I agree, I greatly prefer bar-ends to downtube shifters. None of the bikes I rode as a youth (went from a SS banana-seat bike to a cheap MTB) had downtubers, so I never acquired the knack. I have bar-ends on two of my bikes, and I find them easy to find and easy to use.
One consideration with bar-end shifters: they'll encourage you to ride in the drops more. So, I recommend running the bars high enough for you to ride in the drops comfortably. Many modern drop-bar bikes have a low stack that requires a riser stem or even a steerer extender to get the bars that high. Thankfully, Rivendells are designed with a taller stack and quill stems that make raising the bars a breeze. On my bar-end shifted bikes, I have the bar tops about level with the saddle height. That way, the riding in the drops is a forward, aero, aggressive position, but not so aggressive that it's uncomfortable. Riv Road Standard (650b): 3 x 10 (10s bar-end to 9s M772 RD) http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/Tim_Gavin/media/Rivendell/IMG_07731_zpsst3nvqm4.jpg.html Schwinn KOM: 3 x 9 (9s bar-end to 9s M662 RD) http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t458/Tim_Gavin/KOM/IMG_07721_zpsc3rmyk9k.jpg On Fri, Aug 26, 2016 at 12:48 PM, Steve Palincsar <[email protected]> wrote: > > You'd definitely better try down tube shifters before you wholeheartedly > commit to them. Aesthetics are one thing, but actually using them while > riding is something else again. I love the way they look, but I have > always disliked actually using downtube shifters. I know this puzzles > those who love them, but the way we sit on the bike isn't the same: their > hands fall on the levers when they drop their arms, but I have to reach > down what feels like almost six inches to get hold of the downtube lever - > almost as bad as bending down to grab hold of a water bottle. I think it's > a combination of short arms and a high handlebar for me vs longer arms and > lower bars for them. > > Bar end shifters, on the other hand, are perfect for me; I love them. I > won't give them up for anything. Others tell me they can't find them (like > how could you not find the ends of the handlebars?) or they keep hitting > their knees on them; I can't understand that at all, but I believe that's > how it is for them. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
