Can I change the type of gear shift lever on my bike?

[shelivesthedream]

My regular non-cargo bike is a refurbished Raleigh I bought nearly ten years ago. It was in great condition then but has languished in a garage for the last five plus years and now needs a major overhaul. Because I have the cargo bike too I am not in a rush for this and thought I would attempt it myself when Spring comes. I am very inexperienced but reasonably gung ho.

I wondered if, while I was tuning it up, it would be possible to change the type of gear shift lever it has. It currently has three gears and a vertical metal lever on the top of the head stick between the handlebars. I have to therefore remove a hand from the handlebars to change gears. I do NOT LIKE doing this. I am a big wussypants and like to keep my hands on the handlebars.

Presumably I could buy a regular gear lever, mount it on one of the handlebars, run some cable from wherever its supposed to be on the derailleur to the new gear lever, and Bob would be my uncle?

Two questions:
1. Is this actually much more difficult than it seems?
2. Can you point me to any step by step instructions that I could use for this, bearing in mind that I need even the most basic things explained? I get on better with written instructions with photos/drawings than with videos.

[ChpBstrd]

That's a weird bike!

Does the cable from the shift lever go to a derailleur that moves the chain from one sprocket to another, or does it go into the hub of the back wheel?

If it's the later (which is what it sounds like), you will probably have to take it to a bike shop to figure out if the movement of the cable between gears is the same distance as thumb shifters meant for derailleurs can do. There are two main shifting standards for derailleurs - Shimano and SRAM, and there is no guarantee either will work. You might pay lower shop labor rates by replacing both the rear wheel and shifting mechanism. Still, you're probably talking 3 figures.

Or you might get lucky and discover the manufacturer of your rear hub also offered a more ergonomic shifter, and all you have to do is find that part on eBay. Maybe examine the hub to see if there are stickers or markings to identify it.

Personally, I agree with you that a shifter mounted to the stem is awkward. Others might find it charming and entertaining. The most economical choice might be to list your bike on Craigslist or Facebook, and then turn around the proceeds into a different bike. I've seen multiple nice commuter bikes in my area going for $150 or so. Thus there's no need to turn this bike into a money pit when a different bike could suit you better and other people might like the weird shifter.

[lthenderson]

I've had both style of shifters over the years and each has their place. For a road bike, I like the friction lever shifters in the middle of the handlebar. I'm not switching gears as often and since they are friction based, I have infinite control of them so I can do minute adjustments to eliminate chain rub on adjacent sprockets. For a mountain bike, I am changing gears often and am constantly changing direction of travel and so having control is more important and thumb shifters with a little bit of rubbing noise on occasion is a better alternative.

[Wintergreen78]

I worked in a bike shop through college and have ridden/built bikes/worked on bikes my whole life. It is absolutely possible to,swap,shifters, derailleurs, cranks, etc. on bikes. But, getting everything to work together can be tricky. Not every combination works well together. Does your bike have a derailleur or an internal gear hub? From your description it sounds like it might have a 3-speed internal gear hub. Does the shifter click through the gears (indexed shifting) or does it go smoothly and you have to select the gear by feel (friction shifting)?

What you are describing sounds like an older style system. If you can post a picture of the shifter and the derailleur, it might help to identify them, as well as your options for changes.

Sheldon Brown created a great site with lots of technical information, especially for old weird bikes (my favorite bikes!).

There are also two books, zinn and the art of road bike maintenance/zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance written Leonard Zinn. The newest editions are probably full of all the latest bike tech, but an old edition of the road bike book might cover 3-speed hubs.

[Wintergreen78]

I couldn’t help myself! Here’s the Sheldon Brown page on Sturmey-Archer shifters, which got used on older Raleigh’s. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/cable.html

Here’s his page on older Raleigh’s: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html

Depending on just how old yours is, it may be a challenge to find compatible replacement parts.