Unusual shifter arrangements

[PpPete]

Here's one I never saw before today.

Unfortunately I was in a hurry and didnt have time for close look / photo.

Looked like old fashioned (non-aero) drop bar brake levers, with thumb shifters mounted "vertically" on the inside face of the hoods - almost as if they had been bolted through the hole where the "suicide lever" would have been mounted.

I recall reading somewhere ( an american website IIRC) of a bracket that would give this kind of configuration, but this looked like the shifters were mounted direct on the "hood".

As I say it was only a quick look - it could even have been thumbies mounted on the bars immediately adjacent to the brake hoods.

Anybody seen /used anything like this ?

 

[MacB]

nope, but will have a look, I've seen bullhorns with thumb shifters mounted next the the brake at the end.

 

[P.H]

Couple they have been Kelly Take offs?
http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html

I don't think they're still available.

 

[andrew_s]

Suntour Command shifters?

 

[PpPete]

Didn't look like either of those.
As I remember there was but a single lever and a "dial" - just like a thumb shifter, and it was mounted real close in to the brake hood - no bracket like the Kelly take-off.

I guess it was someone's bodge. I might try it to replicate it one day just to see. I've tried thumbies on the end of bullhorns, with old aero levers just behind, that works quite well too.

The Suntour Command shifters look interesting too. I will look out for some of those on fleabay.

 

[P.H]

There was another one that Bike + used to sell, except they could never get stock.
I thought it was called Modo or Morph but google throws nothing up. It had the advantage of being interchangeable between Shimano and Campag.

 

[MartinC]

Modolo Morphos

 

[andrew_s]

There are also mounts for mounting bar end levers as thumbshifters which I suppose could be placed just above the lever hood (Paul and SJSC).

Whatever bodge you use, it's not got to interfere with your hand in either the normal hands on the hoods position, or too much when moving into it from other positions.

 

[P.H]

Modolo Morphos

Thanks, it been bugging me what they were called since I thought of them. Now I've googled an image I see there's no way they could be mistaken for a bodge.
http://ciclerio.blogspot.com/MORPHOS.JPG

 

[GrumpyGregry]

what advantage are they supposed to offer?

 

[MartinC]

They were supposed to be able to be set up to index with S or C 7,8 or 9 speed. I never used them (or know anyone who did) but I recall seeing reports that weren't too enthusiastic about their indexing precision. A good idea that never really took off, if they had then maybe they'd have got the development to sort out the glitches.

 

[PpPete]

I saw it again recently. One side is definitely a thumbshifter clamped or bolted on somehow. The other is, I think, a Suntour Command shifter.

If anyone has an old Suntour Command shifter like the one Andrew linked to - I'd be very interested in purchasing it.....In friction mode it looks like it would be ideal for operating the drag brake on the tandem.

The folks over at the Tandem Club say that my current arrangement of twin cables (for both front & rear rim brakes) from RH lever, and drag brake from LH lever is not good (and twin cables now unobtanainable), so I'm exploring alternatives.