What was the first top shifting groupset?

[aellaguno]

So im trying to learn what groupset was the first to implement the top (in the handlebars) gear shifting mechanism?

Does anybody know? Brand and year? thanks!

ALL

[redir]

Good vintage question. I think it was Shimano 8-speed but I will leave it to other experts. I have what I was told was first Gen Campy Record 8-speed group Ergo Shifters that were from 1992 if I'm not mistaken. Was a wonderful group really. I need to find a frame for it

[Black Dog]

Shimano Dura-Ace ST7400 8spd. 1990.



I also have a set of the 1st gen Campy shifters EC-02RE CG. 1992. They have a little rear facing extensions and the base of the brake blades. The next year the extensions were gone.

[Mark McM]

It depends on what you mean by "top (in the handlebars) gear shifting mechanism." If you mean combined shift/brake levers, than it was the Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 (8spd) group in 1990. Campagnolo followed in 1992 in thier Record and Chorus groups.

Of course, there have been handlebar mounted shifters for decades earlier, such as bar-end shifters for drop bars and bar-top shifters for flat bars (first for friction shifting, and later for indexed shifting). SRAM had drop bar grip shifters in 1987. Internal gear hubs have used handlebar mounted thumb shifters since at least the 1950s.

[Hindmost]

Sturmey Archer

http://velobase.com/ListComponents.a...8-e64905d40099

[Kontact]

Even if we are just talking about modern "integrated" shifter/brake levers, that is 1987 and Suntour:




For derailleur bikes, stem shifters go along ways back.

[carpediemracing]

The Shimano STI were the game changers. I think it was 1988 when STI made their appearance on Andy Hampsten's bike, possibly in the short lived Tour of America.

Specifically though Shimano's index shifting was really the game changer, integrating some expired patents (particularly Suntour's slant parallelogram rear derailleur design, without which none of the other stuff would work) along with new ideas (hardened chain pins, ramped/shaped cogs, pinned chainrings with shaped teeth, compressionless housing). All but the last item allowed shifting under pressure, the housing made derailleur movement more predictable.

All the above stuff made the STI levers possible. There's a reason why Shimano just exploded after they introduced index shifting - it worked really well. No one else had a product to compete with it for a couple years, and when Campy finally introduced the Ergo lever there were some very painful teething issues.

I'm not a Shimano STI user, never have been, but it was a long couple years before I could get Ergo, and when I did I promptly ripped a couple derailleurs apart due to the very thick inner pulley cage that would catch the spokes of the extremely offset rear wheel (Campy quickly issued thin steel inner cages - I still have a couple). Even with Ergo I used a Shimano front derailleur for a long time because they worked, and I used Shimano chains for a long time because they worked too.

[Kontact]

The actual commercial release of STI and Ergo was 1991 and 1992. The Campy system has barely changed since its introduction and put the cables under the tape from day one. Suntour Command shifters also came out in 1991.

Shimano got a lot of things right, but they also leveraged their popularity with some unfair trade practices they were later sued for.

[aellaguno]

Thanks for all the replys!

The reason of my question is because ideally, I would love to have in my collection, the "last popular campy downtube shifiting groupset" and the first "popular index shifting groupset".

So I guess Shimano DureAce STI 7400 from 1991 or the Campy Record Ergo rom 1992 would be options for the FIRST popular Indx shifting.

For the last downtube shifting groupset, I guess its the Shimano DA SIS 7400 8speeds and for Campy the C-record shifters?

Would you guys agree on that? Not sure if Campy C-record would be the last popular DTube shifter group?

[Hindmost]

Originally Posted by aellaguno

..."last popular campy downtube shifiting groupset" and the first "popular index shifting groupset...

There are components from a period of transition between the two categories you mention: indexed downtube shifters. They were around for a few years.

This is an interesting period for a collector/enthusiast because it is post-Eroica/vintage and pre-modern when a lot of innovation took place.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

I also have a set of the 1st gen Campy shifters EC-02RE CG. 1992. They have a little rear facing extensions and the base of the brake blades. The next year the extensions were gone.

I think these are the best looking intergrated levers ever made. Maybe the best looking shifters and best looking brake levers independently.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by aellaguno

Thanks for all the replys!

The reason of my question is because ideally, I would love to have in my collection, the "last popular campy downtube shifiting groupset" and the first "popular index shifting groupset".

So I guess Shimano DureAce STI 7400 from 1991 or the Campy Record Ergo rom 1992 would be options for the FIRST popular Indx shifting.

For the last downtube shifting groupset, I guess its the Shimano DA SIS 7400 8speeds and for Campy the C-record shifters?

Would you guys agree on that? Not sure if Campy C-record would be the last popular DTube shifter group?

shimano made downtube shifters thru 7900(10s). Campagnolo made downtube shifters thru 9s(1999), no more for 10s(2000) but Campagnolo 10s barends were just DT shifters on a different mount.

[Kontact]

Originally Posted by aellaguno

Thanks for all the replys!

The reason of my question is because ideally, I would love to have in my collection, the "last popular campy downtube shifiting groupset" and the first "popular index shifting groupset".

So I guess Shimano DureAce STI 7400 from 1991 or the Campy Record Ergo rom 1992 would be options for the FIRST popular Indx shifting.

For the last downtube shifting groupset, I guess its the Shimano DA SIS 7400 8speeds and for Campy the C-record shifters?

Would you guys agree on that? Not sure if Campy C-record would be the last popular DTube shifter group?

The first "popular" index group was 6 speed 7400. 1985.

The last popular DT group? RX100? Mavic index? Since frames are still being made with DT shifter bosses and DT shifters are still made, the DT era has not ended.

[duff_duffy]

These get my vote

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

I think these are the best looking intergrated levers ever made. Maybe the best looking shifters and best looking brake levers independently.

[Kontact]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

These get my vote

Personally, I thought all of the commandi looked like uncomfortable collections of cables and levers cobbled together until the SRAM units came along. They barely look different than regular brake levers.