Classic & Vintage - Why not just buy bar end shifters rather than new > 7s DT shifters?

Does anyone do this?

This way, you can use the levers on the bike as DT levers and use the pods to put DT shifters you already have on. I just did this with an 8 speed set and used the pods to make a 7 speed bar end set.

I didn't buy them new, but realized that if I had to, I'd go for the bar ends as they are nearly the same price.

I just upgraded a bike from 6 speed down tube shifters, to 8 speed bar-ends. It was the cheapest way to gain the extra gears and I like bar-ends while not being terribly fond of downtube shifters.

I like bar-ends while not being terribly fond of downtube shifters.

Me too! I have run Suntour, Campy and Simplex. Suntour are the best operating, in my opinion. I modified a set, a wee bit, for this old Legnano (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Feature_Bicycles/Feature_Bicycles_Itlay/Legnano_Tipo_Roma/LEGNANO_GRAN_PREMIO_1_Start.htm)...
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Bicycles_Table/Italian_Bicycles/Legnano_Bicycles/Legnano_Brian/Legnano_Test_Build/Legnano_Build_1/Legnano_Conservatory/Legnano_Consv_Brake_L_1.jpg

I bought NOS 7spd DT Shifters (a bit newer tech than my bike) for my Colnago build because I wanted to keep that vintage look. I have barends on my touring bike and also wanted to try something different.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/funkcriminal/DSC_3410.jpg

I have been thinking of something like that for a project.

I used to have barends but on regular drop bars I found that I sometimes hit the bar end with my knee which shifts into a higher gear, So I went back to DT.

It's a bit more expensive and definitely doesn't look classic or vintage, but I just bought a pair of kelly take offs (http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html)
http://www.kellybike.com/images/kelly_takeoff_photo.jpg
to put dt shifters where they can be reached from the tops or hoods. I excited to put them on this weekend.

Suntour Command shifters. Going on my Team Miyata very soon.

http://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/39/50753/t/305463-Take-Command-of-your-Shifts-0.jpg

^^that's a stock pic I found on the interwebs and they are not mounted correctly as shown

It's a bit more expensive and definitely doesn't look classic or vintage, but I just bought a pair of kelly take offs (http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html)
http://www.kellybike.com/images/kelly_takeoff_photo.jpg
to put dt shifters where they can be reached from the tops or hoods. I excited to put them on this weekend.

Aesthetics be damned...that just looks smart. I'd do that in a heart beat.

Not everyone likes barend shifters...I don't.

Suntour Command shifters. Going on my Team Miyata very soon.

http://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/39/50753/t/305463-Take-Command-of-your-Shifts-0.jpg

^^that's a stock pic I found on the interwebs and they are not mounted correctly as shown

Suntour command shifters are great... they are harder to find than bar ends and I would use these happily.

I bought NOS 7spd DT Shifters (a bit newer tech than my bike) for my Colnago build because I wanted to keep that vintage look. I have barends on my touring bike and also wanted to try something different.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/funkcriminal/DSC_3410.jpg

Awesome! :thumb: :thumb:

I guess I am just old fashion, love my DT shifters too...;)

If you convert from DT to BE, what do you do with the DT braze-ons?

Overpriced for what they are, but the following will add a nice finishing touch, and leave the frame untouched for the next caretaker. Made by Problem Solvers, and easily ordered at any respectable bike shop or online retailer.

http://problemsolversbike.com/images/sized/files/prod_grp/fs09001-390x390.png

If you convert from DT to BE, what do you do with the DT braze-ons?

You put cable stops on em.

those problem solvers wont solve any problems in this case.

The thing that gets me is that when you want to go to a higher gear on the back cogs, you flip DT shifters up, while with bar-ends you go down. This messes me up sometimes when I go from my commuter to my vintage roadie.

To clarify, I didn't mean this to be a DT vs Bar End thing. I was just saying that you can mount bar end levers on the downtube. If you don't mind the look of them, you can buy those and mount them on the DT and use the left over pods to mount some DT levers on; maybe some 6 or 7 speeds since >7s DT levers cost about the same as correspond bar ends and 7 speed shifters are hard to find. This might be useful to make some 6 speed bar end shifters too!


The thing that gets me is that when you want to go to a higher gear on the back cogs, you flip DT shifters up, while with bar-ends you go down. This messes me up sometimes when I go from my commuter to my vintage roadie.

Really? I only picture them going the same way. You pull to go to a lower gear and relieve system to go to a higher gear. Am I going crazy?

I used to have barends but on regular drop bars I found that I sometimes hit the bar end with my knee which shifts into a higher gear, So I went back to DT.

+1
DT shifters, since my vintage rides have narrow bars.
BE on my tandem are OK as bars are 44cm.

I used to have barends but on regular drop bars I found that I sometimes hit the bar end with my knee which shifts into a higher gear, So I went back to DT.

I was always afraid of that, but still always curious about them. Surprised to see a set in the 2011 campy catalogue; I had the obviously misguided idea that they'd died a death in recent years.

i kinda want to do that to my trek, I have drop bars now and am seriously considering turning it into a upright ride.

Suntour command shifters are great... they are harder to find than bar ends and I would use these happily.

Ebay is full of NOS ones for $180/set. I can buy Campy for kind of money.

To clarify, I didn't mean this to be a DT vs Bar End thing. I was just saying that you can mount bar end levers on the downtube. If you don't mind the look of them, you can buy those and mount them on the DT and use the left over pods to mount some DT levers on; maybe some 6 or 7 speeds since >7s DT levers cost about the same as correspond bar ends and 7 speed shifters are hard to find. This might be useful to make some 6 speed bar end shifters too!



AH HA!! I didn't understand the Original Post, but now I get it. That is very cool. What sort of bar-end shifters did you do this to? Suntour?

It's a bit more expensive and definitely doesn't look classic or vintage, but I just bought a pair of kelly take offs (http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html)
http://www.kellybike.com/images/kelly_takeoff_photo.jpg
to put dt shifters where they can be reached from the tops or hoods. I excited to put them on this weekend.

+1
197942

AH HA!! I didn't understand the Original Post, but now I get it. That is very cool. What sort of bar-end shifters did you do this to? Suntour?

I wanted to keep a 600 tricolor group, but not use DT shifters. I also had an 8 speed bike I'm flipping. I took the 8s levers off the pods and put them on the bike at the downtube and took the 600 tricolor 7s shifters and mounted them on the pods. I don't think this would be very hard to do with SunTour, but may take some works to get around the issue of mounting plates.