the disc which holds them in place?

Thanks,
Tim