robertj298 

Just bought a classic road bike with down tube friction blueline derailleurs .
Would this system be hard to change to an index system just in case I can't get the hang
of the friction shifting?

practical

I've seen some youtube videos showing how to do this. Search youtube and see what you find.

L134 

HTupolev

Any modern clusters with hyperglide-esque tooth profiling have that same benefit, even 6-speed freewheels like the TZ20. There should be no need for a new wheel to try it out.

DIMcyclist

I'd like to say the above is mostly just overkill, but truthfully, it all depends on the bike being switched over: the process can be as simple as swapping out the shifters & installing a pair of DT cable stops (+ new housing, cables, & bar wrap). If your bike is VERY old, sure- the process can get pretty involved (there's an awful lot more on this subject in C&V), but in all likelihood, it won't be that complicated.

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fietsbob

after the standard 6 speed .. inter cog spacing got reduced, for 7,8, and again by 9th yet again for 10th..the replacement freewheels now have many of the toothing design details that aide shifting..

personally I have not been in any rush to keep up with the latest marketing push.. from the bike industry ..

I got to go to many places , on my simple 6 by 3 drivetrain touring bicycle ..



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jefnvk

Before you do anything, have you looked to see if the DT shifters have an index mode? My Univega can be swapped between friction and index.

After that, what bike is it and what sort of drivetrain does it have? I converted a 6 speed friction bike to 7 speed indexed with nothing but a new freewheel and a set of bar shifters, with downtubes you'll also need a cable guide unless you are leaving it indexed on the downtube. The biggest trick will be getting it to a seven speed, as that is the lowest you can commonly find index shifters for.

As others have said, though, give it a try first. Likely you'll realize how quick and intuitive it becomes, and not worry.

Jon T

I've been using friction shifters for 50 years and don't see the need for index. Like I've said before, friction shifting is like playing the trombone--you just know where it needs to be.
Jon

ramzilla

I've converted several bikes from friction to index. Changed bikes from down tube friction shifters to drop bar mounted brifters and upright handlebar trigger shifters. It requires several specialized tools & above average mechanical skills. The most common friction to index change is from 6 speed to 7 speed. Lots of parts involved. Just remember that the new shifters must match the rear cog set. Rear derailleurs usually have to be changed too. Front derailleurs no problem. And yes, you can remove a threaded 6 speed freewheel & put a threaded 7 speed freewheel on most 27" wheeled bikes without too much effort.

Kontact 

In the '80s it was common to see "index upgrade kits" which were nothing more than a freewheel, shifter and rear derailleur. It isn't hard, but you can get stuck with dead end components standards, like the Suntour shifters that mounted on the top of the downtube rather than sides.

Trakhak

Also 50 years with derailleur-equipped bikes, and I switched to indexed shifting as soon as it was available.

I also play fretted guitars exclusively.

(Leo Fender called his first bass the "Precision Bass" because it was the first factory-produced electric bass with frets and thus without the smeary intonation of conventional upright basses.)

BlazingPedals

If you haven't gotten the gist of all the posts so far, your question is simple, but with a complex answer. Indexing relies on having the right amount of cable pull to move the derailleur the right amount between gears. So, the shifter and the derailleur must team up to move the derailleur the right amount to shift accurately from one click to the next - which is complicated by the fact that cassettes/freewheels with different numbers of gears use different spacing between cogs.

Knowing exactly what your current setup is would help us determine what you'd need; but chances are good that it would be a major job.

Phil_gretz

The OP told us. He has SunTour BlueLine derailleurs, which are friction only and mated to 6-speed SunTour flat tooth freewheels (which are pretty terrific freewheels, BTW).

I can't advise him without meeting him and riding with him and determining his potential to ride and friction shift with ease. We all learned it as pre-teens. It might be harder for him. Best cheap solution, swap out the SunTour freewheel for a 7-speed hyperglide freewheel of the same capacity. Shifting will be more rapid and will require less downshift overshoot and correction. PG

fietsbob

N+1, is a solution new Bicycle shopping time ,

OP was doing a Pre Worrying .. what If? overthinking, exercise..

C&V crowd may buy your old one, or hang it on your art wall.

then you can get a new bike with all the latest engineering changes..

Stop by your favorite local bike shop..




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pesty

I think there's a lot of ways to interpret this.
OP really hasn't said if they want to upgrade it to indexed downtube shifters, or fully integrated brifters. Upgrading a 6-speed rear from friction to indexed is pretty easy if you can find the shifters. That being said, I was never a huge fan of indexing back in the days of 6 speed cassettes and always flipped it back to friction.

We need more info on what exactly the OP is looking to accomplish if friction shifting is too much of an annoyance, we can guess at the latter, because indexed downtube is honestly not much better, but lets get the full story before we start jumping to solutions.

phughes

I changed my indexed shifters to friction. Oh, and I play trombone too. Coincidence?

fietsbob

Is a Valve Trombone like indexed shifting?

caloso

I went the other way. I have DA bar ends on my TT bike that have an indexed and friction setting. I was getting some rough shifting in indexed mode so rather than stopping and messing with the barrel adjuster at the rear derailleur, I just switched the shifter to friction, trimmed it up, and kept riding. And I've just left it that way. It takes a little practice and a bit of touch, but it's not a big deal.

jefnvk

Ah, missed the Blue Line bit, that said there could have been many changes to that bike since while still retaining the one derailleur.

Jon T

Well since you guys are telling everyone what instruments you play, I'll add my $.02. I play flute, piccolo, bassoon, sporano sax and the bag pipes. Top that. And no, all the valve trombone does is give you another octave.
Jon

zacster

I ride indexed bikes with both brifters and trigger shifters in 10speed, and I have 2 bikes with friction shifters and 10sp wheels/cassettes. When I ride the friction shifting bikes, I'm always surprised at how easy it all shifts, and how the indexing may be unnecessary. But riding indexed, I'm always shifting to correspond to effort and conditions that I don't do with friction. Friction shifting with 10sp cassettes is very precise, quiet and quick. Plus you can throw it with multiple cog skips, in fact I can throw it over all 10 cogs. I don't think I can do that with my Campy indexing, nor my XT, both of which are better than Ultegra 10, which I dislike.

Iride01 

Swap them to indexed on the down tube or indexed on the handle bars?

ksryder

Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them.

Milton Keynes

Only problem I ever had with friction shifters is that on that cheap BSO there wasn't enough friction to hold it in place. One reason I don't have that BSO any more.

Retro Grouch 

Don't worry about it. You'll learn fine in no time. Operating friction shifters isn't difficult.