Index shifting history?

[Jmaxwel8]

I was just curious this morning when index shifting was replaced as the industry standard. You know one of those random thoughts you have when you are bored in an airport.

[ElvisMerckx]

I remember seeing Dura Ace indexed downtube shifters in 1985 or '86 -- about the same time Look introduced clipless pedals and Giro introduced the first lightweight styrofoam racing helmet. It was an innovative time to race bikes.

[csm]

Summer of 85. It was on a Trek 2000 bonded aluminum bike. It was that ecru color that Trek used for years.
I remember thinking who wants positron on a nice bike?


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[Tickdoc]

1985.

My suntour superbe pro was not indexed and I was jealous because by 1986 everything was indexed.

I liked the non-indexed superbe pro though.

[Ed-B]

Indexing came to life in 1984 with the Dura Ace 7400 Shimano Indexing System (SIS). It was 6 speed, top of the line, racing equipment.

And then, Shimano dominated the enthusiast's market in 1986 with the affordable 105 (1050) 6 speed SIS. People wanted the "105 bike". Shops were stripping older drivetrains off leftover bikes to make them sell. Mountain bikes too, Deore was hot!

[jemoryl]

Strangely enough, I think the first index system may have been made for low end bikes: Shimano Positron? This system started showing up on department store bikes sometime around the early '80s, with two cables pushing/pulling the rear derailleur, which had ball bearing detents. Here is a 1982 catalog page from Shimano: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/pages/36.html

We thought it deeply uncool, made for people who couldn't figure out how to shift properly.

[Ed-B]

Strangely enough, I think the first index system may have been made for low end bikes: Shimano Positron? This system started showing up on department store bikes sometime around the early '80s, with two cables pushing/pulling the rear derailleur, which had ball bearing detents. Here is a 1982 catalog page from Shimano: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/pages/36.html

We thought it deeply uncool, made for people who couldn't figure out how to shift properly.

Yeah, that was a false start. The front freewheeling system was too weird.

[oldpotatoe]

Strangely enough, I think the first index system may have been made for low end bikes: Shimano Positron? This system started showing up on department store bikes sometime around the early '80s, with two cables pushing/pulling the rear derailleur, which had ball bearing detents. Here is a 1982 catalog page from Shimano: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/pages/36.html

We thought it deeply uncool, made for people who couldn't figure out how to shift properly.

Thought it deeply uncool or 'think it's deeply uncool'..(tee hee):)

[paredown]

Strangely enough, I think the first index system may have been made for low end bikes: Shimano Positron? This system started showing up on department store bikes sometime around the early '80s, with two cables pushing/pulling the rear derailleur, which had ball bearing detents. Here is a 1982 catalog page from Shimano: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/pages/36.html

We thought it deeply uncool, made for people who couldn't figure out how to shift properly.

Absolutely--Positron was the first Shimano system-but the first iteration was much earlier--the Shimano web page says 1974, which fits with my hazy memory of being slightly perplexed seeing it for the first time while I was still involved with department store bikes...
https://www.shimano.com/en/company/history.html

It went through a variety of iterations, but I think first gen was the double cable version--push/pull ?

[marciero]

Pretty sure there is an antecedent from like the 30's or 40's.

[Mark McM]

Like anything else, the history of indexed shifting is long and complicated. But the question posed was when indexed shifting became the "industry standard". Internal geared hubs have used an "indexed" lever for many decades, so that might be considered an industry standard. But the question is probably about indexed derailleur shifting.

Indexed derailleur shifting had been attempted by the industry several times over years. In 1969, Suntour introduced a shifter with detents called "Five-Speed Click", but that never caught on. A few years later, Shimano's Positron was introduced. This system had the detents buit into the derailleur. This system only lasted until 1982.

As other have said, the 1985 Dura-Ace S.I.S. system (Shimano Indexed System) introduced the design which was to become the first common design concept used by the rest of the industry; it included a dual spring pivot slant parallogram derailleur, and shift lever with detents (indexing was built into the lever). With fits and starts, the other manufacturers introduced their own indexing system. But I would argue that this system was not destined to become the "industry standard."

Instead, I would argue that the first system that used a design that has become the "industry standard" was Shimano's STI (Shimano Total Integration) system with dual control levers ("brifters"). The system of using ratcheted indexing levers/buttons located at the hand position (either built into the brake levers for drop handlebars bikes or under the bar next to the brakes for straight bars) is what has really become the industry standard index system, and has been for nearly the last 3 decades. The original SIS was just an intermediary point along the way.

[Hellgate]

1985.



My suntour superbe pro was not indexed and I was jealous because by 1986 everything was indexed.



I liked the non-indexed superbe pro though.That is perhaps the most underrated group. Beautiful fit and finish.

[marciero]

Pretty sure there is an antecedent from like the 30's or 40's.

Earlier, actually. The first production derailleur, Panel's Le Chemineaux in 1911, had indexing. There is an article on history of shifting in Summer 2018 BQ.

[BdaGhisallo]

That is perhaps the most underrated group. Beautiful fit and finish.

And wasn't it Suntour's double parallelogram rear derr that made crisp indexed shifting possible and meaningful?

[jemoryl]

Yeah, that was a false start. The front freewheeling system was too weird.

I seem to recall the FF/Positron system being available during '70s bike boom, but the Sheldon Brown page was one of the first that came up. There was someone I knew that had a horribly made Murray '10 speed' sporting the FF/Positron system: IIRC the RD was labled 'Eagle', which was also a popular non-indexed Shimano RD at the time. The Shimano bits were the best part of that bike.

Also from that '82 catalog: I'm not sure I've ever seen the Adamas AX group in the flesh.

[Tony T]

I remember seeing Dura Ace indexed downtube shifters in 1985 or '86 -- about the same time Look introduced clipless pedals and Giro introduced the first lightweight styrofoam racing helmet. It was an innovative time to race bikes.

Still have the Dura Ace SIS that I installed in the 80's on my Bianchi (haven't ridden that bike in about 10 years)

[Hellgate]

And wasn't it Suntour's double parallelogram rear derr that made crisp indexed shifting possible and meaningful?Yes, you are correct. The brake calipers, and pedals were amazing too. The pedals were perhaps the best quill pedal ever made. I had a pair of the track pedals that migrated to my mountain bike and served me well in that capacity for many years.

[Mark McM]

And wasn't it Suntour's double parallelogram rear derr that made crisp indexed shifting possible and meaningful?

I think you mean Suntour's slant parallogram derailleur (a double parallogram derailleur is a different beast).

The slant parallogram definitely can help, but it isn't the only way to skin the cat. For example, the first commercial electronic derailleur systems, the Mavic ZAP (1994) and Mektronic (1999, and the first wireless electronic derailleur) used a slanted plunger design instead of a parallelogram:

http://www.geocities.ws/Colosseum/Stadium/4217/zap_frnt.jpg


Most of today's index derailleurs use several features to improve shifting performance. In addition to the slant parallogram (developed by Suntour), they use dual spring pivots (developed by Simplex) and dropped parallogram (developed by Shimano).





By the way, here is an example of a dual parallogram derailleur from Huret. The upper parallelogram moves the cage laterally, while the lower parallogram moves the cage vertically. This was no an indexed derailleur, and would probably not index well.

http://velobase.com/CompImages/RDerailleur/77476A3E-0483-4EFA-A465-D0F5477FE617.jpeg

[flydhest]

I think the point about industry standard is key. Or undefined. But agree that as indexing became standard it was very quickly overtaken by brake-shift levers so indexed downturn shifters were sort of like pagers. Cool stuff but an awkward position in history because other developments made them irrelevant quickly.

[BdaGhisallo]

I think you mean Suntour's slant parallogram derailleur (a double parallogram derailleur is a different beast).



That's the one! I was doing some serious dredging of the memory bank.

[marciero]

Earlier, actually. The first production derailleur, Panel's Le Chemineaux in 1911, had indexing...

also the Super Champion in the 30's. Apparently lots of others. All indexed using detents on the levers.

Edit: Correction-Some, if not all of these had studs on the levers that were inserted into holes on the base plate. So not detents. The rider had to slide the lever out, then forward or back to shift, then back in to insert stud into a different hole.

[smontanaro]

Earlier, actually. The first production derailleur, Panel's Le Chemineaux in 1911, had indexing. There is an article on history of shifting in Summer 2018 BQ.

And if you don't care whether there was a derailleur at the other end or not, the Sturmey-Archer system came out in the 190something time range.

[Dasarbule]

Super Champion c.1937

https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedplaypedals/7188175093

I have a set on this Hercules