Do you really enjoy riding with downtube shifters?

[jr59]

In fact, I just replaced my brifters on the Rambouillet I’m riding. The brifters worked great, just like the DT better.

And yes, I’m 6’4 and well over 60.

[Bici-Sonora]

Originally Posted by donevwil

I'm waiting for the first person over 6' tall and 50 years old who says they truly enjoy riding with DT shifters (more so than brake/shift levers or bar ends).

6’2.5”—and i love DT shifters. If Shimano made DA9000 11 speed DTs, I’d have them on all my road bikes. Of course, I started riding using downtube shifters, So they’ve always felt normal to me. What other mechanical shifter is as light, simple, reliable, and has as clean cable routing as DTs? Answer: none.


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[Louis]

My daily driver had DT shifters, and I love them, both how they look (the shifters themselves and fewer cables in front) and the pleasure of using them. It's sort of why both of my cars have manual transmissions. It just makes riding / driving more fun.

I'd say ride the bike for a few months and see if you get used to them, I bet you will. Sometimes it takes a bit more skill to take your hand off the bars to shift, say if you're in a turn, but that's something you'll pick up after a while.

[theboucher]

I would also love 11-spd DT shifters. My dream is to run a modern drivetrain on my '83 Pinarello with DT shifters - at the moment it's sitting in the basement waiting to be built up...

I grew up with STI - but I have ridden all sorts of older drivetrains.

[joev]

I have an old Cannondale with Suntour friction shifters. Nice and smooth and they do make the ride different than the brifters.

I would not, though, ride a bike with friction shifters in a fast group ride. I don't have that skill to quickly shift and stay on speed when others are making their move in a sprint. It just isn't safe for me.

[JSL]

Indexed downtube shifting is great, but friction downtube shifting is not so great. I've found friction shifting a bit problematic when riding in groups on routes with constantly changing terrain, but at the end of the day it all works reasonably well.

What I really like is the lightness of the front end with when running downtube shifters. Everything is cleaner and just slightly more elegant. However, it's probably a generational thing. Someone new to the sport my have no idea what I mean.

[Louis]

I can handle 6 spd friction without too much trouble. Above that the shifter motion for each gear is small enough that it becomes a hassle.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by redir

I would think that those in their 50's who grew up using DT shifters would be far less against them then anyone who has never used them and is suddenly introduced to them. Furthermore I would think that those who are north of 6'0" would find it even easier with long monkey arms to reach the shifters.

I fit the bill and I have not problem with DT. Do I like them better? Not really but having raced bikes with both systems honestly I don't think I would loose a race because of the shifters. Modern ones obviously have an advantage but still.

Even at 5' 11" reaching the shifters has never been a problem for me. Keeping my fingers out of the front wheel when reaching for them has been on occasion. I still like them for their simplicity, direct cable routing, and light weight. Guessing that I have more than 10 bikes with DT shifters and I'm sure that I will build more with them if I get the chance.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by jtakeda

Good quality indexed DT shifters are a joy to ride.

I used 10 sp indexed downtubes and loved it. Except on super steep dirt roads, wasn’t as convenient and required some strategy but it’s still fun!

Good quality friction shifters are a joy to ride also. Ders NEVER goes out of adjustment. BUT, gotta be fairly decent spacing between cogs, otherwise always be kinda noisy, not 'exact'. For DT index shifters, OR barends, sure, why not, Simple, cheaper, work great, never get busted if ya fall over, etc...

I use Campag retrofriction shifers on my Moots, 6s freewheel..joy to ride, particularly when it's messy outside.

'Don't like to move my hands'..well...no problem for me.

Remember where lever mounted shifting came from, MTB..where bouncing around made it real hard to move your hands to a shifter..ANOTHER thing from MTB that came to road bikes..

[Tim Porter]

When I restored my '84 Richard Sachs for L'Eroica, it took one ride to get back into using the DT shifters. (I do have to admit that I swapped out the loosey-goosey Campy shifters for some with ratchets (NOT indexed) to keep them from slipping.) Like many here, I started out with them and it became second nature almost immediately. But I like the modern ones much better . . . .

[IMG][/IMG]

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Louis

I can handle 6 spd friction without too much trouble. Above that the shifter motion for each gear is small enough that it becomes a hassle.

My old 80s Orbea is still using it's original friction DT shifters with a modern 9 speed Ultegra RD over a 10 speed Campagnolo cassette. I honestly consider this my best shifting bike of all of them. For whatever reason it just works. I'm sure a lot is due to the modern RD with pulleys designed to have play to accomandate index shifting. Just wanted to share this as many seem to think friction DT shifting is limited to around 6 gears.

[rccardr]

Agreed. This Davidson Discovery custom has a 10 speed cassette, 8 speed Deore RD and Deore FD, with 6207 friction shifters. Works beautifully even at Eroica, which is not known for its smooth road surfaces:

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Guessing that I have more than 10 bikes with DT shifters and I'm sure that I will build more with them if I get the chance.

This got me wondering.....

31 bikes built up and used regularly, 9 have DT shifters, 1 is a 3 speed internal, 1 is indexed bar ends on aero bars, and the rest are what everyone would consider modern setups.

My PR on routine 25 mile route I ride regularly was set on my DT equipped Maillot Juane during a time I was still having troubles with it ghost shifting on the rear. Ol Tater identified that others were wrong and told me what g springs I really needed in the shifters to fix the problem. So now it's even better, thanks Pete!



Now I don't race or do group rides but if I did I most likely wouldn't take a DT bike now days.

[unterhausen]

I put DT bosses on some of my frames. Specifically if they are going to have rim brakes. But I don't use DT shifters. I still reach for them very occasionally and laugh at myself.

[johnniecakes]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

This. I started on downtube friction then indexed. I do not mind them but I really prefer brifters.

Same here, If I had to pick one modern improvement to sacrifice I would prefer to back to toe clips and straps than give up the brifters.