Touring - 7 speed bar end

Hi I've a Trek T30 hybrid bike and have been looking for bar ends but my gears are only 7 speed. I have found this 7 speed one http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=19963 but am wondering if it is compatible with my 21 speed Shimano C102 front and Acera rear derailleurs and at the moment have Shimano Revo gear shifters. Though this Jtek one looks to be only half the thing as I'm guessing it actually needs a 'Nexus internal hub'?

I've also seen this http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Shimano-7-8-Speed-Shimano-600-Ultegra-SL-6480-8-Bar-End-Levers-399.htm which says is 7 or 8 speed. I've read that you can use an 8 or 9 speed bar end but that the gears maybe off a bit. Is it livable or not worth it?

Ta,
Greg

Cheers and welcome to the Forums.

Right next to what you linked to is a pair of friction bar end shifters that would work with any number of cogs and sprockets: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Dia-compe-Dia-Compe-Bar-End-Shift-Levers-H-bar-end-Fit-Power-Ratchet-Friction-Control-21014.htm Do you specifically require indexing?

--J

Thanks Juha.

I don't actually know what indexing is so I'm going to say no to needing it if this works.

Thanks again,
Greg

Used Dura-ace 10 speed in friction mode work fine on my 3x7 setup. Never been a big fan of indexing on DT shifters so it was an ease buy.

Did you do anything else to fit them other than attach them?

Ta,
Greg

8 speed dura-ace bar ends will work in index or friction mode for a 7 speed rear.

jensonusa.com has 'em for $56. not sure if that's the cheapest you will find but that's where I got mine for my 7 speed rear. My LBS said that 8 speeds were obsolete. hmph. they suggested using 9/10 speed shifters in friction mode.

I don't actually know what indexing is so I'm going to say no to needing it if this works.
Indexed shifting is the kind that clicks into this gear or that- the shifter won`t settle in a position that`s in between one gear and the next. Friction shifting means that your shifter moves through all positions with no little click stops. I don`t know how old you are, but if you ever had a derailler equiped bike before the 90s (or even into the 90s), remember how you used to listen to the chain and dial in the derailler position for each shift? That was friction shifting. It`s kind of gone out of style now, but it really does have some advantages and works fine for most applications. With a friction shifter, it doesn`t matter how many "speeds" the bike is- since there are no clicks, whether the shifter is supposedly for 5- speed or 9-speed it works the same.

If you want 7 speed indexed bar end shifters, you`ll probably have to dig some up on eBay. As noted above, if you don`t care about indexing, you have a lot more options. Most (maybe all?) Shimano or Suntour bar end and downtube shifters can be switched very easilly back and forth between index and friction mode for the rear derailler, but you may have problems indexing a Suntour shifter with a Shimano rear derailler. They all use friction shifting for the front, so anything goes.

Thanks for all your help. Will try at the end of the month and hopefully when all the ice is gone.

Ta,
Greg

http://cgi.ebay.ca/NOS-SUNTOUR-BARCONS-BAR-END-SHIFTER-accushift-superbe-7_W0QQitemZ170430534875QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27ae7394db

I was looking for black bar-ends and almost bought these ones, but I have a 9 speed setup and wouldn't mind having indexing along with friction back, so I settled on some newer dura-ace ones... I think 7 speed bar ends show up on ebay with some regularity.

8 speed dura-ace bar ends will work in index or friction mode for a 7 speed rear.

jensonusa.com has 'em for $56. not sure if that's the cheapest you will find but that's where I got mine for my 7 speed rear. My LBS said that 8 speeds were obsolete. hmph. they suggested using 9/10 speed shifters in friction mode.

Several years ago I had the same problem - I needed bar end shifters for a 7-speed. I posed the same question to Sheldon Brown, who gave me the same answer. The 8-speeds worked great.