DOS

Hi

I just installed Superbe Pro Shifters and deraiileurs onto my Schwinn Paramount. The shifters are Index Power Control with settings for index shifting, index shifting with ultra freewheels, and friction. On my first ride, I had them set on friction because I had been unable to get them set for index All worked well.. I have since figured out and corrected an installation error and have the index shifting dialed in using a Suntour six speed freewheel. So why would one chose to set them on friction rather than index? Is it just a matter of using freewheel incompatible with the index setting?

ShannonM

Lotsa reasons.

Sometimes it's because of incompatibility issues.
Some people prefer friction shifting.
Sometimes it's for S&Gs.

'Tis all good.

--Shannon

pcb 

I'd say mostly a marketing thing. The old furts who thought indexing was for idiots wanted an off switch. As you mentioned, it also allowed use of non-compatible freewheels, if a wheel/freewheel had to be subbed in. There was some thought that newbies would be reassured knowing they had an off switch if they had any kind of problem. And, fwiw, no matter how well indexing worked, one drive-side drop resulting in a bent derailleur hanger could nuke the indexing.

With Suntour, and the intro-season prevalence of indexing problems, having an off-switch was a very good thing.

If your IPC levers have completely smooth action in friction mode, they're the original version. The second version, hurriedly spat out because of Shimano's patent infringement lawsuit, didn't completely disengage the index plate detents, and had very soft clicks in (now semi-)friction mode.

IPC stood for Index Power Control. Suntour marketing was determined to copy Shimano as much as possible, and insisted on a 3-letter anagram for Suntour indexing. We talked them out of Power Index Shifting (PIS shifters!).

The shifter guts have VERY TINY ball bearings inside, so don't try to disassemble the index unit too far without first prepping for not losing them. We had the only prototype shifters in the USA on a test sample bike that we had to tweak the night before taking it around to bike mfr product managers for test rides. Our knucklehead sales/tech guy exploded the index unit in our disorganized warehouse workshop, and lost the ball bearings. Took us a good half-hour to find them, and the Japanese engineers were have a major freak-out. Fun times.