Author Topic: Bar end shifters vs STI levers  (Read 13434 times)

Bill C

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #15 on: September 25, 2014, 05:18:36 pm »
i've used sti in the past but tbh didn't like them, i prefer bar end shifters but i have them set up on bar extensions
i reckon they are much nicer in use,
if you position them where it is most comfortable for you then i reckon they are quicker shifting than sti,
sti need multiple shifts to get from one end of the cassette to the other where as barcons can dump the entire cassette in one smooth shift, on top of that should the rear mech go out of synch you can flip them into friction
had i have set the barcons up lately i would of used a nitto lamp holder 2 (1st pic),
btw if your using barcons then i'd try a decent rapid rise mech otherwise the shifters work in opposite directions  ::)
A quick google brought up these alternate mounts for barcons
« Last Edit: September 25, 2014, 05:20:09 pm by Bill C »

jags

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #16 on: September 25, 2014, 06:07:02 pm »
i like the last photo will have to study that. ;)

anto

stuartieboy

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #17 on: September 25, 2014, 07:37:49 pm »
Thanks for all the comments so far, plenty for me to think. I'm looking forward to trying out STI levers and bar end shifters soon as I try to make up my mind.
Stuartieboy

Slammin Sammy

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #18 on: September 25, 2014, 10:17:47 pm »
Well live and learn! I must say, Bill. You have opened up my eyes to the possibilities.  :D

Thanks!  :)

jags

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #19 on: September 25, 2014, 11:16:38 pm »
yeah me too  if i were  to change things around it would be the last photo,but where to buy the adapters to fit the barends?

anto

triaesthete

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #20 on: September 26, 2014, 12:31:50 pm »

 I've tried both systems extensively and expensively and now gone back to indexed downtube shifters on my derailleur bikes  :o

Sti:  bad:  complex, expensive, fiddly to fit, limited life, sometimes mis shift and difficult to use with cold/wet/tired hands, sometimes shift instead of braking and vice versa, fiddly front trimming (based on Ultegra 6600 2x10 compact AND 6700 3x10 full systems)
       good:  can shift whilst standing on pedals.

Bar ends : bad: about half a kilo heavier than downtube shifter set up ( I weighed it.), can attack knees, still not an optimal ergonomic shifter position. (Based on 8 and 9 speed Ultegra index/friction bar ends)
                good: reliable, long lived, multiple shifts easy, trimming easy. Emergency downshift really easy with low normal derailleur.

Downtube set up by contrast is simplest, lightest, tidiest, easiest to set up, cheapest, least integrated, most reliable, most flexible for hybridised transmissions, and for me at least; as ergonomic as bar ends. I find bigger arm/hand/shoulder and back movements beneficial as they help reduce RSI stress by requiring more mobility.   Downside may be more planning required for  shifting but as I'm not racing this is actually a pleasure, and I no longer need to shift standing up as a hybridised transmission allows me to have low enough gears for climbing seated.

Mind you some of the centrally mounted systems above could be good but the boutique parts are generally so expensive  :-[

The cocktail of Zen simplicity and Luddism is the one for me.

Try them all it's often suprising and counter intuitive what works best.
Ian

jags

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #21 on: September 26, 2014, 12:58:54 pm »
well have to say in all the years i used sti i never once had a problem.

mind you I'm gentle on my bikes like my baby's and i shift gears one at a time  never go from 11 to 28 in one jump  and visa versa.


jags.

Slammin Sammy

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #22 on: September 26, 2014, 02:06:49 pm »

The cocktail of Zen simplicity and Luddism is the one for me.

Ian

 ;D I love it, Ian!  ;D

But for me, I'm afraid my cocktail is more potent - Keep the Zen, but replace Luddism with Technophilia!

I had Suntour down tube friction shifters on my old (much loved and lamented) Bridgestone Antares LDT, and it took me ages to conquer them. My revelation came by chance upon meeting a touring cyclist on the road who showed me how to "double-shift" both gears at once with one hand. There is no other method I know of to accomplish this, which avoids the gear overlaps in derailleur setups.

I preferred them to my bar ends, but still like the twist grip Rohloff best! A true Luddite wouldn't see the value in the Rohloff.

triaesthete

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #23 on: September 26, 2014, 02:30:24 pm »


More potent!?  Possibly even explosive  :o


mickeg

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #24 on: September 26, 2014, 03:52:35 pm »
I'm sure I'll be forgiven for speaking from a point of relative ignorance but would not the desire/need for a bar bag of a certain size influence the decsion whether or not to put bar end or sti shifters on a tourer - perhaps on an audax too?

A friend of mine has Shimano STI shifters, he runs the cables through V brake type brake noodles so that the brake cables do not go straight towards the bar bag.


Danneaux

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #25 on: September 26, 2014, 05:21:31 pm »
+1 (...or +4) for downtube shifters, Ian; I actually prefer them on four of my bikes, including my favorite rando bike.

For something a bit different, I'm running a pair of thumbshifters near the stem of my tandem. A bar-end shifter controls the big Arai drum drag brake.

All the best,

Dan. (...who thinks these differences and personalizations are what make bikes really special)

Erudin

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #26 on: September 27, 2014, 12:25:17 am »
My favourite shifters are downtube on my Thorn Audax. Got bar-end shifters on a couple of bikes, one set mounted on retroshift levers.

I like that downtube and bar-end shifters are cheap enough to keep some as spares (bought second-hand off ebay), and make mixing of otherwise incompatible drivetrain parts easy. My Thorn Audax for example has a road chainset and front mech and mtb cassette and rear mech.

Maintenance is simple and they don't need new gear cables or fine-tuning as often as sti systems. I have 9sp Campag ergo levers on my Bianchi road bike and am thinking of trying friction downtube shifters to avoid having to send them off for a service or "upgrade" to 10-speed.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2014, 10:18:52 pm by Erudin »

Danneaux

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #27 on: September 27, 2014, 01:18:38 am »
Some very nice setups, Erudin.

Plus (!) downtube shfters are light and east to pack as backups should STI pack it in while touring.

All the best,

Dan. (...whose downtube shifters -- with one exception and it has the option -- are all friction)

doug

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #28 on: September 29, 2014, 08:39:06 pm »
I started out with the bar end shifters and have converted to Tiagra STI shifters - and they're pretty good!

I agonised over the bar end - v - STI shifters when I was warming up to buy my Thorn Audax.  I went for the bar end shifters to save a little money and because of the reported simplicity and reliability.  That was all completely true.

However, I like the ergonomical design of the STI levers (how they feel when rising for several hours and being able to change gear while holding on) and when I had the opportunity to get some used Tiagra shifters very cheaply I couldn't resist.  They perform nicely but it is true they need adjusting from time to time and the rear is so much easier to adjust than the front.

I have used a bike with Ultegra STI levers and these are nice, very nice, and very expensive.  The concealed cables are an added bonus.

Here's a post about installing STI levers.  Be aware the bar end levers have a reverse thread (as far as I recall).  Take a look at the bottom of the post and there is a link to an article going through the question you have asked, although this is a couple of years old now.

http://thecyclehub.net/installing-shimano-tiagra-shifters/

Hope this helps.
http://thecyclehub.net - The life long joy of cycling

stuartieboy

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Re: Bar end shifters vs STI levers
« Reply #29 on: October 01, 2014, 09:25:32 pm »
Hi Doug, thanks for that information. I'm just going to check out the link you posted.
Stuartieboy