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bar-end shifters



 
 
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  #21  
Old January 6th 06, 08:53 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters


"Ted Bennett" wrote in message
...
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.

Some people have a difficult time taking a hand off the bar. My mother being
one of them. My dad bought the two of them matching Raleigh touring bikes
with stem mounted shifters. Mom wobbled badly when she tried to shift, which
she used as an excuse to quit riding.



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  #22  
Old January 6th 06, 09:48 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters


Is the 520 the only modern bicycle equipped
with bar-end shifters?


Bruce Gordon Cycles:
http://www.bgcycles.com/
-tom


  #23  
Old January 6th 06, 10:46 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

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.
  #24  
Old January 6th 06, 10:55 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters


"Gooserider" wrote in message
...

Some people have a difficult time taking a hand off the bar. My mother
being one of them. My dad bought the two of them matching Raleigh touring
bikes with stem mounted shifters. Mom wobbled badly when she tried to
shift, which she used as an excuse to quit riding.


I think bar-ends are FAR better for novice riders than stem-mounted ones.
Stem-mounted ones have the same problem that I have with downtube ones: the
require you to move your hand inward. That throws my balance way off,
whether I'm reaching for the stem or the downtube.

With either brifters or bar-ends, my hands stay at the outside of the bars,
acting much the same way as a tightrope walker with a balancing pole.


  #25  
Old January 6th 06, 11:46 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

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
  #26  
Old January 6th 06, 11:50 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

In rec.bicycles.misc P Kl wrote:

The problem is all your mates could have integrated shifters and they will
tell you how fantastic they are so you may end up wanting to change . The
doubt is already in your mind about not having the integrated shifters.I
personally would prefer the barcons.


Feh, I did my first ten thousand miles on a bike with brifters. I like
them okay. The replacement bike I bought (Surly Crosscheck) came with
barcons as standard. It took me a day or two to adjust, and I haven't
felt any need to switch back. The durability/simplicity angle is great
for commuting, especially since I tend to destroy things as a matter of
course.

My brifters are rattling around in a drawer, waiting for me to construct
a sunny-day road bike. [1]

[1] I live in Seattle, I already own a rainy-day bike.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Ubi non accusator, ibi non judex."

(Where there is no police, there is no speed limit.)
-- Roman Law, trans. Petr Beckmann (1971)
  #27  
Old January 7th 06, 12:16 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

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

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  #28  
Old January 7th 06, 12:26 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

In rec.bicycles.misc 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?


Just commuting to work mostly. If my bike doesn't work, I'm left with
the alternatives of the bus (boring, inconvenient) or *shudder*, driving
the car to work. The latter would also inconvienence the wife and make
me cranky in general.

I'd rather not be stuck with the bus or car while I'm waiting for the
bike shop to fix whatever is wrong with my bike.

It's the same kind of reasoning why I use 36 spoke wheels and ride tires
like Conti TT2Ks and Schwalbe Marathon pluses. I could and do use the
alternative strategy of keeping multiple bikes, but that doesn't help
when multiple bikes are out of commission. This happened to me recently
when I broke the frame on my Surly, and then while that was in the
warranty process I also broke the frame on my grocery bike.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
Rick: "How can you close me up? On what grounds?"
Renault: "I'm shocked! Shocked! To find that gambling is going on here."
Croupier (handing money to Renault): "Your winnings, sir."
Renault: "Oh. Thank you very much."
  #29  
Old January 7th 06, 12:54 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters

Feh, I did my first ten thousand miles on a bike with brifters. I like
them okay.


Ah Ha. A virtual newbie virgin to bicycling. I rode my first few
thousand road miles on a bike with stem shifters. Then a few thousand
miles with downtube shifters. This all happened before Ergo/STI was
invented. Then I rode many thousands of miles with bar end shifters
after Ergo/STI were invented. Still have the bar end shifters on the
touring bike because they work well and have some advantages, as
mentioned by many before. Then I finally acquired a bike with Ergo.
All subsequent new bikes have Ergo.

  #30  
Old January 7th 06, 12:58 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
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Default bar-end shifters


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?


Well, I've done unsupported touring across the Dakotas. It's about the
same!

In my mind, repairability is valuable for any ride that gets me more
than five miles from home. Come to think of it, repairability is
valuable in almost anything. I suppose if a device literally never,
ever breaks down, I wouldn't care about this - but that's certainly not
true of STI.

I have one friend whose brifters locked up on him. It took us an hour
of fussing and flushing to get them working. I have another family
member who had annoying problems with hers (refusing to stay in low
gear without "double pumping", a pain on super-steep hills). I have a
third friend whose brand new touring bike locked up its right STI just
before she left on a week-long tour. We got it working somehow, but
that hardly instills confidence.

- Frank Krygowski

 




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