no more down-tube shifters?

[Brendan]

Tha last time I used a touring bike it had un-indexed shifters on the down tube. Now all new bikes seem to have indexed shifters, and bikes with drop handlebars have them sticking out of the ends of the handlebars, which seems weird to me. Don't they hit the knees?

Does anyone have any comments about un-indexed vs. indexed, and down tube mounted vs. handlebar mounted shifters?

[jags]

how do brendan ,i went with sti shifters simply because i have them on my road bikes they work great, it's just a matter of choice  what you like,im sure bar ends or down tube work as well as sti shifters but as i said id rather have sti. and no barend's wont hit your knees.

[blair]

Indexed shifters have been around for 20+ years, and work very well for the rear derailleur, and OK for a front triple. (They are pretty irrelevant for a front dual derailleur.)
The main disadvantage is that most of them have no ability to trim the front mech to avoid chain rub. (Honourable exception is Campag ergo before the latest models.) If everything is adjusted correctly, and you avoid silly gear combinations, this is not usually a problem, but in the real world, it would be handy.

I've got bikes with drop bar Shimano sti, down-tube and under-bar pods, and I can get along with all of them. I've also used Compag ergos and bar-end shifters, but not so much. As far as shifting performance goes, I prefer the mountain bike style under bar pods, but they don't go too well with drop bars.

For a dedicated, long term tourer, I'd probably get a Rohloff hub, but if I was using derailleurs and drop bars, I'd go for down-tube shifters for simplicity and robustness. I've had my sti system knocked out of adjustment in transit on aircraft, and significant damage could easily leave you unable to change gears. Most down-tube or bar-end shifters will allow you to turn off the indexing so you can cope with a bent derailleur or mount. They are also a bit easier to find cables for in the wild. Separate brake levers also means you can use V brakes rather than cantilevers, and they are a bit less fiddly.

What I'd really prefer for my day-to-day use is a down-tube shifter for the front mech, and an sti for the rear. The indexed shifting between chain rings is a bit brutal, and doesn't allow for trimming. Even with a well adjusted derailleur, I occasionally throw the chain off (maybe once a year, but it happened last Sunday.) Sadly, no-one sells such a setup, and I'm not motivated enough to gut my current levers.

[Brendan]

Many thanks to Jags and to Blair for their comments. I'm going for down-tube shifters which can be switched between indexed and un-indexed.

[Danneaux]

Or, one could consider a forthcoming alternative, brake lever-mounted downtube shifters, comprising a pseudo-STI mashup.  See:

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3066.msg16701#msg16701

Best,

Dan.

[Erudin]

I fitted some Dura Ace 9 speed SL-A7700 Braze-On Down Tube SIS Shifters to my Thorn Audax Mk3. I originally had 9-speed Campag on it but changed to Shimano wheels for better sealed mtb hubs and less dish on the back wheel (LX FHT660 hubbed Sputnik wheel, 11-32 Deore HG50 cassette, HG53 Chain, Deore M530 low normal rear mech, Tiagra FD4503 Triple Front Mech, Tiagra 4503 9 Speed Chainset 50/39/26T ). Had tried a Jtek shiftmate to get the Campag ergo levers to work with the Shimano gears and it worked but not perfectly. So got the downtube shifters and find them great, no fine-tuning/new cables needed since fitting and it shifts smoothly and reliably through the gears due to the short cable run.



Fitting the shifters was very easy, no outer cables to cut or route. The low normal rear mech makes it easy to double-shift both levers at the same time, forward for low gear, back for high. The low normal return spring is also meant to improve inward shifts to low gears under load.

Highly recommend the Dura Ace downtube shifters, even for people with STI levers they would be good to have as a back-up on a long audax or tour.

[Danneaux]

A really nice-looking installation, Erudin, and very much in keeping aesthetically and functionally with the bike.

I used downtube shifters on the majority of my bikes over the last 35 years or so, and their direct action, simplicity, protected location and housing-free cables (except the rear derailleur loop) make them the most reliable of all shifters for remote touring, though my rando bike is so equipped as well.

Man, I miss my half-step and granny triple gearing!  Ah, me, the wheels of progress turn and I now have the standard trekking 44-32-22 Deore coupled to a Shimano 11-34 9-sp cassette on my Sherpa.  Excellent range for heavily loaded touring in the mountains, but coarser steps and more redundant gear combinations. 

I did once manage to save a tour by transferring a bar-end shifter to the downtube boss after the plug-in lever housing became damaged in a blowover while in camp.  Made for a bit of a reach to the short lever in that location, but did the job till I could get a proper replacement. 

Best,

Dan.