One last thing here (yeah right)... When setting up down tube shifters the thing to do is grease everything up and tighten every thing down and then test the lever action WITHOUT THE CABLES BEING ATTACHED TO THE DERAILLEURS! That way you can see what the amount of friction actually feels like.
Incidentally this is how to set up a brake caliper too. You disconnect the spring and the cable so as you take the play out of the caliper with the front nut and lock nut, you can see how much friction you are dealing with. You don't want the caliper to have even the smallest amount of play. After adjusting the play, you hook the spring back up to the caliper along with the cable.
Just my opinion of course...
Chuck Schmidt L.A.
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