#61
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bar-end shifters
On 6 Jan 2006 18:17:03 -0800, "Ozark Bicycle"
wrote: You don't get out enough. Last fall, at the local Tour de Cure, a woman came into a rest stop with front shifting problems. Tiagra triple, about 2 months old according to her. The left hand brifter would pull cable if disconnected from the FD, but it would not do so with any consistency when working against the spring of the FD. The FD was not binding, if that's what you're wondering, and the cable, cable housing etc., was all fine. So what? I can describe almost any bike part that has failed. The thing is, the slavish claims of the importance of repairability in the field to most people are just a flip-side of the coin of the sort of "pro lightest bestest newest thing" guys like you decry. Yeah, it's true that for a typical bike racer an ounce of the bike doesn't make a huge difference. And a for a weekend warrior, STI isn't essential to beating up on buddies on a group ride. But in the same way, the impression you give of how vital it is to minimize chances of failure of the bike is really another form of "fashion." You're fortunate to have found a place on the internet where such "fashion" is applauded. I just find it tedious hearing it en masse. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
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#62
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bar-end shifters
On 6 Jan 2006 18:36:07 -0800, "Ozark Bicycle"
wrote: John Forrest Tomlinson wrote: On 6 Jan 2006 17:52:22 -0800, "Ozark Bicycle" wrote: Why would _anyone_ opt for the more expensive, less flexible, less reliable, non-serviceable option (i.e., brifters)? Unless, of course, they were a sponsored racer. And you are a parody of what? A mindless, marketing-manipulated zipperhead? If what you wrote was serious, then you've said above that ergo/STI have no functional advantage and should only be used if someone else pays for them. Are you that stupid? It's fine to say "I'm thrifty" and don't see the advantage of ergo/STI for my riding. Fine. But this nonsense of "they have no advantage worth any money; it;s only perception that they are better caused by marketing" is just stupid. It's a form of luddite elitist that's over the top. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#63
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bar-end shifters
On Sat, 07 Jan 2006 04:40:10 GMT, Jeff Starr
wrote: And I'm always amazed at riders that don't like brifters, thinking that those of us who do, are misguided racer wannabes. You like barcons, that's fine, I like brifters, why is that so hard to accept. They are both good choices. In the big picture bicycles don't cost all that much. People go to a show and out to dinner, for what I spent on my 9-speed DA STI shifters. All well-said. On the bar-cons thing, I'm only complaining about the people who are really caught up in an "anti-fashion fashion", which crazy claims about how vital/reliable/inexpensive their own bikes must be in justify a certain approach and deride others. They're just bikes. They're not that mystical or sensitive objects. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#65
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bar-end shifters
On Sat, 07 Jan 2006 05:13:51 GMT, Michael Press wrote:
You reported that your STI system has broken twice, and that you replace your shifter cables at the least sign of fraying. This is exactly what various riders want to avoid. I've also come broken cables on downtube shifters (I still use them BTW) many times but those are visible, so the fraying is more easily noted before they snap. Now I know -- STI breaks cables just like downtube shifters break cables, so it's not an issue -- as soon as the shifting deteriorates on STI, replace the cable even though there is no visible clue about it. Or maybe they break them a little more often. It's a knowledge issue to not have this happen on the road -- and maybe an issue of the cost of a cable perhaps once a year more often then a down tube shifter. No big deal. If I was really concerned about costs, it'd be a bid deal, but I hope I wouldn't romanticize the decision to go with down tube levers by making some sort of claims about how I need my bikes to be so super reliable and don't trust that black box STI gear. It's just a bike. I read the 126 postings of yours that are currently on my server, and you do not have a good word for anyone. Your sample size is too small -- I have good words for a very small number of people. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#66
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bar-end shifters
On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:13:01 -0800, Dane Buson wrote:
I've forgone using them for over 15 thousand miles, not because they're unreliable, but because I don't particularly like them *better* than barcons. For commuting, I'm perfectly happy using barcons rather than brifters. Ah, stop there. I *never* derided STI. I never said it was junk. I simply said I like the reliability and simplicity of barcons. I find them perfectly easy to use and service. I rode brifters on my first commuter and have never felt the need to transfer them when that bike was toast. That's the sort of honest description of preference it seems appropriate to share. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#67
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bar-end shifters
On Sat, 07 Jan 2006 05:56:13 -0500, Luke
wrote: In article , John Forrest Tomlinson wrote: I read this thread and am amazed at the number of riders who are in such remote, mission critical situations with their bikes that the added reliability of bar-ends over integrated brake/shifters is a big factor. Wow, are you guys all doing unsupported tours across Societ Central Asia or something? JT What I don't understand is why a commute or tour is so 'mission critical' as to justify the extra expense and complication of STI shifters. Many people have only one bike, and if STI is nice for them for fun riding or racing, they shouldn' feel it's too risky for commuting. I only had one bike a lot of my life. Ride what you have. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#68
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bar-end shifters
I used a pair of bar-end Shimano friction shifters for 20 years, moving them through several bikes, I liked them so much. They never showed any signs of losing their grip and always stayed where I put them. I'd still use them, if they hadn't been lost when an arsonist torched my storage building. Back in 1973, everyone around here called them "fingertip shifters". Steve McDonald |
#69
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bar-end shifters
In rec.bicycles.tech bfd wrote:
Can you explain why "brifters" are less *less flexible" than bar-ends or dt shifters? Bend or damage your rear derailleur resp. hanger. Everything able to go friction mode will continue to work. How relevant that is for you is your call, obviously. If you're using Shimano the left/front STI is indexed which often offers a challenge to users of non-standard chainrings. -- MfG/Best regards helmut springer |
#70
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bar-end shifters
John Forrest Tomlinson wrote: On 6 Jan 2006 18:17:03 -0800, "Ozark Bicycle" wrote: You don't get out enough. Last fall, at the local Tour de Cure, a woman came into a rest stop with front shifting problems. Tiagra triple, about 2 months old according to her. The left hand brifter would pull cable if disconnected from the FD, but it would not do so with any consistency when working against the spring of the FD. The FD was not binding, if that's what you're wondering, and the cable, cable housing etc., was all fine. So what? I can describe almost any bike part that has failed. You snipped the part of your previous post that I was responding to: http://tinyurl.com/dzve7 You maintained that a new STI shifter failing was "bull****". I'm enlightening you with a little real world experience. The thing is, the slavish claims of the importance of repairability in the field to most people are just a flip-side of the coin of the sort of "pro lightest bestest newest thing" guys like you decry. Yeah, it's true that for a typical bike racer an ounce of the bike doesn't make a huge difference. And a for a weekend warrior, STI isn't essential to beating up on buddies on a group ride. But in the same way, the impression you give of how vital it is to minimize chances of failure of the bike is really another form of "fashion." You're fortunate to have found a place on the internet where such "fashion" is applauded. I just find it tedious hearing it en masse. No likee, no clickee. |
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