I live in New england and have bar end shifters on almost all of my bikes including two tandems. If I were involved in bunch sprints then there would be an advantage to having STI but I am not. I find that for general riding, touring and brevets that bar end shifters are great. They are cheaper, more dependable and longer lived the Brifters. In a fall they are also less likely to be damaged then a more exposed brifter.
When climbing on the hoods if I have any speed at all then there is no problem to quickly drop a hand to the drops to make a shift. If I am climbing very slowly then I may need to sit for a moment to accomplish this. Of course if I am going that slow then I should probably stay in the saddle, drop to a much lower gear and spin. The amount of trim you git with friction front shifters is truly wonderful. I tried using down tube shifters on my Rambouillet when I first got it but found that the shifters were to low. If I was riding on the hoods and reached for the shift levers I found I couldn't quite reach them without dropping a shoulder. This motion just didn't feel right. I have compared my Rambouillet and Atlantis to older bikes that were built when down tube shifters were standard and it looks to me like the brazeons on the Rivendell bikes are a little lower on the down tube then these older bikes. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just my perception? Larry Powers "just when you think that you've been gyped the bearded lady comes and does a double back flip" - John Hiatt Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 05:21:14 -0700 From: r2far...@yahoo.com Subject: [RBW] Re: Considering an AHH - Advice sought To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com I find that if you live in an area with rolling terrain (New England) and do a lot of shifting, then brifters are the way to go. I ride the bar tops mostly and my hands are on the bars at all times which to me is convenient and a safety consideration, but I can still shift from the drops too if I'm there. If you live in a relatively flat area and don't shift much, then it's no big deal to reach and shift occasionally. Also, I've worn out several friction shifters in my life (the friction washers wear out), but have never once had an index shifter fail. I know there are other considerations for some though. --- On Tue, 9/1/09, Bruce <fullylug...@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Bruce <fullylug...@yahoo.com> Subject: [RBW] Re: Considering an AHH - Advice sought To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 8:12 AM One often overlooked advantage to bar end or down tube levers is that they let you mix and match components easily (while in friction mode). Campy FD, Shimano RD? No prob. They're lighter than brifter setups and are neat for shifting when down in the drops. You just use your pinkies. I sprint when in the drops so they are better for me than brifters, which would require lifting hands to the hoods to shift. --- On Tue, 9/1/09, Steve Palincsar <palin...@his.com> wrote: > And I am leaning towards building the bike with bar-end shifters. Any > reason I should consider otherwise? If you like them, use them. The only disadvantage compared to brifters is that you can't shift while sprinting or climbing out of the saddle. If you do a lot of "town line sprints" that may be an issue for you; otherwise, probably not. _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_online:082009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
