Suntour X-press help

[PIGEON]

My dad has a pretty nice Cannondale (don't know the model) that he bought many moons ago. He plans to start using it again and he asked me to get it in working order for him.
Now the trouble is that the threads on the clamp of the right shifter pod has stripped and needs to be replaced. The shifters are pretty exotic Suntour X-press units, which in my experience aren't easy to source. Are they interchangable with Shimano? Or is there a difference in cable pull and would replacing the shifter with a Shimano one mean I also have to change the rear mech and freewheel?
This is what the shifters look like, if you need any more info/pics just shout!

 

[cchris2lou]

same ratio as suntour so a shimano shifter should be ok .

the suntour shifter appear on ebay from time to time .

 

[Skeelsie]

I have a NOS in box version of those shifter units.

They are just just missing the clamp bolts if you want them. They've never been fitted.

 

[PIGEON]

@ Chris: Good to know, thanks!

@ Skeelsie: Depends on how much you want for them I guess, PM me the price and I'll ask my dad if he wants them

 

[drcarlos]

Be warned they are dog toffee though and had a reputation for exploding BITD. Someone had some Suntour thumbies (XCE I think) for sale on here and they were superb bits of kit and a total chalk and cheese type comparison to x-press.

Carl.

 

[Skeelsie]

Urm I was thinking £25 delivered for the shifters, is that fair or robbery?

As for breakages they're pretty solid until you whack the plastic undersides in a crash, comparing them to Shimano from the same era they are just a bit more agricultural.


Another thought why not just wack a bigger bolt through them?

 

[Tazio]

Sod originality and just get Shimano. Easy to source, reliable and every LBS knows how to set them up if your Dad needs them tweaked when you aren't there.

 

[Dead Rats]

off topic, but I have those same brake levers on my hack and love them - esp in winter as they don't get as chippy as metal ones!

 

[Skeelsie]

The Suntours pull a slightly different amount of cable on the thumbshifters so I'd imagine that would apply to the express shifters too?

 

[legrandefromage]

I think I have a set of these spare.

I remember my mate swearing at them when he had his GT Tequesta back in 1992 -ish