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Newbie question: Bar-end vs. Brake-Levers?
Hey I was looking at a new road-style bike, and see two new styles of
brake levers (new compared to my Schwinn Tempo's downtubes). What are the differences and advantages of bar-end shifters on the downtube, vs. little fingertip shifters inside the brake levers? If I build a bike, I hafta choose one. |
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On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 17:01:23 +0000, Ken wrote in
message : Shifters at the ends of your handlebars are the next simplest. The main problem is that if you have narrow handlebars, your knees will hit the shifters when you sprint or climb out of the saddle. You can shorten the drops to make this less likely. For some reason most of us (inc. me) don't think to do that :-) Brake lever shifters are the most common these days. They are also the heaviest, most expensive, and most difficult to repair. They are only marginally easier to use than bar-end shifters. And offer no friction mode for limping home if it all goes pear-shaped. I'm not a huge fan of indexing on the front mech anyway, so I am a bar-end fan. I freely acknowledge that the current crop of brifters are more reliable than the early ones, and very unlikely actually to let you down on the road. But as a year-round commuter cyclist looking for low maintenance, I prefer the simplicity of bar-ends, even if I haven't yet had to switch to friction. Guy -- May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk 88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University |
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"Bryanska" wrote... Hey I was looking at a new road-style bike, and see two new styles of brake levers (new compared to my Schwinn Tempo's downtubes). What are the differences and advantages of bar-end shifters on the downtube, vs. little fingertip shifters inside the brake levers? If I build a bike, I hafta choose one. Differences/advantages are more personal taste than anything else, IMO. The old school downtube shifters were standard for racers for a long time because they were lightweight, simple, and the shorter cable/cable housing run made for more accurate shifting. Improvements in cables and cable housings (teflon lined housings, more tightly wound cables) reduced the difference between down tube mounted shifters and bar end shifters or integrated shifter/brake lever setups. I used downtube mounted shifters until about 3 years ago, and I liked the simplicity, especially with friction shifters, but I didn't like the way my knees interfered with my shifting hand if I tried to shift while pedaling. YMMV in this respect. Bar end shifters are easier to use, you don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift and the position of the levers gives you an indication of what chain ring/cog you've selected. I find myself sliding my hand back on the drops and shifting with the side of my hand or with my little finger, which is really easy. I run friction only (no indexing) bar ends from Rivendell (www.rivendellbicycles.com) and 8 speed cassettes on my touring and commuting bikes. It's a very dependable setup, modern derailleurs and cassettes shift so nicely that you don't really need indexing. 8 cogs in back are plenty for touring/commuting, and 8 speed chains are cheaper and more durable than 9 or 10 speed chains. There are still a lot of good quality 8 speed cassettes on the market if you look. Integrated shifters/brake levers (brifters) are really nice for fast, workout type rides on a road racing bike, which is where I use them. With modern dual pivot brakes and integrated shifters/brake levers you can ride with your hands on the brake lever hoods and brake and shift without moving your hands from the hoods. One drawback is that the brifters only work in indexing mode, so if anything goes out of whack (kinked cable, cracked cable housing, etc.), your choice of gears will be very limited until you repair the problem. Another problem is that a combined shifter and brake lever costs at least as much as the two separate components, so crashing is expensive. Campagnolo makes a really nice, dependable, repairable brake/shifting system. -- mark |
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"mark" wrote
Bar end shifters are easier to use, you don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift and the position of the levers gives you an indication of what chain ring/cog you've selected. I find myself sliding my hand back on the drops and shifting with the side of my hand or with my little finger, which is really easy. I run friction only (no indexing) bar ends from Rivendell (www.rivendellbicycles.com) and 8 speed cassettes on my touring and commuting bikes. It's a very dependable setup, modern derailleurs and cassettes shift so nicely that you don't really need indexing. 8 cogs in back are plenty for touring/commuting, and 8 speed chains are cheaper and more durable than 9 or 10 speed chains. There are still a lot of good quality 8 speed cassettes on the market if you look. I agree with everything you say, except I don't understand why you don't run the rear shifter in indexed mode, it works so flawlessly. |
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"Peter Cole" wrote I agree with everything you say, except I don't understand why you don't run the rear shifter in indexed mode, it works so flawlessly. 1. It works just as flawlessly in friction mode 2. My road bike does have indexed shifters (Chorus Ergo Power derailleur and brifters). It worked flawlessly for a few thousand miles, now that the cables and housing are getting a little old I'm having trouble getting onto the 10th cog. No such problem on the commuter and touring bikes, which are in friction mode. 3. The shifters on my commuter and touring bikes don't *have* indexed mode. They work so nicely that I don't see the need to get shifters with indexing capability. -- mark |
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"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 17:01:23 +0000, Ken wrote in message : .. I freely acknowledge that the current crop of brifters are more reliable than the early ones, and very unlikely actually to let you down on the road. But as a year-round commuter cyclist looking for low maintenance, I prefer the simplicity of bar-ends, even if I haven't yet had to switch to friction. Guy I'm wondering about your experience with older brifters and (lack of)reliability. I have ten year old chorus gruppo. ~35,000 miles on the brifters. No failures and just one total adjustment (and new cables) when I changed out my cassette. Other wise just normal adjustment as part of routine maintainance. Is my experience out of the ordinary? I rode downtube friction shifters for 35 years---I love my brifters! |
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Brake-levers seem to be much better for me for fast riding and pace
lining. When with a group, I frequently ride on top of the brake hoods. I think that most people find this to be the most comfortable long term position. With your hands here, you can shift with the brake-lever style without moving your hands. You can also shift with this style while in the drops. With the bar-ends you have to move your hands to the drops to shift. For me this seems less safe. I do not want to move my hands frequently. I also do not want to ride with my hands in the drops in traffic. When on the streets and approaching a stop light, you will want to shift to lower gears prior to stopping. You will not want to change hand positions first and then shift. To me brake levers are safer. ----Brink |
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