# Precision Billet Proshift Derailleurs & Shifters



## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

Does anyone have an idea regarding what year these were made? Possibly know what the *M.T.S.* stands for? I haven't seen any other ProShift with this logo, and gather it's an earlier production model. Really don't know, though. I did a major Google and couldn't find anything conclusive...

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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

Oh my. Did you actually buy those? for the listed price? I hope not....


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## socallush (Dec 3, 2005)

*Proshift*

Are they manufactured in Santee CA? Didn't they go on to become Bombshell/ Avent. I think you have stumbled on NOS from the mid-ninties anti-shimano and CNC fad. If I remember correctly they are completely rebuildiable and shift like [email protected]


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

Information on the company was easy to find, for instance, this little article. As for quality, found reviews here on the MTBR site.


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## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

Almost hate to say it... but have to...

Multiple tolerance system. 

Had some of their shifter adapters which worked fine. But didn't hear too many good things about them keeping to spec.

JmZ


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## fervor (Aug 4, 2005)

The rear works pretty good. I have one on my manitou. Been using it for about 2 years now. I have a matching red front and rear that I haven't had a chance to try. They came with 2 blue rear derailleurs in a box. Best swap meet deal i ever got.


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## Retrocowboy (May 16, 2006)

I have some of their billet v-brakes on my bike, never a bit of trouble with them, well made. I got them back around 95 or so. They were a CNC shop in Santee, Ca. (San Diego), that I beleive went on to become Bombshell components.


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

JmZ said:


> Multiple tolerance system.


thanks! :thumbsup: now all I need is a production date...


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## themanmonkey (Nov 1, 2005)

'95 my gut tells me. The early ones had the name milled on the outer plate and I don't think the plate was curved. Yours look more refined than he ones I've seen that were earlier.


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

themanmonkey said:


> '95 my gut tells me. The early ones had the name milled on the outer plate and I don't think the plate was curved. Yours look more refined than he ones I've seen that were earlier.


yeah, I've seen two different designs. one like this:

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and another like this:

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according to this web site, Precision Billet started producing derailleurs in 1994, and my instinct tells me it's an earlier version. I also popped them of a quick note with the same unquiry, so hopefully I'll hear back...


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## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*The Purple One You Pictured Was First*

That was the first model they made. More of a prototype that they sold.

I don't think the MTS tag came about until a year or two after when they had shifters and a f derailleur to market too.


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## themanmonkey (Nov 1, 2005)

Shayne said:


> That was the first model they made. More of a prototype that they sold.
> 
> I don't think the MTS tag came about until a year or two after when they had shifters and a f derailleur to market too.


Yea, the purp one was the early one. When I was at Interbike '94 they had the ders and shifters on display on a bike. I think the shifters came out early with the derailleurs. If I can dig up the brochure from that time I'll try and get it scanned and posted.


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

themanmonkey said:


> If I can dig up the brochure from that time I'll try and get it scanned and posted.


wicked. thanks! :thumbsup:


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

themanmonkey said:


> '95 my gut tells me.


so, the installation guide & owner's manual has a date of 12/26/95, so you were spot on.


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## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

Couple of versions posted here as well.
http://mombat.org/Derailleur_Museum.htm


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

First Flight said:


> Couple of versions posted here as well.
> http://mombat.org/Derailleur_Museum.htm


thanks a bunch. I actually did check out your site during my research. :thumbsup:

took some photos of the package inserts:

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## pdxplosif (Mar 30, 2009)

*oh my....*

oh my
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Gorilla-Pre...ccessories&hash=item2a093af2fc#ht_2119wt_1139


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## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

Mostly Terrible Shifting?


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

pdxplosif said:


> oh my
> http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Gorilla-Pre...ccessories&hash=item2a093af2fc#ht_2119wt_1139


What's strange about this listing is that he had it at $199 then shot it up to $699 a couple weeks later. I paid $125 for an NOS silver short cage last year.



mechagouki said:


> Mostly Terrible Shifting?


The aforementioned derailleur is on my Rhygin CX and performs flawlessly.


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## banks (Feb 2, 2004)

Didn't sell @ that silly high cost?


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## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

Has anybody here built a bike that shifts using hydraulic lines? I think the company was called "Fyfe" or something similar.


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## Guitar Ted (Jan 14, 2004)

Looks like there must have been several variations of this rear derailluer. I had one that was most like the e-bay example with the "snowflake" jockey wheels in black which I ran on my '92 Klein Attitude. The derailluer basically exploded during a routine single track ride. No sticks, rocks, or anything wrong with the chain. It broke and twisted into multiple pieces. I couldn't believe that not a single part of the entire derailluer was undamaged but the jockey wheels. 

They warranted it, and the second one ended in exactly the same manner as the first after a few months of riding. 

I still have the snowflake jockey wheels. 

I sent the remains of the second one minus the jockey wheels back to the company and told them to forget about sending me another.


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Dang, I had the same thing happen to my 'merican made CNC rear der. I mentioned it here a few years ago thinking it was a Precision, but looking at old pics it was actually a Joe's/Prototype Machine. Thing shifted OK, but blew up on my first offroad ride with it. Fortunately right at the end of the ride, maybe a 2 miles from the car.


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## muddybuddy (Jan 31, 2007)

Guitar Ted said:


> Looks like there must have been several variations of this rear derailluer. I had one that was most like the e-bay example with the "snowflake" jockey wheels in black which I ran on my '92 Klein Attitude. The derailluer basically exploded during a routine single track ride. No sticks, rocks, or anything wrong with the chain. It broke and twisted into multiple pieces. I couldn't believe that not a single part of the entire derailluer was undamaged but the jockey wheels.
> 
> They warranted it, and the second one ended in exactly the same manner as the first after a few months of riding.
> 
> ...


I grew up in San Diego where those were made and the owner of the shop where I hung out had some kind of in with them so that half the guys in our ride group had them at one point. Lots of them self destructed like yours. The best/worst one ended up going into the spokes resulting in a collapsed rear wheel. After seeing all that I never really had any desire to get one, and especially not at the prices they are going for now.


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## 993rs (Dec 31, 2005)

They were pretty to look at, but not ride with back in the day. I put a set of their trick v- brake levers on one of my boy's bikes.


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## neo_pop_71 (Apr 11, 2008)

*S.A.F.E. (SAFE) hyd. shift lines*

VLAD-

Yes, I ran the SAFE lines for a while but they never performed up to snuff, eventually went back to cable. I installed them at the same time that I went to Magura Race Line brakes... loved the Magura brakes and hated the SAFE shiter lines!

Here is a link to an older thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=339102

Go


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## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

neo_pop_71 said:


> VLAD-
> 
> Yes, I ran the SAFE lines for a while but they never performed up to snuff, eventually went back to cable. I installed them at the same time that I went to Magura Race Line brakes... loved the Magura brakes and hated the SAFE shiter lines!
> 
> ...


Those were the ones, thank you. I vaguely remember MBA reviewing the SAFE lines favorably, but we all know how little that can mean...

Cheers!


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## modifier (May 11, 2007)

Just posted this on another thread but thought I would add to this one after someone clewed me in to what type of derailleur it was as I had forgotten.

I bought the derailleur new some time back in the 90s, I guess, by what people are saying. It has no markings. Either it was the printed logo and was coming off so I helped it or it had nothing to begin with. 

I have used it off and on, mostly off but it seems to work ok. I have it currently set up on a street bike with friction shift so it should be fine in that application but it spent all of it's previous life either off road or on the wall.


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## egebhardt (Nov 16, 2004)

modifier said:


> Just posted this on another thread but thought I would add to this one after someone clewed me in to what type of derailleur it was as I had forgotten.
> 
> I bought the derailleur new some time back in the 90s, I guess, by what people are saying. It has no markings. Either it was the printed logo and was coming off so I helped it or it had nothing to begin with.
> 
> I have used it off and on, mostly off but it seems to work ok. I have it currently set up on a street bike with friction shift so it should be fine in that application but it spent all of it's previous life either off road or on the wall.


That is a ProShift Precision Billet rear derailleur. It was made by TorontoCycles, Titanium Bolts, Alloy Bolts,Titanium Fasteners. Tom no longer sells them but he does sell replacement parts.


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## mrjustin007 (Jul 22, 2008)

Sorry to dreadge up an older thread - What is the general consensus on these derailleurs? Anyone else have any experiences with them?


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## outside! (Mar 15, 2006)

egebhardt said:


> That is a ProShift Precision Billet rear derailleur. It was made by TorontoCycles, Titanium Bolts, Alloy Bolts,Titanium Fasteners. Tom no longer sells them but he does sell replacement parts.


It looks like Toronto Cycles reverse engineered an exact copy of the 1st generation Precision Billet derailleur, or somehow got access to the CNC code. It would be interesting to know the story on how they made such a close copy. Ex-employee???? The originals were made in Santee, California.



mrjustin007 said:


> Sorry to dreadge up an older thread - What is the general consensus on these derailleurs? Anyone else have any experiences with them?


The 1st generation derailleurs definitely had reliability issues. The second gen units were better. Precision Billet was not exactly know for holding tight tolerences. Most of their parts were fine, but a it had to be really bad before they scrapped any parts, so there were definitely some lemons shipped out the door. Any CNC part will be weaker than Shimano's forged parts, and derailleurs are weak to begin with. I have one of the 2nd gen rear ders on my vintage rig, and it shifts great, but it is used mostly for beer runs and does not see much trail time. Pics of the two types below, red is 1st Gen, Blue is 2nd Gen.


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## CS2 (Jul 24, 2007)

misterdangerpants said:


> Does anyone have an idea regarding what year these were made? Possibly know what the *M.T.S.* stands for? I haven't seen any other ProShift with this logo, and gather it's an earlier production model. Really don't know, though. I did a major Google and couldn't find anything conclusive...
> 
> View attachment 411249
> 
> ...


Am I the only one getting an invalid attachment message?


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

CS2 said:


> Am I the only one getting an invalid attachment message?


Here you go:























































I no longer have that entire set, though have these (were on my Firefly but now in my parts bin):


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## Estuche (Apr 18, 2010)

Question: can those shifters be used in friction --as opposed to indexed-- mode?


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