rudypyatt

Positive reviews on the A050, so it's interesting that the product isn't listed on the Shimano website. Someone above pointed out that same issue with the Tourney derailluer, so I guess these parts are below the 2200/2300 series. Still, they're made by Shimano and can't be too bad.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Handle.../dp/B001L5Y1GC

Correction. The stem shifters mentioned on the BD "entry level" road bikes are the Shimano Index Easy Stem. The Wellington 1.0 appears to be essentially the same bike as the "Walmart Schwinn" Prelude - (many) steps down on something like the Fastback in its Schwinn Signature form.

draftmeister

Negative. The bike I was riding was the appropriate size. When I would get up off the saddle and swing the bike side to side going up a hill especially, that's when my knees would upshift for me...not good.

jimmy78

Hi guys, a newbie here. I got this vintage, I presume it's 70's road bike lie 8 years ago, it is maroon and the seller told me he guessed it was a taiwanese bike? All stickers were removed, there's only a remaining parts from the banner on the bottom of it's frame, three color stripes are white silverish, black and yellow, whit the white stripe outside the others. It might of been cheap for it's heavy and got stem shifters, but all of those parts, shifters, derailleurs are Falcon made, and the wheel rims got engraved "Nakano made in Japan". I got the serial number and all but I foind it hard to find the actual bike's brand.... I'll post pix from it tomorrow. Thanks..BTW, I have had no trouble at all with those stem shifters

79pmooney

+1 We used to point this out to buyers who appeared they would listen and offer to change them to DTs. (1977) Two years later, at my last race before I stepped away fomr the bike world, an older gentleman came up to me at the hotel I was staying at the night before to tell me he had been castrated by those shifters.

Oops., answered a 7 year old post. But since the info is still relevant and the downside of those shifters is both life-changing and permanent, I won't apologize.

Ben

Phil_gretz

That's crap. Thus far, no one mentioned the most obvious flaw in the design and placement of stem shifters. Hand position.

That's right, when would an experienced rider place his hands adjacent to the stem of his bike? Answer: Rarely, if ever. Maybe when going into a 3-point support so that one hand can do something like reach around into a pocket or something.

Reaching high toward the center line throws off balance in an awkward way. Better to reach low toward the downtube if you must.

Count my vote squarely against stem location for shifters. And I've ridden all kinds of bikes for over 45 years. STIs are best. No question. They're easiest for non-athletes and neophytes to use competently. They're even better in the hands of a rider who knows what they're about. Bar ends are acceptable on non-racing utility and touring bikes, although they have been used for racing in the past. Downtube shifting is acceptable for vintage rides, but mastering their use requires a higher degree of anticipation, body control, and guts.

Stem shifting turns out to be a poor compromise position between all of the others.

tiger1964 

The bicycling equivalent to a wall-mounted knife switch in a mad scientist's laboratory.

Phil_gretz

I can't believe that I got so worked up over a 7-year old thread. Some ideas are worth fighting for...

79pmooney

Actually the gut can interfere with DT shifting.

And seriously - that body control is the same body control needed to reach for one's DT waterbottle. Good skill to have. (Those who call DT shifters dangerous probably should consider CamelBaks.)

"Downtube shifting is acceptable for vintage rides ..." My custom ti bike, built in '08, was spec'd with a boss for the sweet Superbe topmounted DT shifter (those ones with the box that sat on top of the tube). The builder put on the usual modern threaded stops near the head tube but they have never been used and probably won't be in this lifetime.

Ben

Phil_gretz

I remember them. SunTour symmetric shifting. I've had a few Fujis that included these, maybe from the '85/86 era.

DiabloScott

Also, those folks should ignore my instructional video on tire wiping.

t_e_r_r_y

back in my 20s when i was first getting into old road bikes, i hated downtube and stem shifters because i'd always hit my knee on them while cranking up a big seattle hill, throwing me into a terrible gear and having to dismount and walk the rest of the way up.

this probably had more to do with me a) not knowing how to ride a road bike and b) riding a bike completely the wrong size, but it's stuck with me. these days i much prefer bar end shifters.

noglider 

Literally castrated by the stem shifters? I'm not doubting you, but it seems like a freak accident. And there are all sorts of freak accidents. If the shifters can do that, couldn't the stem also?

Speaking of freak accidents, have you ever heard of a brake lever entering a thigh? I was there and saw it. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...our-thigh.html

bwilli88 

went over the bars on my MTB and the left brake lever went into my left thigh to the femur, it was like a bullet hole.

Not partial to stem shifters but I am having Gugie setup an IGH with a brazed on top tube shifter.

Kuromori

All Tourney except A070 meant for STI usage is listed under MTB, whether or not it makes sense to be there are not.

SamSpade1941 

I am not a fan of stem shifters , not because I think they are inherently dangerous .... I just prefer bar ends or down tube shifters... The funny thing is I am getting where I'm tending to like downtube shifters more and more. It's really a good system and the shifts are usually much better because of the shorter cable runs.

Just my opinion but it seems to be true none the less.

Cute Boy Horse

Significantly more skill than picking up the water bottle. I used to commute on a road bike with downtube friction shifters in rush hour traffic and it frequently made dangerous situations worse. Getting cut up by a car while entering a three lane, 50mph roundabout meant a combination move of hand signal, panic braking, sharp left then right turn while also shifting into the correct gear to rapidly accelerate to avoid getting hit from the next car. At my last count, I only have two hands.

Frankly, I hate them. If a derailleur isn't SIS compatible I check ebay for it's value and then either sell it or chuck it in the bin. I've got no time to coax chains side to side when an eddie stobart wagon is bearing down on me in the rain.

Chombi1 

I remember coming up with the great excuse for getting rid of the stem shifters on my first "real" bike, a 1982 Peugeot PH10S and spend my precious college money to replace them with racier DT shifters....... I was afraid that the levers will stab my knees if I stand on the pedals to climb......