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Bar end shifter
Back in the early 80s I bought a Fuji hybrid. I think hybrids were a
new concept at the time. It had sun tour shifters that worked really well. They were just little levers that you move back and forth under tension (so they don't move when you let go). You were responsible for getting it "shifted" the right amount. They worked great! I've gone through 4 or 5 mountain bikes since then and they all have indexed click type shifters. My last 2 have been top of the line LX or higher. The bottom line is that none of them ever worked correctly, ever. There's always at least 1 or 2 gears that decide to switch back and forth. That's really annoying when you are trying to climb a technical trail and all of a sudden your chain starts clunking. Anyway I just ordered a Bacchetta Giro and I noticed that it has grip shifters, which seems to be even worse than the rapid fire shifters. I've heard people mention bar end shifters. Do these do what I'm hoping? Are they retro shifters that allow the cyclist to shift the chain where you want it? Like on my old Fuji hybrid? |
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Bar end shifter
Ian Smith wrote: Effectively, they are friction shifters (as mounted on the down-tube Friction shifters. That's the term I was looking for. Seems like a better design to me. Too bad it's still going out of style. I was hoping maybe they were making a comeback. |
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Bar end shifter
In alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent on 19 Sep 2006 18:41:49 GMT
Ian Smith wrote: Howver, bar-end shifters are becoming rare and costly - in Shimano, for example, I think only dura-ace has bar-end shifters now. I dunno if anyone's done it, but some have speculated that old downtube ones might fit thumbies. I've seen old non-indexed bar ends and downtube shifters on ebay, if the OP wants non-indexed shifting then that might be the go. Zebee |
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Bar end shifter
wrote in message oups.com... Back in the early 80s I bought a Fuji hybrid. I think hybrids were a new concept at the time. It had sun tour shifters that worked really well. They were just little levers that you move back and forth under tension (so they don't move when you let go). You were responsible for getting it "shifted" the right amount. They worked great! I've gone through 4 or 5 mountain bikes since then and they all have indexed click type shifters. My last 2 have been top of the line LX or higher. The bottom line is that none of them ever worked correctly, ever. There's always at least 1 or 2 gears that decide to switch back and forth. That's really annoying when you are trying to climb a technical trail and all of a sudden your chain starts clunking. Anyway I just ordered a Bacchetta Giro and I noticed that it has grip shifters, which seems to be even worse than the rapid fire shifters. I've heard people mention bar end shifters. Do these do what I'm hoping? Are they retro shifters that allow the cyclist to shift the chain where you want it? Like on my old Fuji hybrid? Hello again - You know, I don't like the idea of grip shifters but they undeniably work well on my recumbent. I like not having to change my grip to shift gears, and when I want to grab a lower gear, it is always right there. I use Dura Ace bar ends on 2 other bikes. One is mounted in handlebar ends - simple and effective. The other is mounted in Paul Thumbies for mounting on top of the handlebars. Dura ace bar ends give choice of index or friction shifting. If you are lax in maintenance as I am, it is nice to have the friction option because it is not sensitive to minor changes in cable tension. On a fourth bike, I use Rivendell's Silver Shifters as bar ends. Friction only, beautiful action, should last forever, cheaper than Dura Ace and the advantage of buying non-Shimano too. Since you are new to bents, may I suggest that you check out http://www.bentrideronline.com/, especially the forum. A terrific resource about everything recumbent. Regards- Jon Shinefeld PhilaPA |
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Bar end shifter
wrote: Thank you - I sit corrected about the prices of Shimano and SILVER shifters for bar ends. There is no question that DA bar ends work quite well. There's nothing at all to gripe about with respect to the part. I have many Shimano parts on various bikes - when I evaluate them as the best option, I will purchase and use them. But I object to the company's policies and strategies and will support the competition when parts that work equally as well or just differently are available. Jon Shinefeld PhillyPA Jon- What "policies and strategies" are you refering to? I've seen an awful lot of good product and very little bad come from Shimano in the last several years. (Pre-1985, though... they came up with some wacky stuff: http://sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/ .) Jeff |
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