bar ends shifters on "normal" road bike?

[eddief]

If not racing and doing mostly fast club rides what is the opinion of the group on using bar end shifters? I've never tried them and wondered who uses and why?

[christian]

I used them for approximately 9 months on my Rambouillet. I'd previously used d/t shifters and Campy Ergo. I didn't find bar-end shifters any more convenient than d/t shifters, so I went back to 9sp D/A downtubers. I do dig Campy Ergo but the price is a bit high...

Bar-ends, like downtubers, do share the benefit of allowing you to determine what gear you're in by glancing at the levers.

I see how they make sense on a bike where you don't want to let go of the bars - cyclocross, loaded touring, tandem especially. But for just riding around, I think d/t shifters are pretty great.

- Christian

[Louis]

I've never ridden a bike with them, but one thing I have noticed on all the Rivendell bikes that do use them is that it seems to add to the clutter in front. It's not a serious drawback, but to my eye. one can do better.

Louis

[Ray]

If not racing and doing mostly fast club rides what is the opinion of the group on using bar end shifters? I've never tried them and wondered who uses and why?

To me it comes down to one question - do you need/want to shift while out of the saddle? If not, barcons are just fine on any road bike. If you're only shifing while seated, there's no advantage to STI or Ergo. If, otoh, you like to shift while standing, you pretty much have to have STI or Ergo. Personally, I really like having STI on my "fast" bikes (which are almost always the ones I take on faster club rides) and have barcons on others. Both work perfectly well, but in different applications.

-Ray

[coylifut]

Like down-tube shifters, bar con shifters are very precise and three times less expensive. The advantage over down-tube shifters are they allow you to have both hands on the bars when shifting. Before ergo/sti days, most cross bikes had bar-cons. They allowed you to blast into a bumpy corner while braking and shifting simultaneously, a mandatory skill in cross. I have a club mate with bar-cons on his fender bike and it's because he's a student and can't drop the $ on a more modern set.

[toaster]

I've tried them on a Criterium bike where in most crits you only need a couple of gears anyway, too much of a bother when you need a gear RIGHT NOW! Went back to STI.

They make sense on a touring bike when you are loaded in the front with panniers. On tandems I think you're better off with STI or Ergo.

Where they really shine is on Time Trial and Tri-bikes when mounted on the aero extension bars.

[Orin]

Since I've been known to smack the ends of my bars with my knees there is no way I'd use bar-end shifters...

Orin.

[93legendti]

They also offer friction modes in the event of a crash that might affect a STI/ergo lever. I have bar ends on a tandem and a single and they were fine.

[RABikes2]

I do long distance cycling and randonneuring (8,000+ miles a year). Because of left hand problems (Licensed Massage Therapist over 18 years), I have my front deraileur on bar end shifting. Kept the rear on STI shifting. I love it and my hands love it. ;)

Did I explain that right? :D

Ritaann

[gdw]

I like brifters but bar end shifters are cheaper, lighter, and bombproof. I've used them on group rides and haven't had any problems. They are easy to shift in the saddle or standing once you get used to them. Cut an inch and a half off the end of your bars and you won't have to worry about hitting them with your knees. You can also run the casings under your bar tape without any shifting problems if you want a uncluttered front end.

[bostondrunk]

They were good before STI/ergo showed up as you didn't have to reach down to the shifters on the down tube. I can't see any real benefit above STI's though.......Maybe only in that you can get a wheel change in a race, change them to friction, and not have to worry about compatibility...<burp>

[Peter]

I had them on my first "real" bike back in the 70's, and installed them on my then new Richard Sachs in '78. As I became more of a racer, I grew away from them and towards downtube shifters. It was a weight thing, you know...

I installed them on my commuter last year when I upgraded from 7 speed to 9 speed. Downtube shifters didn't make sense for this conversion because with 9 speeds I reasoned I'd be reaching for the shifters so often it would become a bother.

I chose against STI because my bike is also used for light touring. Should I bend a derailleur, the barends have a friction mode to keep me up and touring, and with the fewer parts barends have, they're likely to be more reliable so break downs are less of a worry.

I have absolutely no qualms about using barends. While I find STI is "fun" and certainly convenient, I find no performance drawbacks to barends versus STI.

Here's an installation tip for those of you contemplating installing barends on your bike: shorten the ends of your handlebars the equivalent of the barend's pod length to keep a sense of proportion about the handlebar's length. If you're using anatomic bars, be sure and measure first, because the inserted portion of the barend shifter may bottom out against the anatomic curve, preventing full insertion. I discovered this too late but fortunately my mistake is only a millimeter or so, thus I was saved from scrapping the bars. I hope this saves you from such a potential pitfall.

[Too Tall]

I can only add that D/T and bar end shifters in ,friction mode, can get you home even when your drivetrain suffers insults and injuries that ERGO/STI can not deal with. No wonder it is a good pick for Rando riding.

[Dekonick]

How do you switch between friction and indexed mode??

This sounds like it might be a perfect solution for a commuter/rain bike.

[christian]

How do you switch between friction and indexed mode??

This sounds like it might be a perfect solution for a commuter/rain bike.

Flip out the loop/wingnut on the right (rear) shifter and twist the loop half a turn and fold it back down. Just like on a Shimano downtube shifter. Easily done while riding. The left (front) shifter is friction-only, of course.

- Christian

[Orin]

I think some people are solving a non-problem.

Who here has had the situation with STI/Ergo where a friction mode would be required to continue? A failed rear shifter doesn't count - I've had that happen and rode home with three speeds - front shifter only. I quit Shimano due to that and have 20,000 miles or more on Ergos since. Our local randonneurs had one rider trash a rear derailleur this year and do most of a 400k as a single speed (42x18 I think).

If you like barends, use them. If I was that paranoid, I'd use DT shifters. Wait a minute, no I wouldn't. I've had more trouble with friction shifters slipping, indexed DT shifters coming loose and shifting badly than I've ever had with STI/Ergo.

FWIW, my old Koga-Miyata Full Pro still has DT shifters. Rivendell Silvers now. For the price and weight, I could toss a pair of these in the Carradice on a brevet along with a gear cable or two...

Orin.

[Too Tall]

Batting 500 Orin. ;)
Funny you should mention chucking a spare D/T shifter in the carridice for insurance. PBP 99' that's exactly what I did...never used it. In 03' we rode tandem with Record Ergo and NO backup plan...sometimes you just have to say *** right?

BUSTED

Now YOU tell me what's up with our proclivity for home-brewed paranoia induced solutions for things that really don't need a backup plan in the first place???? An excuse to shop? Addled minds? Too much spare time? Hmmm.

[Brian Smith]

What can I say, they're my faves for "go fast" bikes.
Better accessiblity than frame tube mounted shifters, better Functional Range of Adjustability (Barnett's term regarding index performance) than brifters.
For those, like I, who use those vistigial appendages below their brake levers for something other than holding while going downhill in order to think more aero, and have hands larger than the 51st percentile, bar end shifters offer better accessibility than brifters as well.
You can "hide" the cable housings under the tape along the handlebar, as mentioned by gdw, which returns you to a clean-appearing front end, giving up only about a single detent of FRA as compared to running the cables out the tape at the bottoms of the handlebars.
Anyone here considering them should try them.