tiger1964 

I just received a set of their Silver Shifters off the For Sale sub-forum (great transaction, BTW) for my wife's Windsor; I figured it would take only a few minutes to install and she could take a test ride. An hour and a half later, I gave up, rebuilt the stock Campy levers (they needed an internal clean-up anyway) and reinstalled those.

(A) Once on, the levers are still loose enough to wiggle left-to-right... that does not seem right. Huh?

(B) In a real "you've got to be kidding" moment, the holes in the levers that the cables pass through are too small. Again: huh? I need new inner wires? What kind?

A few data points: (1) pulling off the Campys, I found that whoever repainted the frame did NOT mask off the shifter bosses, and they were covered in paint. I carefully sanded with 1000-grit sandpaper to remove it, which took a while. (2) I checked, with the levers not on I made sure the wingscrews would go in all the way until the head of the wingscrew contact the boss... they do.

Any advice? These look like nice units, do not want to waste them. And I wanted to use her Campys on my Palo Alto once all is done (there's another topic on that).

mrv 

howdy - i've got a set on an old Nishiki / Detroit Bikes-counterfeit / Frankenthing: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Aba1lIHRmn7bRhF12 ~ little bit tough to see... sorry.
~ but as barend shifters!
They don't have any side to side sloppiness. I don't recall installing being worse than the Shimanos on my other bikes.
- it sounds like you don't think there is paint IN the THREADS ~ but that almost sounds like the issue, that you can't get the wing-screw all the way seated.

Did you try to email Rivendell? I've always found them pretty response, even with small time spenders like myself.

I'll get a super close up later of the cable boss / shifter interface, maybe even send a measurement. I can even check to see if there is an extra spacer inside the shifter that you might not have received buying a used one. Possibly you need another washer.
After I get home from work. -- woops - speaking of which, I better get back to it!

mark

easyupbug 

Are you sure you got all the pieces and parts Rivendell shows with the levers, like a washer? You surely could not have shortened the boss with 1000 grit so I would call Rivendell, I called them a few years ago when one of their bikes passed through my hands and they were a great help on the phone.

tiger1964 

With no levers on the bosses at all, I can get the wingscrews all the way in. No I have not contacted Rivenell... yet.

I wonder if these work on Shimano bosses well but not Campys?

The For Sale listing is gone (?) but the seller said these are brand new, he got them from Rivenell to use up a store credit but never installed them. It looks like everything is here but the instructions only have a crude hand-drawing. Each lever's hardware was fastened to the lever in a "stack" with a wire-tie, I don't think he ever had them out of the box. Could be wrong --

Yeah, didn't want to remove any metal while sanding so I didn't even use the 400-grit.

ryansu

I never had them out of the box except to photograph them - sorry they are not working as intended @tiger1964 I would agree with the thought of reaching out to Riv. I got them in probably 2013 or 14 so I am not sure if they added any extra washers or Campy specific bits later on? their install video is

tiger1964 

I did see that video earlier, my first reaction on seeing that flux brush is "they're soldering them on???"

ryansu

@tiger1964 I think you only solder them when you want a single speed.....

I am waiting from a response from Riv about getting the updated washer set for the Silver shifters. I got them in September of 13 and it seems they have updated the washers since then.

Kontact 

What's a Shimano boss? All braze on shifter bosses are supposed to be the same dimensions.

These shouldn't be loose, and the cable holes are supposed to be large enough for proper cables. If both are screwed up it is likely a defective set.

Despite the design, these are not made by Suntour and may not be the same quality as what Suntour was making in the '80s.

trailangel

Campy cable is different from Shimano cable.. no?
Quality shifters generally include the cables... apparently these do not.

Kontact 

Campy cable heads are smaller, but not the wires themselves.

And the OP has Campy shifters already and the cables that fit them.

SkyDog75

Not according to Sutherland's.

(Image borrowed from this post by JohnDThompson.)

Kontact 

Fantastic bit of trivia. But the Silver shifters (and most any other you are going to find) mount only on the first type with the square, and all versions of the type have the same dimensions. So this is not a question of boss variations.

tiger1964 

Thanks. My copy of Sutherland's (1974) does not have that page. Heading to the LBS today for new cables, will try again.

EDIT: Wife just called from the office, she rode to work today; reports that she notices an improvement in shifting just from the rebuilt Campys. I still want to try installing the riven dells again.

tiger1964 

Ok, got new inner wires and tried it again.

The levers are on and hooked up, and seem to shift nicely enough. Oddly, the right-hand lever does still wobble, only in the full relaxed position (all the way forward), I'm estimating 3/32" to 1/8".

I called Rivendell, they said some wobble is normal but not that much, and raised the prospect of sending replacement levers. I told them that in a few days when it dries out, I'll have my wife take the bike out and see what she thinks, maybe live with the wobble, go back to the Campys, or maybe try replacements. I'm thinking she'll like them as they are.

dweenk

If Riv wants to make it right, let them. If the replacements work as you would expect, send yours back and ask them to evaluate.

Kontact 

If you want to screw around a little, you could put some nail polish on the boss, or give it a few wraps of teflon plumber's tape. The boss itself is not a bearing surface for the shifter, so you're just looking for something that shims up the play.

tiger1964 

Something I may not have mentioned here but did to Rivendell: Not on the bike but holding the "stack" between fingers, but without the square-hole "backing plate" or the wingscrew and its attendant plastic washer, I can still feel the side play.

Kontact 

Okay, so the "play" is actually in the retrofriction mechanism inside the lever? Sounds like a defect - I'd warranty it. If it is like that now the ratchet might fail in use.

tiger1964 

Of course, now I feel bad, having read the topic "Rivendell needs help".

tiger1964 

She took a short test ride today and is very happy with the levers and the side to side "wobble" does not adversely affect operation.