Which shifters do you prefer?

[Mr. Butterworth]

Based purely on hand/shifting ergonomics - which shifters do you prefer?

I am prompted to do this poll because after riding many miles on many shifters, I think I prefer Shimano 7700 9 speed...

What do you guys think, and why?

[zap]

Zap.

[Jack Brunk]

1. DA10
2. Campy record 10


Jack

[coylifut]

DA 10 shifters, are the best I've owned

[Spinner]

I'm currently riding with DA and Chorus 9-speed and they both work great.

[Too Tall]

Whatever is working!!!! Seriously. No REALLY.

[William]

I had to be the first to vote for that one!:D

My hands kept slipping of the Record 10.
DA for the meat hooks.


William
The Big, Bad, Brash, Banging, Bone crushing, Beer Bonging, Bong toking, Beemer Buzzing, Blonde-Brunett Bobbling, Bubble Blowing, Beach Ball Bashing, Blitzkreiging soon to be a fixie Brazen Hussie!!! :D

[Mr. Butterworth]

I really want to like the new DA 10, but the contour just doesn't quite match my hand curves. Would a new bike with DA 9 be considered retro already? I hope not.

:butt:

[RichMc]

I really go for the Campy set up. I don't have any problems with the shape, or slippage, on either Campy or Shimano. I do, however, think the thumb shifters are outstanding. That's what settles any arguement for me.

[Matt Barkley]

Having voted for "old-school" I do prefer down-tube and even raced bar-end shifters for awhile. Ergo shifters are what I ride now because most bikes do not have down-tube bosses now and 10 speed Campy down-tubes do not exist as far as I know. May be switching back to 9spd campy...I do like the ergos of course. - Matt :beer:

[Sandy]

Wise William,

You just don't get it. You were on your way to a spendid job with your string of B words, but somehow you let a C word appear-Crushing. Heck, Wise William, Brushing would have been much better than Crushing.

In addition, unless you change your name to Billiam or preferrably Bill, Your B word string is somewhat BAD. :)


Being Beaten Badly By Billiam (Bill),

Sobbing Sandy

[Climb01742]

love how DA 10 shifts, but the shape of the campy hoods are nice. oh my god. i said something nice about campy. i gotta go wash my keyboard! :D

[Matt Barkley]

Climb,
Come to the Dark Side...

Campy Ergo levers are shaped so nicely I have not been able to go back to Shimano - for that reason alone- 10spd, or 9spd. (I really never liked the longevity of 8spd D/A Sti) - Matt :beer:

[Kirk Pacenti]

.

[aanheier]

I like Campy Ergo.

When I test rode bikes for my current bike, two of the bikes had DA10 on it, and I couldn't get used to it, constantly misshifted. I guess when you're used to one thing, it becomes second nature.

Kind of like switching between stick and automatic cars, all the knobs are in the wrong spot.

[Sandy]

Dura-Ace 10.

Shifty Sandy

[Bruce K]

DA 10 - much more comfortable and more precise shifting.

BK

[Sandy]

I am now able to look 25 years into the future. Record 29 or Dura-Ace 22. Shimano will be a little slow in development.

Always thinking ahead,

Headless Sandy

[jerk]

doesn't matter. both sti and ergo are fine. downtube shifter are fine too unless you're racing....

[gdw]

Chorus Ergo for general road riding.
Shimano bar end shifters for commuting, touring, and exploring dirt roads.
Sram Attack for trail riding and racing on the mountain bike.

[hybridbellbaske]

I must say I prefer my Chorus 10 to my Ultegra 9 -especially the shape and size of the hoods.

[Kevin]

Campy.

Kevin

[William]

You just don't get it. You were on your way to a spendid job with your string of B words, but somehow you let a C word appear-Crushing. Heck, Wise William, Brushing would have been much better than Crushing.

In addition, unless you change your name to Billiam or preferrably Bill, Your B word string is somewhat BAD.


Being Beaten Badly By Billiam (Bill),

So, Super simple, Super special, super sleuthing Sandy slyly spotted my faux-paw.

:confused:

Doh!




William :rolleyes: ;) :)

[zap]

Sandy,

25 years from now we should have light internal gearing and electronic shifting. Only one cog on the back wheel so dish will be correct.

:banana: :banana: :banana:

[Sandy]

I hope that 25 years from now:

1. I will still be here.

2. I will have light internal titanium bionic parts,with electronics making each part work.

3. At least one cog will still work in my brain.

4. I will still be eating from a dish and I will not be wheeled around.

Zapster- You are really making me feel old!!!!


Moving very slowly, one cog at at time.


Mr. Ancient (former Mr. America)

Sandman

[bcm119]

Campy users- how do you upshift from the drops with Ergos?
Can you reach the button with your thumb?

[RichMc]

Not a problem to get your thumb on the button when you're in the drops. Just takes a slight upward hook of the thumb and bingo, upshift. The button travel is very slight compared to the small lever movement on the Shimano. Plus you can get multiple shifts if you want as you coast over the top of a hill and start that downhill acceleration. Easy.

[dbrk]

I'm a user of all of these shifter styles and, honestly, there could not be much for me to complain about. Modern things just work, they don't often fail, they are hard to break, and they cost a fortune---especially in the past two years. I find myself happy on any of the systems though I think that the large platform of STI/Ergo has contributed to the styles of fit we see now, to wit, it has made it more comfortable to rest on the hoods and so lower the bars. I don't personally like my saddle/bar drop too exaggerated but that's a matter of taste, not of physical necessity (since I can flex just fine). But with one set of STI DA 7800 I must say that I like the feel of these best, even better than Campag. Parts prices are just ridiculous, as far as I am concerned, as is the price of most new frames of the zooty variety.

dbrk

[Sandy]

Think at how high Shimano's STI was upon introduction. How about titanium or carbon frames,.....

Prices will drop, relative to inflation, for the newest technology. The newest will in the not too distant future be replaced, as will the demand, thus lowering the price. Isn't that what normally happens?


Not so so normal,

Normally Sandy

[dbrk]

I'm no economist, heck, no sensible person would have spent what I have over these many years. But actually I seriously doubt that we will see much downward movement in prices. I think the Shimnagnolo has simply decided that the market will bear things like a 30% increase or whatever it is---it went from being pretty expensive to nearly twice as expensive in about a year. My "I'm not gonna take it anymore" is simply to bow out---from new stuff, from buying. Heck, I'm selling just about anything modern but for a few. I have a Nagasawa incoming (maybe....someday...who knows...), it will definitely get Simplex 5500 (which will be no more obsolete the day I put it on as it is today). I _like_ the new stuff, I'm just not going to pay for it, no Ottrotts, not even Nove. But then again I have those sorts of bases covered and, like you my dear Sandy, all I hope for is plenty more summers to enjoy it.

dbrk
who promises too never, ever to make fun of how anyone likes to set up their bike fit...but reserves the right to suggest alternatives...

[Big Dan]

Douglas, I understand what you are saying. Last month I bought some Ultegra 9 sp STI shifters for $115 . Nice price I figured, maybe they will get cheaper... :confused:
Well now Nashbar is showing them @ $274..what's up with that?? I am really considering going to downtube shifters . What regular (non sti) brake levers do you consider more comfortable?? Normally I find them too small for my hands.

:D

[Keith A]

After having put a few miles on dbrk's DA 10sp levers during the TdFL, I find that I liked these the best of the current choices. I have always found the DA 9sp levers to be very comfortable for my hands, but the 7800 levers were even better.

I also have a bike set up with down-tube shifters and while I enjoy the preciseness of the DT levers, I'm not crazy about the more narrow platform of Shimano's brake levers.

[Marron]

Good timing! I usaully ride DA9, but rode my C-Record 8 on Sunday. It was in the high 30's and I was reminded how hard it is to work the buttons when your fingers are cold. I rode into work this AM on one of my DA equipped bikes in even colder weather and didn't even think about it until I saw your thread. It's so much easier to swipe at the STI shifters, you don't need to articulate your stiff fingers.

[dbrk]

By far the most comfortable old school brake levers are the Shimano RX100. No kidding. These were made with a wide, flat platform and plenty of room, longer than any others and wider too. Unfortunately like most really good things like this, you can't get'em anymore. Lots of oldschool levers are like blades, too edgey. I like the old Mafacs but they aren't exactly quality but for the gumhood variety. I was never terribly fond of any brake levers till the RX100s. Grant was the first to really make this point and, as usual, he was onto something.

dbrk

[William]

I also like the way the DA levers let you shift one gear at a time. Very simple in the height of a sprint to hit, bang, bang, bang. No need to worry about shifting multiple gears buy accident. Don't get me wrong, I did like the way you could multiple shift on the Campy in some situations. Just not what I would want to have at the wire.
Ditto on the cold temp shifting, very easy to just claw the lever. Plus, as I've said before, DA seems to fit my hand better.

William

[Bruce]

New style Campy Ergo. I just can't stand only one downshift and then on top of that, shift on release. Also in cold weather I can wear mittens with Campy, but not with STI and still shift reliably.

[Keith A]

dbrk -- I haven't had the opportunity to try the RX100's, but they sound interesting to me. Do you know if they are designed for dual pivot brake calipers?

On a related note, I have a bike that is setup with Shimano 7-speed and it has the RSX STI levers. These have a wider head that my DA 9s, and are very comfortable -- but you won't see many of these around either.

Edit: Hey dbrk -- are these what you are talking about?
http://i24.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/ad/8e/e3_1.JPG

[Serotta PETE]

Shimano has a lighter shift but I prefer Campy. (Both get the job done, so it it personal preference).

[OldDog]

Made by Angels, riddin by the Gods...


Ride what ya brung with ya, the bike don't matter, it's the company yer with.


:beer: :beer: :beer:
:beer: :beer: :beer:
:beer: :beer: :beer:

[Sandy]

Made by G-D, ridden by angels....


OlderDog

[Brian Smith]

By far the most comfortable old school brake levers are the Shimano RX100. No kidding. Grant was the first to really make this point and, as usual, he was onto something.

dbrk

But these RX-100s are not shift levers, dbrk! Now, the SL-BS50s often paired with levers of the same shape as those RX-100s (105s, 600 Ultegras, even D-A shared the shape) are the, uh, shiznit!
I like my brake levers set up for one finger use and prefer good modulation over all-out power, but then power is very nice too. My hands are a little larger than average as well, so I prefer a straighter bend to the brake lever, such as a Suntour Sprint or GPX type. Pair those levers, originally intended for single pivot shorter cable travel brakes, with a set of dual pivot calipers, and you'll have yourself a fine one-finger modulation set of speed retarders.

Yours in retardation,
Brian

p.s. I also use non-brifter campy brake levers to good effect. They too are straighter in bend than the shimano variants.

p.p.s yes, Keith A., those RX-100s are designed for dual pivot Shimano brakes.

[Keith A]

Brian,

Thanks for the reply and info. One thing I wanted to make sure I understood correctly, so all of the Shimano brake levers RX-100, 105, Ultegra and DA all have the same shape? It sounded in dbrk's description, that the RX-100's had a different shape with a wider base. Maybe an early version of the RX-100 did have a different shape and was changed at some point?

[dirtdigger88]

So, did we actually learn anything here?

Jason

[William]

Yes,
Yes we did. The same thing we learned in the last Campy/Shimano thread.
And,
The one before that,
And,
The one before that,
And,
The one before that,
And,
The one before that,
And,
The one before that,
And,
The one before that,
And,
that I'm a Brazen Hussy! :D

William ;)

[dbrk]

The RX100 brake levers were not the same shape as the others. At least the older ones I have. They were wider, longer, and flatter than the DA which are the only Shimanos I have compared them with.

And good point about the Dia-Compes.

finally I get home tomorrow from a week of conference...yea!!

dbrk
(wishing I were less damn depressed than I know I actually am about the election results...)

[vaxn8r]

My first set of DA brake levers 1985 or 86, were flat and extended out longer than the more curved ones which replaced them and became standard until STI came out in 91(?). I loved them as they were so comfy. I think I've since given them away because the rubber hoods finally disintegrated and I could not find replacements. This definitely was a case of a replacement product a step backwards in function.

Having said that, both DA hoods were so much more comfy than those old Campy Records. You just could not ride the hoods on those campy hoods without some serious hand cramps.