Simplex Prestige (3952) 5th Version Vintage Clamp-On Downtube Shifters

Simplex Prestige (3952) 5th Version Vintage Clamp-On Downtube ShiftersOriginal shifters in production from the 1960s to the 1970s Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica Professionally checked & cleaned Worldwide shipping Simplex Prestige downtube shifters, hailing from France and in production from the 1960s to the 1970s. Made from plastic steel and weighing in at 79 grams. A fine choice for keeping your vintage bike authentic, but also great for any other compatible bike too. If you're taking part in

✓ Original shifters - in production from the 1960s to the 1970s
✓ Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica
✓ Professionally checked & cleaned
✓ Worldwide shipping

Simplex Prestige downtube shifters, hailing from France and in production from the 1960s to the 1970s. Made from plastic/steel and weighing in at 79 grams. A fine choice for keeping your vintage bike authentic, but also great for any other compatible bike too.

If you're taking part in L'Eroica or a similar vintage event, these are fully compliant - so rest assured, the pre-1987 police won't lock you up for having the wrong shifters!

The shifters have been carefully cleaned, thoroughly checked by one of our mechanics and graded as good condition, but do take a good look at the detailed photos so you can see the cosmetic condition before you buy.

OVERVIEW

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Condition - Good
Model ID - 3952
Production Era - 1960s & 1970s
Country - French
Material - Plastic / Steel
Weight - 79 g
Stock Code - U-S-B125V

TECHNICAL INFO

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Fixing Type - Clamp-On (Band-On)
Shift Type - Friction
Speed* - 5 Speed, 6 Speed

*See help section.

▼SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS

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We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.

We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.

EU Customers – for orders under €150 (excluding shipping), VAT will be collected at checkout, but from 1st July 2026, due to new EU import regulations, there may also be a customs duty payable to the carrier. For orders over €150, all import fees will be payable to the carrier, with nothing collected at checkout.

USA Customers – import fees are now collected at checkout for all orders to the US, so there won’t be any surprise charges when your order arrives.

Other International Customers – local import fees may still apply, charged by your customs office or courier before delivery. These are not collected by us, so please check your local rates before purchasing.

Any applicable fees will appear at checkout.

▼HELP SECTION

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Fixing Type - if you have small mounts on either side of the frame’s down tube you need braze-on shifters, if there are no mounts you’ll need clamp-on (sometimes referred to as band-on). Some 'aero' frames have mounts fixed to the top of the down tube, for these frames you require top mount shifters for the correct boss type (see below). There are also 'Clamp-Over' shifters that allow front & rear shifters to be used on a frame that only has a single braze-on.

Shift Type - friction shifters don't click into gear when you change, when they do click it's referred to as indexed shifting. For this to work correctly you must use the same system as your rear derailleur, if you're using friction levers you can mix and match. You don't need to worry about the front derailleur as left downtube shifters aren't indexed.

Speed - the number of cogs at the back the right shifter is designed to be used with. This is important with indexed shifting but with friction shifters you can in theory run any shifters with any speed setup, although the right lever will need to be pulled back further to shift into the larger cogs.

Shifter Boss Type - the shape of the mount (for braze-on fixings only). Campagnolo / ISO is standard and easily identified by the flat sections on either side, usually combined with a square base for the backing stop plates to fit. There are also Shimano ones with a keyhole shaped base and much less common French ones that are round with no flat sections.

Boss Thread Size - M5 (5 mm) is standard for Campagnolo / ISO bosses, but Shimano bosses will often have M4.5 (4.5 mm) threads and the French bosses would likely have 5 x 1 mm threads.