A refreshing RUclips channel that's not afraid to experiment with ideas and older tech. Too many people are sucked into the world of following the expensive trends.
It is The shifter would be left hand operated while depressing the clutch with the left foot. It was dangerous because it was difficult depressing the clutch while stopped. Your shifting game has to be on point while riding especially while stopping quickly
With a foot clutch and no front brake you had to run every red light that was on a hill, no way to get things back in gear once stopped without sliding back into the vehicle behind you. Thus the “suicide clutch” name.
@@CalmoOmlac its because when stopped on a hill you have your left hand off the bar to shift 1st and 2nd but you I urge right hand is operating a hand brake and on a moto that means no fingers on the actual handlebars. When you take off the torque of the motor pulls the front wheel to the right pretty hard and with only your right thumb 👍 😕 to keep it straight 💯 👌 you end up with the wheel flopping sideways and falling over if it doesn't all work out right.
You're always finding, rehashing or coming up with interesting hacks, gear and info! Thanks for all your work for the "great unwashed" bicycle riders Russ.
This video made me realise I love geeking out over old bike designs. I actually think putting a shifter there just looks cool. Less cable equals cooler.
You'd like those old rod actuated Campy shifters, no cables at all! They're legit cool, it's interesting to see those wild early derailleurs coexisting with each other.
It's practically my setup. It's also what i've been suggesting to everybody who complain that they don't like 1x, but they want something simple. Yet, nobody wants to do this. It's such an easy, low maintenance, effective solution... yet people don't like it.
I'm all for that style. I've been riding a 29er bmx with a suicide brake for last 7 years. I recently started biking in the mountains with it, mostly green and blue trails, but it's a wild ride every time. 😜
Like it: it can be used to get rid of annoying through frame cables which are hard to get to if they fail on a long tour. But also great for fine tuning one of those front mechs that rubs annoyingly at the top and bottom.
Doesn’t matter if it looks odd or “hipster”. Only matters that it works. Really, it doesn’t look bad either, just not what we’re used to seeing. I have seen, in a museum, bikes with rod actuated front derailers. This is pretty much the same idea, but with a cable.
I like it!! Converted my touring bike from a 3x to a 1x a few years back and ride mostly on gravel trails ( the C&O Canal Trail and Great Alegeheny Passage from Washington DC to Pittsburgh). But I was just contemplating conversion to a 2x for road trip touring. You're demonstration of the "suicide shifter" has me sold. This set up will be out of the way on my Albatross handlebar giving more hand positions options. Thanks.....I'm gonna do it👴👍🚴♂️💨
Your frame might already have downtube shifter bosses, might be a little more conventional while filling the same set of requirements which Russ outlined.
Thank you, Russ. I have S&S couplers to split my bike's frame and I have been pondering this eccentric idea for a while. I'd only ever seen it in pictures.
I dig it. I have a very similar gearing on my Rockhopper: 38/28t Deore crank with 11-42t cassette w/ friction shifters. Love the Mtn double gearing. I almost never use the 28t ring, but I'm glad it's there. I don't think I would mind reaching for it. I like the idea of decluttering the cockpit. I ride retro-mod bikes mostly, and not having to worry about routing and cable stops is a big plus in my book.
This is the content I love. I grew up with friction shifters on the down tube. Knowing people move shifters like this helps get my brain out of it's "This is the way it is" box.
I like your „unconventional“ shifter approach, because it enhances the realm of possible. I have a pretty decent idea, wich gears I want and need and the limiting factor is always „well, the shifter may not be capable“. But when you free yourself of the coffin of the brake-lever-shift there are a bunch of new opportunities. Thanks for all your work 🙏
@rollinrat4850 is the tone in your response on purpose? If you didn't intend to come across condescending, that's a thing you might consider working on. If you did intend it, well that's a bigger list. Cheers
@rollinrat4850 glad it was the former not the latter, but it's clear from your response that the habits are deeply embedded. We all have things we can get better at, it's all good. Cheers.
Haven't seen one of those seat post shifters for a long time: my first commuter bike (1976-77) was a Sears break-apart with 20" wheels, a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub with rear coaster brake and front caliper brake, shift lever on the seat tube, no cables to disconnect: unscrew three captive wing-bolts on a plate on the double down-tube and toss the pieces in the car boot. Perfectly natural shifting.
Genius! I love it, doubt that I would do it. But customizing your bike to suit your particular style or use is what its all about. Kudos for thinking out of the box. The reason I probably wouldn't do it is because I live in Saskatchewan, very flat. I don't need climbing gears.
Is it single speed in the back? It's fairly simple, just put chain tensioner on it. There are available tensioners with one and two tiny chain rings, they looks similarly to the arm of rear derailleur, you mount them on your back wheel axle, than you can have 2x in front.
I have the exact same gearing setup on both of my MTBs -- essentially a 1x drivetrain but with a low range small chainring that I can bail into instantly if I encounter sudden difficulty. Everyone who runs a 1x drivetrain should strongly consider doing the same.
Nice! My Dad actually had an old road bike that had the shifters exactly like this! It was how i leaned to ride a road bike and served as a great introduction to the sport. I had no idea that they were so unusual, I always just thought it was the way it used to be done for weight/mechanical simplicity
i like the whole momentum of "why not, with a dose of history and practicality. Would I do it? No, in immediate future but there is a bit of nerdery that is filing it away. I had a Schwinn World Sport (87) that had the shifters literally in my face on the crown, or top of the stem, that was an ergo nightmare for me. And that was mainstream racing bike of its time. This is at the natural drop of the arm.
I love the efficiency of this SO MUCH. And if you ever wanna get crazy with your granny gear, you can always sub in a 24 or 22. I think this is brilliant.
Used to have a Bontrager Race Lite with just three cogs from an XT 8 speed cassette, single chainring, 105 derailleurs (the front derailleur locked in one position as a chain guide) and a 105 downtube shifter mounted on the seat tube. Was pretty fun for a while, but eventually just went single speed.
I might have to put something like that on my trek. My trek marlin 7 is my every thing bike. Mtb,gravel,commute bike,and bike packing. It goes from suspension to rigid quite often. Since I smashed my elbow on the container wall at work. The suspension fork definitely helps a lot. I still ride with my arm hurt. I believe that the only way to get better is not to baby it. I am not going to lie but it does hurt but all well. Pain is only temporary. 👍
KISS, keeping It simple. I ran my road bike like that when I switched to riser bars. left the dt shifter for the front and put a clicky shifter for the rear on the bars.
This placement seems like an interesting idea to make use of the pile of inexpensive top pull mountain bike front derailleurs in any co-op/bike-shop parts bin now that all the MTBers are going 1x. And it continues the narrative that gravel bikes are just 90's mountain bikes. Seems like a win win here.
I really love how you've 2x'ed a 1x specific frame. 2x all the things! I may have to do this for my next build. It's really elegant to not have any bends or guides at all on the cable. Your 'big ring most of the time with small ring bailout gear' setup is perfect. I have similar on my all road bike (44/30x11-34), and it's lovely to use. Most rides here in Michigan I never even touch the front shifter, even on decent (for here) sized hills. Only the really steep ones (and on very long rides) do I need to shift down. One of the best things of the current gravel trend I think is the availability of super compact double cranksets, like the now common 46/30 size. Prior to 2017, if you wanted anything less than a 34t small ring in a road crankset, you had extremely limited options, and mostly expensive with proprietary rings. I built my own in 2016 out of a 105 triple (with an underrated for road bikes bash ring), but now it's easy to find them.
In 1980 I took a 1940 chromoli Schwinn diamond frame training bike put a 50s campanello set up under the seat & a three speed cog on the rear wheel 16 -19 -23 it was a great setup I rode for years at least five or six thousand miles . . .
Suicide shifter is a motorcycle term. Mainly on old choppers with a foot operated clutch and hand shifted from a shift lever either at the transmission directly or with a linkage and lever by the tank. Suicide comes from removing the spring assistance from the clutch pedal.
Your added front derailleur has inspired me to add one to my aluminum Motobecane Jubilee 8 that has the Shimano Nexus 8 hub. It currently has a 44 chainring and at 70, it’s just not practical for me to stand up on hills any more, so think adding a 38 for my modest hill climbing would be excellent.
I just bought and old Schwinn with broken grip shifters in Kalispell. Your short shifter is a good solution to avoid the old shifters so I wIll search my large box of spare parts for a useful setup.
I used to like my old 5 speed and my old "10 speed" (2 x 5) which had friction shifters on the down tube: no messing about adjusting the indexing every few weeks. Those modern combined gear and brake levers are all well and good when they work. However, I'm not sure I'd want to be reaching down to a lever at the top of the seat tube if changing gear in difficult riding conditions off road. Probably good for occasional use (as in your case) or road use. Nice to see someone using simple components instead of buying into the latest must-have.
Your unorthodox bike bit demos work like first reading Sheldon Brown who loved to set up bikes combining needs and tech - at same time eliminating clutter.
It makes sense to me. In fact, it makes more sense than having shifters on the down tube. I had down tube shifters in the 1970s and changed to bar-end shifters as soon as I could. I'm sure it would be easy to use shifters on the seat tube.
I was just thinking about how cool it would be to have a shifter mounted there. like a lever style like Jan. I mean you kind of know when your gonna need the big or little ring, so less wires on the bars = simplicity. I like it hope it works out well.
I have never seen seat tube shifter. Down tube I raised on. I often have a susaside shift on front chain ring by removing the front derailer and shift with hand lol it's greedy lol👍 thank you I learned something new today lol like every day.
Love this! I saw a preview and couldn’t wait to see it. I have a 1x12 that I use for bikepacking but planning a road tour and need a higher gear option. I considered a handlebar thumb shifter but really like how clean that is for what will be minimal use.
Cool idea. Maybe you could use it in a 1x setup hooked up to the RD. Just don't shift often. There is an enjoyable minimalism in not searching for the "optimal" gear.
I make fun chopper bikes, and running cables from ape hangers down the length of 2 bikes is rather difficult and impractical, but running them to the bike seat is relatively easy. Who needs back brakes, and the front brake cable is a reasonable length, so, moving the shifting cables is very sensible and practical way to deal with chopper weirdness. The suicide shift is from them old bikes that they used to run on flat tracks, crazy old timey dudes racing around oval tracks at like 100mph taking one hand off the handle bars to shift, has to be terrifying.
Great - a reinvention! I love it! I love the the idea of calling them suicide shifters. Great example for "thinking outside the box" - even if you jump back into a very old box - love it!
This is awesome, I was snooping around the internet trying to see if anyone has done this, so a pleasant find and thanks so much for posting. (P.S., my partner recently bought the Soma Grand Randonneur you had and reviewed, she loves it!, a super lucky find). Thank's for all the great content.
I think the suicide shifter name came from motorcycles. It resembles the suicide shifter on motorcycles, which at the speeds motorcycles can make, does make a suicide shifter unsafe compared to conventional motorcycle shifters. Neat review. Thanks.
In MTB it has sense too, because in slopeduro you would like to have ability ro ride uphill/ downhill and do tricks like tailwhips or barspins on the same bike.
I was mounting my 3 speed shifters on my seatpost with the older tnt frames I used as single speed mini road bikes. Less cable mess and more precise shifts IMO too.
This downtube shifter mount is good if you are trying to use a top-pull derailleur, esp if bike doesn’t have suitable cable stops. Downtube front shifter needs a front derailleur that can accept bottom-pull cable routing.
If you are changing handlebars using a removable faceplate stem, you could mount one or both shifters on the stem. Riv had a shifter stem mount for sale. Don’t know if they still have it.
I have an stylish old collapsible bike (splits into 2 pieces) with 20" wheels. You've inspired me to take it out of retirement and slap a Shimano internal gearhub on the back
I have a suicide shifter also on my bike, but I used it for my rear derailleur, which is 1x9 and I did it, because I didn't had a long enough cable on one occasion.
Quite an interesting concept for shifting. Makes me rethink all the things we just take for granted on the bikes we buy. Love the gearing set up. I did a 46/36 back when most bikes were 52/40 and with a 13 or 14 small cog I got the same high gear. It wasn't too cool then but it sure made longer rides easier. I'm also a proponent of cross over front gearing (10) tooth front ring difference like you're running. Lastly I'm excited to get my new rear (cool) fender soon.
I’ve even considered 2 chainrings with no front derailure. This for a touring bike with a tiny chainring for the stupid steep climbs. All of our chains are immersion waxed so dirtying hands would not be an issue for a once or twice a day use. But, my front derailuers haven’t given me any grief so I haven’t been motivated to get rid of them.
@Path Less Pedaled I've never heard of this and I love & know bikes well. But after watching your video, I know why I've never heard of this -- I do not travel. In regards to bicycle shifters, I have a background in RC cars as a hobby and I know how to work with RC cervo motors to the point where I can custom fit them on almost anything. I've recently made my own D.I.Y. Di2 rear mech. It's not wireless. Still using a normal 105 r7000 rear derailleur but with a small motor (cervo) attached to it. At the rear shifter, I have two buttons attached to the normal r7000 rear shifter. Works alright, still needs some tweaking. Not making a front one lol. This rear setup was a long project and I'm still working on it. Very time-consuming but fun. Enjoyed your video. Peace!
My bicycle is a retired Triathalon bike. It has these same style of shifters on the down tube. Probably very convenient if you're hunched over a bicycle going fast, but since I ride it more upright, having them in the "suicide" position would be somewhat nicer.
Boom! I’m subscribed now. :) I’ve been watching your videos for a while. I find them insightful and enjoy your opinions. You open my mind to new ideas about cycling and I love this party pace mindset. This Suicide shifter seems really practical and is not something I’d ever considered. I think the discussion of actuating techniques at the beginning opened my mind to a new world of possibility, Thank you.
I love it! Simplest solutions are often best solutions long term. Could you go through your full setup and how you are able to switch bars so easily? I’m imagining cable actuated everything instead of hydraulic brakes?
Going back years ago the Slopestyle riders would do this with the rear derailleur. They would spin the handlebars off of jumps and drop-offs. They ran an MRP single ring chain guide on the front. The cable for the front brakes went down the steerer tube so it was out of the way. If they ran an extra long rear cable the Bara would spin one and a half rotations without binding. They would rebuild an XTR cassette using parts from a Dura Ace so they ended up with a 12 13 15 18 23 28 30 32 cassette mated to an 8spd 105, Ultegra or Dura Ace shifter mounted in the same place. That way they could ride all the way from the highest chairlift drop-off down to the village. Having the 32 meant everything that required any up hill climbing along the way was handled 👏 They were pretty crazy 🤪. Not as much as the guys who knew the trails so well they could remove all the derailleurs, cassette, chainrings and chain entirely. Those guys just coasted and pumped the bike like a skateboard 🛹 😳 all the way down.
On motorcycles they were called Jockey shifters because reaching back and down behind your leg looked like you are whipping a horse like a jockey and suicide clutches because it was a foot clutch and if you were at a light or a stop sign your foot could slip off the clutch and launch you into the intersection.
I am going to try this to alleviate ghost shifting in the front derailleur! I have been using friction shifting again for a commuter/gravel bike that I have several wheelsets for, all with different "incompatible" cogsets. The only problem I have had is front derailleur creep when I'm out of the saddle. The rear is fine with no movement, but every time I sit back down I have to adjust the front or it will eventually ghost shift. This should fix it!
Thanks for this video, I was looking for a way to use a shifter with a top pull derailer in a bicycle that is not equipped for that. Something to do this weekend . 👍
In the early 1980s, I had a racer with double brake levers. They were just called "the brakes"! 37 years later, I rebuilt it, but found the net now calls them suicide levers. I have no idea why. It certainly never said "fitted with added suicide levers" when I bought it in 1982!
Ive always been into old 80s cruisers... ive had some fujis and kuwaharas and just found a pair of schwinn world spirts that have just sat... they were sat out for the trash and although they need a lot of love the frames, most the moving parts and what all seem to be sound. The cables are unfortunately rusted through and i do intend to eventually put them back to original i am dying to get one up and riding ASAP... with the amount of cable i have on hand from other projects im almost sure this could be a temporary solution and that means all i need is rubber and possibly rims... havent really gotten to get in depth with the bikes since i found them a few days ago. They are at least safe out of the weather now.
Great idea! Great content Russ! No suicide here. All makes sense! Keep these great ideas coming! Thanks! I found that bar end shifters onmy Kona Sutra Touring Bike were 'suicide shifters 'until I got used to them! Fine now!
My '92 Crossroads has one of those quick release levers for the seatpost, and my shorts were ALWAYS catching, and occasionally flipping, that lever... thunk. I resolved this by wrapping the lever to the seat tube with plastic-wrap. (No hacks for me! I'm all about the bodge!) I shudder to think what could happen if I had an unplanned shift at an awkward moment, or worse, with a friction shifter, if my chain were to suddenly start dancing between gears during a steepish hill climb...
My weekly dose of obscure ways to shift gears on a bike. You never disappoint Rus.
Look up old gripshift road shifters or the Kelly “take-off”
You made my day. Even you postet it 11 month ago 😂
A refreshing RUclips channel that's not afraid to experiment with ideas and older tech. Too many people are sucked into the world of following the expensive trends.
I think the term “suicide shifter” comes from motorcycles where the reach would probably be more dangerous
It is
The shifter would be left hand operated while depressing the clutch with the left foot. It was dangerous because it was difficult depressing the clutch while stopped. Your shifting game has to be on point while riding especially while stopping quickly
With a foot clutch and no front brake you had to run every red light that was on a hill, no way to get things back in gear once stopped without sliding back into the vehicle behind you. Thus the “suicide clutch” name.
"Suicide shifter or changer" on bicycles was originally derived from the old rod operated front mechs of the 50's, such as Cyclo, Huret and Simplex
@@CalmoOmlac its because when stopped on a hill you have your left hand off the bar to shift 1st and 2nd but you I urge right hand is operating a hand brake and on a moto that means no fingers on the actual handlebars. When you take off the torque of the motor pulls the front wheel to the right pretty hard and with only your right thumb 👍 😕 to keep it straight 💯 👌 you end up with the wheel flopping sideways and falling over if it doesn't all work out right.
@@CalmoOmlac With no front brakes, stopping a 500 pound Harley with one foot on the ground for balance was tricky.
You're always finding, rehashing or coming up with interesting hacks, gear and info!
Thanks for all your work for the "great unwashed" bicycle riders Russ.
I "represent" that remark
This video made me realise I love geeking out over old bike designs. I actually think putting a shifter there just looks cool. Less cable equals cooler.
You'd like those old rod actuated Campy shifters, no cables at all! They're legit cool, it's interesting to see those wild early derailleurs coexisting with each other.
It's practically my setup. It's also what i've been suggesting to everybody who complain that they don't like 1x, but they want something simple. Yet, nobody wants to do this. It's such an easy, low maintenance, effective solution... yet people don't like it.
I'm all for that style. I've been riding a 29er bmx with a suicide brake for last 7 years. I recently started biking in the mountains with it, mostly green and blue trails, but it's a wild ride every time. 😜
I'm sorry, what is a suicide brake
@@monetary_episode494 A term I use to describe my brake setup, where I put my rear brake lever on the seat tube.
Like it: it can be used to get rid of annoying through frame cables which are hard to get to if they fail on a long tour. But also great for fine tuning one of those front mechs that rubs annoyingly at the top and bottom.
I like the old 10 speeds that had the shifters up by the stem.
Doesn’t matter if it looks odd or “hipster”. Only matters that it works. Really, it doesn’t look bad either, just not what we’re used to seeing. I have seen, in a museum, bikes with rod actuated front derailers. This is pretty much the same idea, but with a cable.
‘hipster’ is no defence to a federal violation… 😐
I like it!! Converted my touring bike from a 3x to a 1x a few years back and ride mostly on gravel trails ( the C&O Canal Trail and Great Alegeheny Passage from Washington DC to Pittsburgh). But I was just contemplating conversion to a 2x for road trip touring. You're demonstration of the "suicide shifter" has me sold. This set up will be out of the way on my Albatross handlebar giving more hand positions options. Thanks.....I'm gonna do it👴👍🚴♂️💨
Your frame might already have downtube shifter bosses, might be a little more conventional while filling the same set of requirements which Russ outlined.
Thank you, Russ. I have S&S couplers to split my bike's frame and I have been pondering this eccentric idea for a while. I'd only ever seen it in pictures.
I dig it. I have a very similar gearing on my Rockhopper: 38/28t Deore crank with 11-42t cassette w/ friction shifters. Love the Mtn double gearing. I almost never use the 28t ring, but I'm glad it's there. I don't think I would mind reaching for it. I like the idea of decluttering the cockpit. I ride retro-mod bikes mostly, and not having to worry about routing and cable stops is a big plus in my book.
This is the content I love. I grew up with friction shifters on the down tube. Knowing people move shifters like this helps get my brain out of it's "This is the way it is" box.
I like your „unconventional“ shifter approach, because it enhances the realm of possible. I have a pretty decent idea, wich gears I want and need and the limiting factor is always „well, the shifter may not be capable“. But when you free yourself of the coffin of the brake-lever-shift there are a bunch of new opportunities. Thanks for all your work 🙏
Love it! I have been considering this sort of bail out gear option (having some 1x purchase regrets) I think this is THE solution.
Same here, i am going to be switching my 1x next week. I bought a used 2x crank from ebay.
@rollinrat4850 is the tone in your response on purpose? If you didn't intend to come across condescending, that's a thing you might consider working on. If you did intend it, well that's a bigger list. Cheers
@rollinrat4850 glad it was the former not the latter, but it's clear from your response that the habits are deeply embedded. We all have things we can get better at, it's all good. Cheers.
Haven't seen one of those seat post shifters for a long time: my first commuter bike (1976-77) was a Sears break-apart with 20" wheels, a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub with rear coaster brake and front caliper brake, shift lever on the seat tube, no cables to disconnect: unscrew three captive wing-bolts on a plate on the double down-tube and toss the pieces in the car boot. Perfectly natural shifting.
Genius! I love it, doubt that I would do it. But customizing your bike to suit your particular style or use is what its all about. Kudos for thinking out of the box. The reason I probably wouldn't do it is because I live in Saskatchewan, very flat. I don't need climbing gears.
I love the idea of having low range crawler gears. I'm gonna have to find a way to run 2x on my Evasion
Is it single speed in the back? It's fairly simple, just put chain tensioner on it. There are available tensioners with one and two tiny chain rings, they looks similarly to the arm of rear derailleur, you mount them on your back wheel axle, than you can have 2x in front.
I like the simplification of front ring shifting and what a great talking point for the coffee & cake stop
I'm so gonna steal this hack for the "manual" 2 x 10 I've loved for years. Thx Russ!
I have the exact same gearing setup on both of my MTBs -- essentially a 1x drivetrain but with a low range small chainring that I can bail into instantly if I encounter sudden difficulty. Everyone who runs a 1x drivetrain should strongly consider doing the same.
Nice! My Dad actually had an old road bike that had the shifters exactly like this! It was how i leaned to ride a road bike and served as a great introduction to the sport. I had no idea that they were so unusual, I always just thought it was the way it used to be done for weight/mechanical simplicity
I like it. I've been needing more space on my left handlebar, this could solve that.
i like the whole momentum of "why not, with a dose of history and practicality. Would I do it? No, in immediate future but there is a bit of nerdery that is filing it away. I had a Schwinn World Sport (87) that had the shifters literally in my face on the crown, or top of the stem, that was an ergo nightmare for me. And that was mainstream racing bike of its time. This is at the natural drop of the arm.
I love the efficiency of this SO MUCH. And if you ever wanna get crazy with your granny gear, you can always sub in a 24 or 22. I think this is brilliant.
Brilliant. I love how you try all these alternative approaches
Used to have a Bontrager Race Lite with just three cogs from an XT 8 speed cassette, single chainring, 105 derailleurs (the front derailleur locked in one position as a chain guide) and a 105 downtube shifter mounted on the seat tube. Was pretty fun for a while, but eventually just went single speed.
I might have to put something like that on my trek. My trek marlin 7 is my every thing bike. Mtb,gravel,commute bike,and bike packing. It goes from suspension to rigid quite often. Since I smashed my elbow on the container wall at work. The suspension fork definitely helps a lot. I still ride with my arm hurt. I believe that the only way to get better is not to baby it. I am not going to lie but it does hurt but all well. Pain is only temporary. 👍
KISS, keeping It simple. I ran my road bike like that when I switched to riser bars. left the dt shifter for the front and put a clicky shifter for the rear on the bars.
This placement seems like an interesting idea to make use of the pile of inexpensive top pull mountain bike front derailleurs in any co-op/bike-shop parts bin now that all the MTBers are going 1x. And it continues the narrative that gravel bikes are just 90's mountain bikes. Seems like a win win here.
I like the shifter there. The advantages of shorter cables. I would be tempted to put both shifters there.
A downtube shifter has similar amounts of housing, less acute angle under the bb shell and a closer easier reach from the handlebars (for the rear)
That's genius -- love the old ancient tech. Really like your thinking out-side of the BIG-bike box.
I really love how you've 2x'ed a 1x specific frame. 2x all the things! I may have to do this for my next build. It's really elegant to not have any bends or guides at all on the cable.
Your 'big ring most of the time with small ring bailout gear' setup is perfect. I have similar on my all road bike (44/30x11-34), and it's lovely to use. Most rides here in Michigan I never even touch the front shifter, even on decent (for here) sized hills. Only the really steep ones (and on very long rides) do I need to shift down.
One of the best things of the current gravel trend I think is the availability of super compact double cranksets, like the now common 46/30 size. Prior to 2017, if you wanted anything less than a 34t small ring in a road crankset, you had extremely limited options, and mostly expensive with proprietary rings. I built my own in 2016 out of a 105 triple (with an underrated for road bikes bash ring), but now it's easy to find them.
Great idea Russ, I love it. This channel keeps real cycling alive! And by that I mean, own your bike, tailor your bicycle for your needs and have fun!
I like it!! Simple. Easy. Efficient. Effective. Excellent hack, Russ!
Eagerly waiting to hear more about your handlebar swapping experience - what bars, what stems, what effects on handling. All of that! Pedal on 🖖
In 1980 I took a 1940 chromoli Schwinn diamond frame training bike put a 50s campanello set up under the seat & a three speed cog on the rear wheel 16 -19 -23 it was a great setup I rode for years at least five or six thousand miles . . .
Suicide shifter is a motorcycle term. Mainly on old choppers with a foot operated clutch and hand shifted from a shift lever either at the transmission directly or with a linkage and lever by the tank. Suicide comes from removing the spring assistance from the clutch pedal.
Your added front derailleur has inspired me to add one to my aluminum Motobecane Jubilee 8 that has the Shimano Nexus 8 hub. It currently has a 44 chainring and at 70, it’s just not practical for me to stand up on hills any more, so think adding a 38 for my modest hill climbing would be excellent.
I just bought and old Schwinn with broken grip shifters in Kalispell. Your short shifter is a good solution to avoid the old shifters so I wIll search my large box of spare parts for a useful setup.
I dig it! I have been looking for a way to do this on my dingle speed bike.
I probably didn't hear you correctly however I always hear what I want and I hear "OREGON 8"I'm adopting it❣️
I used to like my old 5 speed and my old "10 speed" (2 x 5) which had friction shifters on the down tube: no messing about adjusting the indexing every few weeks. Those modern combined gear and brake levers are all well and good when they work. However, I'm not sure I'd want to be reaching down to a lever at the top of the seat tube if changing gear in difficult riding conditions off road. Probably good for occasional use (as in your case) or road use. Nice to see someone using simple components instead of buying into the latest must-have.
Your unorthodox bike bit demos work like first reading Sheldon Brown who loved to set up bikes combining needs and tech - at same time eliminating clutter.
It makes sense to me. In fact, it makes more sense than having shifters on the down tube. I had down tube shifters in the 1970s and changed to bar-end shifters as soon as I could. I'm sure it would be easy to use shifters on the seat tube.
I used to have a shifter like that mounted on my seat post.... to activate a secondary rear caliper brake (a sort of hand brake for bikes).
I was just thinking about how cool it would be to have a shifter mounted there. like a lever style like Jan. I mean you kind of know when your gonna need the big or little ring, so less wires on the bars = simplicity. I like it hope it works out well.
I have never seen seat tube shifter. Down tube I raised on. I often have a susaside shift on front chain ring by removing the front derailer and shift with hand lol it's greedy lol👍 thank you I learned something new today lol like every day.
Love this! I saw a preview and couldn’t wait to see it. I have a 1x12 that I use for bikepacking but planning a road tour and need a higher gear option. I considered a handlebar thumb shifter but really like how clean that is for what will be minimal use.
This is great, might actually do something like this on my brompton for a front deraileur
Cool idea. Maybe you could use it in a 1x setup hooked up to the RD. Just don't shift often. There is an enjoyable minimalism in not searching for the "optimal" gear.
Just ride single speed? You're never in the wrong or right gear, just a gear.
I make fun chopper bikes, and running cables from ape hangers down the length of 2 bikes is rather difficult and impractical, but running them to the bike seat is relatively easy. Who needs back brakes, and the front brake cable is a reasonable length, so, moving the shifting cables is very sensible and practical way to deal with chopper weirdness.
The suicide shift is from them old bikes that they used to run on flat tracks, crazy old timey dudes racing around oval tracks at like 100mph taking one hand off the handle bars to shift, has to be terrifying.
I've done this for years (50 or so). It works for me!
Nice one! Neat and efficient when you have the “one by + low range box” set up 👍🏽
Great - a reinvention! I love it! I love the the idea of calling them suicide shifters. Great example for "thinking outside the box" - even if you jump back into a very old box - love it!
This is awesome, I was snooping around the internet trying to see if anyone has done this, so a pleasant find and thanks so much for posting. (P.S., my partner recently bought the Soma Grand Randonneur you had and reviewed, she loves it!, a super lucky find). Thank's for all the great content.
I think the suicide shifter name came from motorcycles. It resembles the suicide shifter on motorcycles, which at the speeds motorcycles can make, does make a suicide shifter unsafe compared to conventional motorcycle shifters. Neat review. Thanks.
In MTB it has sense too, because in slopeduro you would like to have ability ro ride uphill/ downhill and do tricks like tailwhips or barspins on the same bike.
I have a seat post mounted 3 speed shifter on my Guv'nor. Standard Sturmey-Archer part for 27.2 seatposts. Bare cable direct to the hub.
I was mounting my 3 speed shifters on my seatpost with the older tnt frames I used as single speed mini road bikes. Less cable mess and more precise shifts IMO too.
also, amen to a true wide-step double. can't get anything more practical!
This downtube shifter mount is good if you are trying to use a top-pull derailleur, esp if bike doesn’t have suitable cable stops. Downtube front shifter needs a front derailleur that can accept bottom-pull cable routing.
You can use a cable pulley and pull from the bottom as well.
I love this idea. I’ve wanted a rod shifter for a while so hopefully you can find a kit.
Simplex Competition look sweet, but soooo exxy.
If you are changing handlebars using a removable faceplate stem, you could mount one or both shifters on the stem. Riv had a shifter stem mount for sale. Don’t know if they still have it.
I have an stylish old collapsible bike (splits into 2 pieces) with 20" wheels. You've inspired me to take it out of retirement and slap a Shimano internal gearhub on the back
Russ, I appreciate the information on your choice of gears.
I think it's right up there with Dingle speed but it would be a great hack if you had a broken cable and no spares.
I have a suicide shifter also on my bike, but I used it for my rear derailleur, which is 1x9 and I did it, because I didn't had a long enough cable on one occasion.
I like it. Innovative and unique. More importantly Functional
Makes a lot of sense when you explain it- i would definitely try it if I had your technical know-how!
What a great looking bike!! 👍🏻🤘🏼
Quite an interesting concept for shifting. Makes me rethink all the things we just take for granted on the bikes we buy.
Love the gearing set up. I did a 46/36 back when most bikes were 52/40 and with a 13 or 14 small cog I got the same high gear. It wasn't too cool then but it sure made longer rides easier.
I'm also a proponent of cross over front gearing (10) tooth front ring difference like you're running.
Lastly I'm excited to get my new rear (cool) fender soon.
"Aspirational gears"! HAH! That's marvellous. And as for the shifter: if it's dumb, but it works, then it's not dumb.
PLP bike Hipster creativity . All for you playing around 🤘🏽🤘🏽
I’ve even considered 2 chainrings with no front derailure. This for a touring bike with a tiny chainring for the stupid steep climbs. All of our chains are immersion waxed so dirtying hands would not be an issue for a once or twice a day use. But, my front derailuers haven’t given me any grief so I haven’t been motivated to get rid of them.
Thank you for kinda legitimizing my own hacks :)
I just love my super low gears.
This really made me want to own a bike with a dissasembleable frame - soo cool!
@Path Less Pedaled I've never heard of this and I love & know bikes well. But after watching your video, I know why I've never heard of this -- I do not travel. In regards to bicycle shifters, I have a background in RC cars as a hobby and I know how to work with RC cervo motors to the point where I can custom fit them on almost anything. I've recently made my own D.I.Y. Di2 rear mech. It's not wireless. Still using a normal 105 r7000 rear derailleur but with a small motor (cervo) attached to it. At the rear shifter, I have two buttons attached to the normal r7000 rear shifter. Works alright, still needs some tweaking. Not making a front one lol. This rear setup was a long project and I'm still working on it. Very time-consuming but fun.
Enjoyed your video. Peace!
My bicycle is a retired Triathalon bike. It has these same style of shifters on the down tube. Probably very convenient if you're hunched over a bicycle going fast, but since I ride it more upright, having them in the "suicide" position would be somewhat nicer.
I love it! Suits my riding style perfectly!
I’m totally doing this.
thanks! I love these hacks you come up with. I would never have guessed you could do this.
Boom! I’m subscribed now. :)
I’ve been watching your videos for a while. I find them insightful and enjoy your opinions. You open my mind to new ideas about cycling and I love this party pace mindset.
This Suicide shifter seems really practical and is not something I’d ever considered. I think the discussion of actuating techniques at the beginning opened my mind to a new world of possibility,
Thank you.
I love it! Simplest solutions are often best solutions long term. Could you go through your full setup and how you are able to switch bars so easily? I’m imagining cable actuated everything instead of hydraulic brakes?
Going back years ago the Slopestyle riders would do this with the rear derailleur. They would spin the handlebars off of jumps and drop-offs. They ran an MRP single ring chain guide on the front. The cable for the front brakes went down the steerer tube so it was out of the way. If they ran an extra long rear cable the Bara would spin one and a half rotations without binding. They would rebuild an XTR cassette using parts from a Dura Ace so they ended up with a 12 13 15 18 23 28 30 32 cassette mated to an 8spd 105, Ultegra or Dura Ace shifter mounted in the same place. That way they could ride all the way from the highest chairlift drop-off down to the village. Having the 32 meant everything that required any up hill climbing along the way was handled 👏 They were pretty crazy 🤪. Not as much as the guys who knew the trails so well they could remove all the derailleurs, cassette, chainrings and chain entirely. Those guys just coasted and pumped the bike like a skateboard 🛹 😳 all the way down.
Love it, smart, functional, and it works for you!
Would be a super clean look for a three speed nexus with coaster brake. No cables up on the bars at all.
On motorcycles they were called Jockey shifters because reaching back and down behind your leg looked like you are whipping a horse like a jockey and suicide clutches because it was a foot clutch and if you were at a light or a stop sign your foot could slip off the clutch and launch you into the intersection.
I am going to try this to alleviate ghost shifting in the front derailleur! I have been using friction shifting again for a commuter/gravel bike that I have several wheelsets for, all with different "incompatible" cogsets. The only problem I have had is front derailleur creep when I'm out of the saddle. The rear is fine with no movement, but every time I sit back down I have to adjust the front or it will eventually ghost shift. This should fix it!
Yes Russ its weird and a bit of a novelty at the same time, the "cave of bad ideas" indeed. Happy riding.
Thanks for this video, I was looking for a way to use a shifter with a top pull derailer in a bicycle that is not equipped for that. Something to do this weekend . 👍
Nice! I've seen several bikes with the shifters of the seat post on RAGBRAI.
In the early 1980s, I had a racer with double brake levers. They were just called "the brakes"! 37 years later, I rebuilt it, but found the net now calls them suicide levers. I have no idea why. It certainly never said "fitted with added suicide levers" when I bought it in 1982!
Maybe locate a 1950s Campagnolo “Sport” lever front derailleur and do away with the cable and separate lever all together!
I LOVE this. Can't wait to try it out!
Ive always been into old 80s cruisers... ive had some fujis and kuwaharas and just found a pair of schwinn world spirts that have just sat... they were sat out for the trash and although they need a lot of love the frames, most the moving parts and what all seem to be sound. The cables are unfortunately rusted through and i do intend to eventually put them back to original i am dying to get one up and riding ASAP... with the amount of cable i have on hand from other projects im almost sure this could be a temporary solution and that means all i need is rubber and possibly rims... havent really gotten to get in depth with the bikes since i found them a few days ago. They are at least safe out of the weather now.
Not ugly. Elegant!
That's doable for me. I don't change the front derailleur very often where I ride here.
Great idea! Great content Russ! No suicide here. All makes sense! Keep these great ideas coming! Thanks! I found that bar end shifters onmy Kona Sutra Touring Bike were 'suicide shifters 'until I got used to them! Fine now!
My '92 Crossroads has one of those quick release levers for the seatpost, and my shorts were ALWAYS catching, and occasionally flipping, that lever... thunk. I resolved this by wrapping the lever to the seat tube with plastic-wrap. (No hacks for me! I'm all about the bodge!)
I shudder to think what could happen if I had an unplanned shift at an awkward moment, or worse, with a friction shifter, if my chain were to suddenly start dancing between gears during a steepish hill climb...
Hi. Very interesting. Bicycle history is a cycle. Some aspects come and go. Thank you for this video.