Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

There's people that call ratcheting shifters "retrofriction," but they're not. Those are ratcheting shifters. I like them more than the old Suntour Power shifters, not as much as the Suntour Sprint shifters. Somewhat recently I was reading an article about the 'worst shifters ever' and these were on that list and I couldn't believe it. They have an EXCELLENT action, they're rugged and don't slip or fail, they have that cool blued look, the shape is neat AND they're easy to pull/push and grab- even with gloves on- plus they work on regular bosses. They were commonly found on the 1985 Trek 620 and the 1985 Schwinn Passage. A couple of years ago I got a set, with a band clamp, for much, much less.

Just because selling on eBay is now an intrusive PIA for sellers- we're seeing fewer sellers with less stuff. Remember the good ol' days when- if you thought about it, you could find it on eBay? Not so much anymore.

My preference is for "not pure friction shifters." I also don't particularly like the Shimano "Light Action" or "Fingertip Control" spring counter shifters. So, for me- friction shifting is best with ratcheting shifters or retrofriction- and I go back and forth which I like better.

1. Simplex Retrofriction shifters
2. Suntour "Sprint" shifters (people refer to them as Sprint, but were also branded Superbe Pro- they look like regular friction shifters- but have the ratcheting mechanism on the inside of the lever. These would have come out around 1985- it's a much finer ratcheting action than the old Suntour action.
3. Sachs/Huret ratcheting shifters
4. Suntour Power shifters

I've never used the old Huret ratcheting shifters from the late 70s- If those are like the Sachs/Huret action- those would be cool...