bar-end shifters

Hello there,

I was reading the Trek Web site, and found the 520 comes with bar-end
shifters.
What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer, compared
with
modern integrated shifters? Is the 520 the only modern bicycle equipped
with
bar-end shifters?

Thanks in advance.

-Jim

"Jim" wrote in message
oups.com...
What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer, compared
with
modern integrated shifters? Is the 520 the only modern bicycle equipped
with
bar-end shifters?

There are still quite a few bar end shifter hold outs. Not that anything is
wrong with Ergo and the Shimano and soon to be SRAM equivilents, but bar end
shifters offer the following:

1. More choice in brake levers and shifters.
2. In a crash bar ends are protected and you are less likely to need to
replace them. Brake levers can be cheap to replace.
3. Actually if money isn't an issue, I think Campy 10 bar ends and their
carbon brake levers weigh less than Chorus Ergo. (Not a good reason to
choose bar ends.)
4. It can be good to lift your hands once in a while from the bar to shift.
You have to move your hands around anyway, so why not do it for a purpose
other than
to give them a break from a tiring placement.
5. Maybe bar ends are probably less likely to get gummed up with mud, and if
they are, or the indexing feature fails for some other reason you can use
them in friction mode.

There are other touring bikes and cross bikes with bar end shifters besides
the Trek 520. Cost can be a consideration when manufacturers spec bikes.
Don't think that for 'cross racing there are any advantages to bar ends, nor
for road racing. Tourists and others who like functional, simple equipment
are more likely to be bar end adherents.

One way to look at this is to ask, "Except for racing, is there a reason to
use integrated levers/shifters?"

Many points of view and it boils down to what you are comfortable with. I
run evrything from from Campy 10 Ergo to Suntour Barcons on my bikes. If I
had to live with only one technology, it would be bar ends.

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY

In article .com, Jim
wrote:

Hello there,

I was reading the Trek Web site, and found the 520 comes with bar-end
shifters.
What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer, compared
with
modern integrated shifters? Is the 520 the only modern bicycle equipped
with
bar-end shifters?

Thanks in advance.

-Jim




Here are a few benefits of bar-end shifters :
a) should they need to be replaced, they're more economical than
brifters[1]
b) Shimano DA/Ultegra rear bar-end shifters offers both index and
friction mode. This is convenient should you bend your rear derailleur
hanger or damage the rear derailleur itself, both circumstances which
can wreak havoc with indexed shifting.
c) I find bar-end shifters are more durable, having a simpler, more
robust mechanism (less parts to break). Not sure if this is
representative of other Shimano brifters, but in heavy rain my (soaked)
Tiagras frequently skip (fail to retract cable) on the down-shift,
while the action of the bar-end shifters' indexed shifting is much more
precise and positive in all conditions.
d) The left bar-end shifter (friction only) allows for very accurate
trimming of the front derailleur.
e) On a more esoteric note, a single sweep of a bar-end shifter can
up-shift multiple gears; Shimanos brifters (my Tiagra/Shimano 600, at
least) can only up-shift one gear at time. I'm uncertain whether this
limitation applies to newer incarnations of Ultegra or DA.

In short, bar-end shifters emphasize durability, versatility (those
with indexed and friction modes) and economy; they're more suited to
the demands of touring or commuting. I'm not sure if the 520 is the
only 'modern'(?) bike equipped with bar-end shifters, but almost any
bike with drop bars is a candidate - and with the addition of Pauls
Thumbies, MTBs too can be so equipped.


Luke


1.
brifter: integrated brake/shifter unit

Luke wrote:

In short, bar-end shifters emphasize durability, versatility (those
with indexed and friction modes) and economy; they're more suited to
the demands of touring or commuting. I'm not sure if the 520 is the
only 'modern'(?) bike equipped with bar-end shifters, but almost any
bike with drop bars is a candidate - and with the addition of Pauls
Thumbies, MTBs too can be so equipped.

Rivendell has bar-end shifter on the Romulus. Personally I like the
brifters on a mountain bike, but on a road bike I'd be happier with down
tube shifters than bar-ends. If I have to move my hand to shift anyway,
then why not go for the true retro-grouch location of 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

Jim wrote:
Hello there,

I was reading the Trek Web site, and found the 520 comes with bar-end
shifters.
What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer, compared
with
modern integrated shifters?

In addition to the answers others have given, I'll add:

I can't stand having anything on my bike that I can't take apart and
repair with relative ease. There should be a difference between a bike
and a Swiss watch.

- Frank Krygowski

wrote:

I was reading the Trek Web site, and found the 520 comes with bar-end
shifters. What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer,
compared with modern integrated shifters? Is the 520 the only modern
bicycle equipped with bar-end shifters?

I believe it's almost entirely a question of personal preference. I find
bar end shifters the nicest to use, but others will disagree.

Here are some things to consider, but not all may be true:

- if a bar-end shifter needs replacing, the brake lever probably won't need
to be replaced as well, and conversely.
- with integrated shifters, you can shift with your hands on the
hoods/hooks (I don't see this as an advantage; racers may.)
- with bar-ends, you have visual/tactile feedback regarding the gear you're
in (I don't see this as an advantage either).
- some think bar-end shifters are less likely to be fatally damaged during
a long ride/tour.
- some bar-end shifters can be toggled between indexed/friction mode. I
have such a shifter, but it has never gone out of adjustment during a
ride, so I've never used the friction mode.
- some people may find the hoods on sti/ergo more comfortable that regular
brake hoods.
- bar-end shifters are elegant and aesthetically pleasing; sti/ergo are
ugly devil-spawned monstrosities.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Now is the time for all good men to come to.
-- Walt Kelly

"Benjamin Lewis" wrote in message
...
wrote:

What benefits do bar-end shifters offer,
compared with modern integrated shifters?

- with bar-ends, you have visual/tactile feedback regarding the gear
you're
in (I don't see this as an advantage either).

I forgot about this one. I find bar end shifters great at nigth as I can
feel the levers and get a sense where I'm at on the chain rings and cogs.

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY

In rec.bicycles.misc Benjamin Lewis wrote:

- some bar-end shifters can be toggled between indexed/friction mode. I
have such a shifter, but it has never gone out of adjustment during a
ride, so I've never used the friction mode.

It's rather handy when you've trashed your rear wheel and don't feel
like fiddling with swapping cassettes on the "spare" wheel that has
an 8 speed cassette instead of a 9 speed. *cough* Of course, if the
"spare" wheel comes from your wife's bike, it might be wise to fix that
wheel up a little expeditiously.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips
over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."
--Matt Groening

In article .com,
"Jim" wrote:

Hello there,

I was reading the Trek Web site, and found the 520 comes with bar-end
shifters.
What benefits do the Shimano Dura-Ace bar-end shifters offer, compared
with
modern integrated shifters? Is the 520 the only modern bicycle equipped
with
bar-end shifters?

Thanks in advance.

-Jim

I, for one, would hate to see bar-end shifters to go the way of the
dodo. While not quite as slick as brifters (you do have to move your
hand to shift) they do include good things like less cost, more
resistance to damage, an ability to switch to friction shift, and
usefulness for handlebars of other than drop persuasions.

No they're not dead yet, Jim.

--
Ted Bennett