[kil0ran]

A replacement front mech has just arrived for my bike – the updated 105 R7000 one. Sometimes I think we take all this precision engineering for granted. £22 and its an absolute masterpiece if you spend some time looking at it. 4 2mm adjustment screws, a seriously strong spring, 4 or 5 different materials, all in something that weighs mere grammes. Electronic shifting might be more high-tech but this thing is a mechanical marvel. Remember, it has to work on a whole variety of bike frames as a generic part, so it has to be highly adjustable but still perform in a predictable manner. Having grown up with downtube shifters, 5-speed blocks, and no indexing perhaps I appreciate it more…

 

Topic

[merlin v12]

“Suntour in the late 70s to
“Suntour in the late 70s to mid 80s, now that was a massive advancement, particularly in rear mechs.

A pair of Suntour power shifters, a cycle MKII rear and front mech with a Sedis sport chain and an Everest freewheel and you’d have changes absolutely buttery smooth and better than 5800/R7000 in my personal experience.

The design is tidy but I don’t think the tech is anything special over and above what was around BITD”

Suntour superbe and suntour cyclone rear mechs were good, the sedis sport chain was very flexible laterally . Things were far more simple in those days .

[Anonymous]

Suntour in the late 70s to

Suntour in the late 70s to mid 80s, now that was a massive advancement, particularly in rear mechs.

A pair of Suntour power shifters, a cycle MKII rear and front mech with a Sedis sport chain and an Everest freewheel and you’d have changes absolutely buttery smooth and better than 5800/R7000 in my personal experience.

The design is tidy but I don’t think the tech is anything special over and above what was around BITD.

[kil0ran]

Redvee wrote:

Redvee wrote:

The shifting action of a R7000 front mech is an improvement on previous front  mechs I’ve used.

Yeah it’s a big improvement. I’ve got a 5800-badged one of these on my best bike. Set and forget, reliable, easy shifting. Very impressive.

[Redvee]

The shifting action of a

The shifting action of a R7000 front mech is an improvement on previous front  mechs I’ve used.

[ktache]

And it will last for ages too

And it will last for ages too.  Working pretty much faultlessly.

The shifter will probably die before it does.

Rear mechs never last as long as the front.

[Author]

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