if you don't like STI or Ergopower controls

[dash]

how do you decide between bar end and downtube shifters?

[Too Tall]

It could have something to do with the gears you are running and equipment to support that eg. avail. of 7/8 spd DT shifters etc. but prolly not.

I am pretty tall so DT shifters are a reach and will generally not be my first choice.

Folks who ride ALOT of long distance like Bar Cons because , hang with me for a sec. here, when you are making a few thousand r. shifts / day the rolling of your body to that side will / can cause chaffing issues...thus bar cons help alot.

Than there are the style points ;) Seriously, DT shifters are the only thing that look right on some bikes and we all agree RIGHT!!!! that looks are important.

Discuss

[Ray]

how do you decide between bar end and downtube shifters?
Just experience I guess. I've spent plenty of time with both. Both work equally well. It just depends on how comfortable you are taking your hands off the bars and reaching down to shift. And whether the kind of riding you're going to be doing will make you want to keep your hands on the bars. Theres also the question of whether your bike has downtube shifter mounts on the downtube - a lot (probably most) modern bikes don't, so make sure its even an option.

For a lot of riding, I'm fine with downtubers, but I've had occasions on steep descents on poor roads where I really didn't want to take my hands off the bars or the brakes to shift in anticipation of the compression and uphill that I can see coming up. Or on really bumpy dirt roads. Or a number of other circumstances. For a cross bike or loaded touring bike or heavy-traffic commuter, for example, I'd want the controls on the bars.

There's something really cool about the uncluttered nature of using downtube shifters though and you do tend to shift less. Treat it like a single-speed with several options for that one speed and it gets a lot easier. But if you like to shift a LOT and don't want to try another way, don't try downtubers.

If you've never used downtube shifters before, the transition from STI/Ergo could be a real learning curve. If you have, it's just a short period of getting comfortable with it again and it becomes second nature again pretty fast.

Many friction and Shimano indexing downtube shifters can work in barcon mounts, so you could buy a set of mounts from Rivendell and a set of indexing downtube shifters and try them both ways.

-Ray

[zap]

Easy. With DT shifters you can shift during a sprint or when accelerating on a climb.

I think it would hurt if you tried to do that with bar ends. Plus they look dorky on drop bars

[dauwhe]

It won't affect most people, but bar-end shifter cables can sometimes interfere with handlebar bag mounting... although I've heard rumors of people routing the cables under the bar tape all the way (requires a tandem cable).

I like the simplicity of DT shifters--clean looks, short cable runs, no housing to worry about...

Dave

[jthurow]

Easy. With DT shifters you can shift during a sprint or when accelerating on a climb.

I think it would hurt if you tried to do that with bar ends. Plus they look dorky on drop bars

I like bar ends over DT shifter b/c I can shift during a sprint or when accelerating on a climb w/out taking my hands off the bars. That's why I have them on my commuter. If I'm out of the saddle, reaching for DT shifters is not really an option for me, but like Too Tall, I'm too tall.

otherwise...I agree with Ray.

jimi

[zap]

Something I learned from an old school racer/bike nut years ago. When out of the saddle, shift those dt shifters with your knees. Keep those hands on the hoods or in the drops.

[mike p]

Dash,
you never really said what your using the bike for. Commuter, touring, could go either way. Retro racer, gotta goe with dt's.

Mike

[eddief]

and a couple of other factors, after trying STI, downs, and bar ends I do believe the modern STI or Ergo is the superior in nearly every way.

What is true however is my Kogswell has downtubes-better to take it apart for packing the S and S travel case.

The Rambouillet has bar ends mounted on Albatross bars.

And the Rex and OCR-C have DA STI.

Next it is time to try some Paul Thumbies on one of the bikes.

So they all work well, but for me nothing like the clikity clack of STI.

[dash]

Dash,
you never really said what your using the bike for. Commuter, touring, could go either way. Retro racer, gotta goe with dt's.

Mike

ah, of course, it makes sense to consider the application.

thanks all for the PsOV...

[michael white]

I've tried bar ends three different times, three different shifters and bikes, and taken them off each time. The shimano click barends work really well, only there's virtually no advantage over dt's (assuming you're used to either system) and there's a disadvantage in that there's all kinds of cable clutter and slightly reduced grip options. I know others disagree, but I've settled into keeping friction dt's on two bikes for good (STI on the other two). Cleaner.

[ergott]

One of the frames I have has no downtube bosses. It only has cable stops. I must use bar ends (right?) The rear 8 speed shifter is about shot and I need to replace soon.

[palincss]

I've tried bar ends three different times, three different shifters and bikes, and taken them off each time. The shimano click barends work really well, only there's virtually no advantage over dt's (assuming you're used to either system) and there's a disadvantage in that there's all kinds of cable clutter and slightly reduced grip options. I know others disagree, but I've settled into keeping friction dt's on two bikes for good (STI on the other two). Cleaner.

It all depends on how easy the reach to downtube levers is for you. I'm long from the waist down, short from the waist up. People who are long in the torso, sort in the legs can just drop their arms and their hands will land right on a downtube lever. When I drop my hand, it's a very long distance from a downtube lever. So for me, they're a long reach away, and it's extremely inconvenient, at times uncomfortable, and occasionally downrigh dangerous reaching for them.

As for "all kinds of cable clutter" - certainly downtube shifters win in this regard compared to anything else. They do look wonderful. But is the "cable clutter" awful, or insoluble? Certainly not -- either from an aesthetic viewpoint or in terms of interfering with a handlebar bag. You can route the cables along the inside of the bar all the way up to the end of the sleeve (and yes, you will need a longer cable, but that's no big deal) and it'll look better than any STI system going; or you can route the cables from the bar end shifter to go staright out along the drop, and loop down to the cable stop, as shown in the picture of my Kogswell P/R. Both methods work fine, look fine, and clear a handlebar bag perfectly well.

That's not a very clear image, sorry - here http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/326010209_a467a876ee_b_d.jpg
is a link to the large size one, that shows the cables much more clearly. Here's
a link http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/326011547_b5140489a9_b_d.jpg to another large image, this time with the bag in place that shows how the cable routes around it.

[palincss]

One of the frames I have has no downtube bosses. It only has cable stops. I must use bar ends (right?) The rear 8 speed shifter is about shot and I need to replace soon.

Depending on the diameter of the downtube, you maybe possibly could use clamp-on downtube levers. But you're right, bar end shifters would be an easier installation.

[Peter P.]

Anything over 6 or 7 cogs I'd go for barends. With more gears you'll be shifting more often and it's just way too much hassle to keep taking your hands off the bars. I have them on my commuter and they're wonderful; I detect no disadvantage over integrated stuff.

I grew up with downtube shifters and I'm very comfortable with them so it's not like I'm speculating.

Tip: to keep the bike's aesthetics up to par with barends and to keep from having to move your hands far on the drops to reach them, cut off the ends of the bars a length equal to the barend pod length. But measure first; in some cases the length of the expanding insert may bottom out where the bar begins to curve, leaving an unsightly gap between the bars and the pod.

I don't think you should use barends with carbon bars as I'll bet they're not meant to handle the expanding forces of the insert.