nice to see some more discussion going on here. despite the fact my plan kinda fell through, it's still a fascinating topic for me.
yeah, the deal on acquiring some 7spd AS barcons dead ended, so i said eff it and got some suntour ratcheting ones off ebay for $35 in really nice shape. they say "raleigh" on the lever boots, but i'll probably live...hehe. anyway, kind of disappointing, but i figure atleast with these raleigh shifters i can use any of the freewheels i have including a pro compe (came original on the univega) and an identically geared shimano FW....both 14-32 5spd. iow's, i have several FW's for the long haul on my univega and can half step any one of them with the variety of chainrings i have at my disposal.... thus satisfying my romance with vintage ways
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re: downtube shifters....lovely equipment to look at and all (symmetrics are beauty), but i got to where reaching down while trying to safely steer with one hand and trying to shift with the other while hauling butt on bumpy country/gravel roads was not a comfortable situation. always hitting the right gear was super challenging sometimes, too.
the raleigh units are on the way. once i get'em on and the rest of the parts swapping done i want to do on this, i'll snap a couple of pics should anyone like bike pRon as much as i ....
