Cheap and easy shifter mount and stickshift conversion
- Thread starter Bigcam59
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i used a 1" cap when i built mine. used a utility knife to carve most of the rubber off of the shifter to allow it to fit snugly. I also made a PVC mount (1/2"), and has held up better than expected over the past two years. Oh, but mine is bolted with 1/4" all thread through the length of the mount, not hose clamped. Not sure if that makes any sense, but i imagine that helped a lot with the rigidity and longevity of mine.
I will give props to Cam as he had it.....it is a 1" PVC cap. There are several ideas that could have worked however the 1" cap was it....and even was a bit big without fitting the bolt. Seems genius to me.... $2.12 at home depot today.
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Came across these clamps while looking for a pipecap that fit. Must be something about the pipe size standard here, as one that fit perfectly proved pretty much impossible to find.
Anyway.
This is a pipe-clamp, used by plumbers for mounting the pipes to walls etc (I think). 26-28mm size fit perfectly. It's got a rubber fitting on it that fits snugly on the nexus shifter, and pretty much covers it all. It also has a fitting for a 10mm bolt already, which is perfect. I got 2 clamps and 1m of 10mm threaded rod (Here we call them threadrods, hehehe
) for about 6 dollars. Perfect!
Anyway.
This is a pipe-clamp, used by plumbers for mounting the pipes to walls etc (I think). 26-28mm size fit perfectly. It's got a rubber fitting on it that fits snugly on the nexus shifter, and pretty much covers it all. It also has a fitting for a 10mm bolt already, which is perfect. I got 2 clamps and 1m of 10mm threaded rod (Here we call them threadrods, hehehe
) for about 6 dollars. Perfect!
Here's how it turned out. Still going to paint it and add a shift knob, but for the moment I'm knobless It has a more industrial look to it than if oyu'd use a pipecap, but that's exactly what I wanted Did it all with a hacksaw, took me about 10 minutes. Used a barend, hose-clamp, plumbers-clamp-thing and threaded rod. The only tricky part was fitting the barend, as it's 22.5mm or something instead of 22.2mm. This turned out for the better tho, as it made the shifting ALOT tighter. I can now use a very long shifter without fear of it shifting on its own! So I hit two birds with one stone. Very happy with it. Here it is:
It has a more industrial look to it than if oyu'd use a pipecap, but that's exactly what I wanted Did it all with a hacksaw, took me about 10 minutes. Used a barend, hose-clamp, plumbers-clamp-thing and threaded rod. The only tricky part was fitting the barend, as it's 22.5mm or something instead of 22.2mm. This turned out for the better tho, as it made the shifting ALOT tighter. I can now use a very long shifter without fear of it shifting on its own! So I hit two birds with one stone. Very happy with it. Here it is:
Looks real good! Congrats!Here's how it turned out. Still going to paint it and add a shift knob, but for the moment I'm knobless
View attachment 44771
I am trying to root out a bandsaw amongst friends bcuz I want to trI'm my cap an 1/8"....will post pix soon tho!
Do you live close to Louisville, KY? I have a handheld bandsaw in the garage.
In progress, the shifter for Muscle Spasm. I've got it mounted and working. Now to fab up a shifter handle...
I'm running it left side, "suicide" style.
I'm running it left side, "suicide" style.
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I still need a cap, the difference in my install is a threaded rod thru it in addition to the nub of handlebar being welded. So after I cap it I can dress it all up with a 1/4-20 acorn nut.
Sent from the edge of an alternate universe...
Sent from the edge of an alternate universe...
Hmm, pretty tough to make that into a stick shift...microshift made some Nexus thumb shifters , you can still find them on ebay
Carl.
I'm using a chain link fence clamp, piece of 7/8" rod with a 5/16" hole bored end to end, and a 5/16" carriage bolt to make my mount. Smaller clamp helps keep the shifter from twisting.
A conduit clamp and some 5/16" all-thread are used for the lever. The end of the all thread meshes in one of the grooves of the shifter similar to how the bolt head does when using a PVC cap. 3/8" chrome plated brass plumbing supply line covers the 5/16" all-thread lever quite nicely. The round chrome cover on the face is a bathtub overflow cover.
I made mine with a 22.2 mm stem with a bendable clamp, cut it down to fit, slipped the twist shifter on and capped the end with a handlebar end plug. Automobile shift knobs often come with adapters with threads for M8, M10 and M12 rods. I used an M8 bolt on my homemade clamp. I consider this a prototype. Next time it will be cleaner and simpler, also with a smaller shift knob.
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- May 9, 2019
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Great tutorial, thanks!
I've done something similar a while ago but failed because the cap that i've chosen was made from thin vacuum cleaner tube, it simply bent when i tried to shift. But it was nicely chromed
after a short mindstorm i've came up with this idea:
basically, i've used a seat post clamp, the biggest one, as a PVC cap and tighten it with long M8 bolt.
How have you attached this to the frame???
