tiger1964 

Well, Cleaning up and reassembling this lever for the Simplex 543; wow, actuation seems really gritty and difficult to imagine getting clean, smooth shifts.Hmm, it is indeed very old, and no lube at all in here. So, where on this chart would one grease it? Part 651 is a fiber material, by the way, somehow don't get great on that (thoughts?) So, perhaps great between 494 and 129, and between 472 and 137 (why there are two 137's, I do not understand, but there they are!) I guess this is also a general question on lever assemblies, what do you lube and what to leave alone as "friction shifting" implies, well, friction.

And lucky me, down in the bottom of a box I found item 920, I thought it was gone forever and I planned on fabricating a "splitter pinch bolt" out of a derailleur or brake pinch bolt. Whew!

Velocivixen

I would not lubricate anything in the shifter assembly - just ensure everything is really clean. I would look further down the line - I’d lube the shift cable where it’s inside the cable housing for sure. Also lube any pivot points in the rear derailleur itself. Make sure your cable routing is meticulous to reduce any friction points.

Mr. 66

I agree with the above, I would clean and possibly polish for smoother surface. I do try to stay away from lube in cables housing, but when I do I try to clear the line afterwards. Reason being the lube will thicken after time, glob and dry up making the shifting stiff.

tiger1964 

All parts buffed on the machine, including "bearing surfaces". I did add a little grease per the above locations, I guess it's somewhat better. All new cables and housing, plastic-lined, that should help, but there's a guide I need to bolt on at the bottom bracket, one of those Huret ones with a curved tube, I need to get grease in there.

The lever assembly is not even on the bike yet. Alas, there's a beautiful black/silver/gold badge on the end of the thumbscrew knob, but the orientation is upside down and I do not see a way of "indexing" that... yet. But the ivory-color knob itself responded well to Nexus plastic polish, so it's pretty. Just not as smooth as I'd like. Rear derailleur is lubed, no real pivot points as it's a pushrod unit.

SurferRosa

I always apply a very thin application of grease to shifter parts ... except for the bolt threading.

79pmooney

I do the same - except the two matching friction "washers". Metal to metal contact on moving parts wear out. Granted, not fast on a "wheel" that will turn, what 100 revolutions in the next several years but still ...

dddd

I've re-hab'd over 100 vintage bikes for sporting use here in the ever-rolling foothills, lots of shifting required.

I always lube all of the moving parts inside of a shift lever, it makes a huge difference in some cases.
Oil or grease is fine, though I avoid "super" greases that tout Teflon or lowest friction.

For the Huret tubular macaroni-tube cable guide, grease is good, but getting a piece of appropriately-sized plastic noodle to line the tube definitely makes it work even better.

I've said it before, using modern techniques/materials to improve the run of cable between shifter and derailer is the best thing that ever happened to friction shifting.

So I'm fussy about my friction-shifted bike's cabling, like I said, here in the foothills one has to shift very often, and keeping up with the modern-bike crowd means exploiting modern technology, cable housings, chains and freewheels (UG for me) and careful setup (fully-lined cable path, shortened housings, and any needed modifications to reduce chain gap).

tiger1964 

What is that product called, perhaps I could find some? I think I've seen such a thing used for under-the-BB routing of front derailleur cables where there is a guide affixed to the underside of the BB, but I wouldn't even know what to "search" for.

EDIT: what about this stuff? LINER I measured, inside diameter of Huret tube is 2.7mm, this stuff is 2.6mm. So far so good, no idea if I can insert it... and would it slide back out? Or glue it, I presume. And four meter of the stuff and I need perhaps two inches.

tiger1964 

OK, that stuff arrived this afternoon. Anybody need 3.95 meters of this stuff? I cut some to slip in, that went well, it slid around a bit while loose in my hand; but, once I had the clamp on the bike (spent a chunk of time getting the "exit angle" aimed right at the chain stay housing stops) and the cable in, it seems to be staying put. Again, should I glue it?

Seems smooth enough, and have the Simplex 543 catching 5 of the 6 cogs even without the second shift cable hooked up.

tiger1964 

Now that I have all that tiny tubing left over from the Simplex 543, I decided to try some on my Palo Alto (there's a separate topic for that bike), where the cables go under the bottom bracket. You hardly notice it, and it does seem to improve shift smoothness. Yet again, wondering if it will stay in place... anyone ever try Super-Gluing it in place (on both passages under the BB, the guides do go 360 degrees around the cable, but - Hmm, maybe (a) the glue will melt/damage the tubing, or (b) the tubing is so slippery that not even Super Glue will stick to it?

SJX426 

@tiger1964 I have not had any movement on mine. Some have suggested hot glue, good enough without being iffy!

tiger1964 

Worth a try, and I have a hot glue gun - just need to get the bike stand to hold the bike inverted but lower than the ceiling. Hot glue ain't willing to run uphill.

Fat Tire Trader 

Hello,
Did you finish setting up the 543? After looking for one for a few years for my 1955? Peugeot
1955 Peugeot PHX PLX (fattiretrading.com)
I finally found one. So, I am now very close to getting it on the road. I think that I have the right shifter. I think that I need part number 920. Do you have a picture of it?
Thanks!
Chris

tiger1964 

Other non-bike priorities has left the bike on the stand after 1-2 rides. Pretty nice ride but (a) still not getting all 6 gears and if I cannot find a narrow enough freewheel, I might give up and get a 5 speed, and (b) still an issue with getting the correct lever friction that allows shifting but does not slip (and, as you know, into a LOWER gear). Having two cables attached to two springs I presume puts more demand on the lever's friction assembly.

I do not have a photo of the lever I am using right now, I'll see if I can take one soon.

Fat Tire Trader 

Can you also take a picture of how the two cables are connected? Thanks!