Dura-Ace bar end shifters

[sjbraun]

I was at There and Back Bikes last night, a small commuter shop in Tucson. T&B is forced to close due to the very sad death of its owner. The owner's family closing the shop and selling everything to pay for medical bills, so I dropped in to see how I could spend a few dollars.

While there, I noticed a pair of 9 speed DA bar end shifters. My friend was all set to buy them when he read statement on the package, that said they can only be used with DA rear derailleurs.'

Is that right? I always thought Shimano gear was pretty compatible across all lines, that you could even slap a 9 speed mountain derailleur on to a road bike with Ultegra brifters if you wanted to.

Thanks

[palincss]

The 8-spd Dura Ace derailleur was different, and there were two 8-spd bar end shifters, one for DA and one for everything else. See Sheldon's explanation: http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html

[jr59]

well My Cross check came with 9 speed DA bar ends and less than a DA rear drail.

Seemed to work fine. Still does.

[Ken Robb]

so maybe these bar-ends were not 9 speed?

[zennmotion]

I was at There and Back Bikes last night, a small commuter shop in Tucson. T&B is forced to close due to the very sad death of its owner. The owner's family closing the shop and selling everything to pay for medical bills, so I dropped in to see how I could spend a few dollars.

While there, I noticed a pair of 9 speed DA bar end shifters. My friend was all set to buy them when he read statement on the package, that said they can only be used with DA rear derailleurs.'

Is that right? I always thought Shimano gear was pretty compatible across all lines, that you could even slap a 9 speed mountain derailleur on to a road bike with Ultegra brifters if you wanted to.

Thanks
Strange package statement since it isn't true. The 9 speed bar end shifters are compatible with all Shimano 9 speed equipment, road or MTB. I'm using or have used them in SIS mode with XT, XTR, 8sp Dura Ace, and 9sp Dura Ace rear derailleurs and they all work flawlessly. The front (left) bar end isn't indexed so you could use it with a WWII model front derailleur carved from a single piece of granite and it wouldn't care. The great beauty of these is that you can dial them to friction mode and they will work beautifully with any derailleur ever made by anyone on the planet. And the friction shifting is just as fast as SIS mode. They're also lighter (bar ends + brake levers) than most brifters too. I use mine on our tandem- crisper shifting than the Ultegra brifters they replaced given long stretchy tandem cables, and I have another set on my coupled travel bike so no worries on a brifter getting crunched in transit or derailleur getting out of whack. Buy them, you need them, or you will someday. From the Harris Cyclery website description -

http://harriscyclery.net/product/shimano-dura-ace-9-speed-bar-end-shifters-718.htm

[zennmotion]

so maybe these bar-ends were not 9 speed?
Nope, it wouldn't matter. 8 speed bar ends work fine with 8 speed Dura Ace derailleurs. I've used that combination as well.

[MarleyMon]

I use 9spd DA barcons w/ an XT rear and 10spd w/ a 9spd Ultegra long cage without problems.

[Ken Robb]

Nope, it wouldn't matter. 8 speed bar ends work fine with 8 speed Dura Ace derailleurs. I've used that combination as well.

I didn't say they were 8-speed. I questioned whether they were 9 speed since everyone seems to agree that 9 speed shifters would work with derailers other than Dura Ace. Or maybe Shimano just printed false warnings on their packaging?

[palincss]

I didn't say they were 8-speed. I questioned whether they were 9 speed since everyone seems to agree that 9 speed shifters would work with derailers other than Dura Ace. Or maybe Shimano just printed false warnings on their packaging?

IIRC 9 spd bar ends have a note that says they are compatible with 8spd Dura Ace. Perhaps that was misunderstood.

[cnighbor1]

I used my nine speed dura Ace bar ends with a dura Ace 5 cog freewheel. works fine. i just set limit screws on RD so over shift.
Worked fine till would shift at all correctly. stopped along side of road. Turned cable tension screw both ways. No change. What is wrong i thought. than notice the cable adjuster screw was all the way out. Not even in one thread. duh I fixed that and back to great shifting

[GRAVELBIKE]

Here are 9-speed Dura-Ace bar-ends shifting an XTR derailleur, SRAM (9-speed) cassette and KMC chain:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6987320353_d72157755c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/justridingalong/6987320353/)

[oliver1850]

IIRC 9 spd bar ends have a note that says they are compatible with 8spd Dura Ace. Perhaps that was misunderstood.

This ^. The 9 speed shifters work with 9 speed RDs or DA 7400 series RDs, but not other 8 speed models. I don't have the packaging, but here's the label that they put on the shifter. Perhaps the mention of 2 DA models led to someone's confusion, but they will work with any 9 speed RD.