Foo - Bike related, so ban me.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/11/28/first-look-retroshift-brake-shift-levers-for-cyclocross/

I totally want these for my vintage Falcon and Cannondale!

I like.

look like they'd be nice to try, but a bit pricey for my blood. at that price, I'd probably just buy some brifters and be done with it, though I like that you could swap in/out whatever system you wanted as long as you could find the appropriate dt shifters.

I'd use Campy levers and the Campy CX cross brakes... :)

This is why product managers have ulcers:

Everyone had to have "aero" brake levers, where the cable and housing run under the handlebar tape.

Shimano finally got with it and re-designed their groups with shifter cable and housing under the handlebar tape.

Then some yahoo does something like this, with the shifter cable and housing coming out of the top of the hoods, like the ancient and at the time much maligned non-aero brakes.

And everyone loves it!

Somewhere, there's some product manager, with his head in his hands, sobbing...

This is why product managers have ulcers:

Everyone had to have "aero" brake levers, where the cable and housing run under the handlebar tape.

Shimano finally got with it and re-designed their groups with shifter cable and housing under the handlebar tape.

Then some yahoo does something like this, with the shifter cable and housing coming out of the top of the hoods, like the ancient and at the time much maligned non-aero brakes.

And everyone loves it!

Somewhere, there's some product manager, with his head in his hands, sobbing...

Yep. Those are as hot as anything I've seen in Beautiful Cars.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/11/28/first-look-retroshift-brake-shift-levers-for-cyclocross/

I totally want these for my vintage Falcon and Cannondale!

I think I see the next upgrade to the huffy!

Exposed cables rock. Like a skeleton watch where the workings are exposed so you can see them. Aero cables make for a PIA when it comes to changing the cables/tape. Only advantage I see to the aero cables is I can flip the bikeover onto the bars and saddle without kinking the cables.

I'd give those shifters a try on my vintage ride.

I don't have the money (I spent it at the swap meet on DA barends for my CX bike!), but those are great. I am a huge fan of full-friction shifting.

You are ban button proof by the way.
I tried and tried to no avail. The server hamster just scoffed. Said not until the negatives are destroyed.

You are ban button proof by the way.
I tried and tried to no avail. The server hamster just scoffed. Said not until the negatives are destroyed.


Funny, because I can never get you to show up on the negatives. Why is that?

Funny, because I can never get you to show up on the negatives. Why is that?

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01540/onehourphoto2_1540767c.jpg
^^^^
He'll never tell.

Chris Kelly already has "Take Off" thumbies that mount next to the brake levers, and cheaper.
http://kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html

I have ridden Take Offs and they are nice. Been a few years though and it was only on one ride, so I cannot recall how easy it was to shift them from the hoods.

I like the look of the Retroshift offering and based on the video, they appear to be easy to use from the hoods, which is where my hands spend most of their time when I am riding.

Shifting from the hoods is easy peasy with Take offs. From the tops too. Shifting from the drops, not doable, but you can't get everything. I currently rock the take offs (and will soon be upgrading from 6 speed shifters to 8 speed), but I have to say the retroshifts are more attractive.

Oh great. Now you guys have pointed me at more things to add to my wish list.

I'm gonna be the voice of dissent here. They just kind of repulse me. I have no idea how well they might work, but I look at them and just think "ew."

I'm with Doohickie. Total Kluge.

I'm gonna be the voice of dissent here. They just kind of repulse me. I have no idea how well they might work, but I look at them and just think "ew."


I'm with Doohickie. Total Kluge.

So how do you two feel about Kelly TakeOffs? They seem more klugey to me.

I like the almost steampunkish look of the Retroshifts. Seems sort of fitting for a vintage bike. Function over form sort of feel to me. I would like to see them up close and ride them before buying, but I like them.

I'm gonna be the voice of dissent here. They just kind of repulse me. I have no idea how well they might work, but I look at them and just think "ew."


I'm with Doohickie. Total Kluge.

Oh.... um, can I change my answer? ;)


So how do you two feel about Kelly TakeOffs? They seem more klugey to me.

I like the almost steampunkish look of the Retroshifts. Seems sort of fitting for a vintage bike. Function over form sort of feel to me. I would like to see them up close and ride them before buying, but I like them.

Kelly TakeOffs are an abortion on two wheels. If you're gonna to that, just get brifters and be done with it.

Oh.... um, can I change my answer? ;)



Kelly TakeOffs are an abortion on two wheels. If you're gonna to that, just get brifters and be done with it.

Much less than brifters, allows me to use my existing shifters (as do TakeOffs), serviceable, easy to restore to original condition, works with any number of gears, and on and on. Does most of what brifters do at a fraction of the cost and does things brifters cannot due, like operate in friction mode.

So how do you two feel about Kelly TakeOffs? They seem more klugey to me.

I like the almost steampunkish look of the Retroshifts. Seems sort of fitting for a vintage bike. Function over form sort of feel to me. I would like to see them up close and ride them before buying, but I like them.

You captured that perfectly.

The Kelly TakeOffs look like a hack job to me.

You produced some valuble info here for my older bikes,thanks jsharr you-all.

I have a few pairs of these kicking around.... Suntour Command Shifters... which make the Take Offs look like a cludge.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8WFnoErtf38/SfDP_4Oc0gI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/6yOa5lie9wk/s400/Command.jpg

Oh.... um, can I change my answer? ;)

Oh, DooDoo! Is the Romance gone?

I'm gonna cut my wrists.

After I take some random pills.

After I wreck my car.

Oh. Pooh.

Oh, DooDoo don't you wuve me anymore?

Sheez, you guys want cheap and purty? Get some beer goggles. But yeah, the kellys are not going to win any beauty contests.
I think I might like those Suntours of Sixty Fiver, but since I just blew all my discretionary spendolas for the next 4 months, any extras are OUT OF THE QUESTION.
Went to 4 different LBS's on Friday looking for new road bike. I have all OLD bicycles(HEAVY), so I wondered what a modern, lighter weight, bike would feel like. NO CARBON, NO BB30, were my only restrictions.
And it had to be within my budget. CHEAP.
I saved my favorite LBS for last, and I had never been to two of the others. Got completely blown off by the first shop on my first(and Last) visit to them.
Ultimately, I put a Schwinn Le Tour Classic (105 equipped) steel on layaway after a test ride at my favorite LBS.
I don't know if I really like brifters. Learning curve? I have prefered stem shifters for road, and rapid fires or thumb shifters for other geared bikes.
If I can't get with the brifters, I thought maybe barends or back to stem shifters, but then I remembered seeing some kind of thumb shifters on BF a while ago. We will see.


ps
I have not been able to find the picture, but I seem to remember that the thumbies were mounted on the inside of the front non aero brake hoods, not on the handlebars.

Oh, DooDoo! Is the Romance gone?

I'm gonna cut my wrists.

After I take some random pills.

After I wreck my car.

Oh. Pooh.

Oh, DooDoo don't you wuve me anymore?

Oh, ahsposo, you'll always be the only shoplifter in my life.

Sheez, you guys want cheap and purty?

Yes.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11BlackNTan/PB130013.jpg

Done, and done.

Yes.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11BlackNTan/PB130013.jpg

Done, and done.

:thumb:Yup, If I can't get comfortable with brifters, that's probably the way I'll go.

I'd use Campy levers and the Campy CX cross brakes... :)

and you could still perform multiple shifts... i guess i dont get it. if they were cheap that would be one thing.

and you could still perform multiple shifts... i guess i dont get it. if they were cheap that would be one thing.

The price is a little off putting... and I have no reason or intention to replace the bar cons on any of the bikes that have them although I have been pondering building something around the command shifters.

Found the shifters that I remembered seeing, but after reading a few reviews on two other bike forums, not so sure I even want to try them. Apparently they are extremely difficult to set up correctly, if at all.
Modolo Morphos228848

Anybody have any experience with these. Good, Bad or Fugly?
Any comments I found here are several years old.

The price is a little off putting... and I have no reason or intention to replace the bar cons on any of the bikes that have them although I have been pondering building something around the command shifters.

$140 and they you still have to spend $60+ on shifters (assuming you buy new) tektro r200a levers are nice but not that nice.

ive never seen comand shifters in the flesh but i always thought they looked interesting. i looked for some for a while.

I find the Command and Modolos very intriguing. But here in the real world, it's full-friction bar-ends for me. Except for the mini-velo which has funky head-tube shifters.

:thumb:Yup, If I can't get comfortable with brifters, that's probably the way I'll go.

I've never even tried brifters. Don't plan to any time soon.

I love brifters, and if I was made of money, they would be on all my bikes. $140 to use my existing shifters is a bit spendy, but is not that much more than the cost of adding barend shifters to a bike.

Barends are nice and simple and clean. Maybe that is the way to go.

I just wanted to say a word in favor of the Kelly take-off's that people seem to be disliking here. They may not look the prettiest, but they make friction shifting smooth and easy like butter. Just don't look down and you're good. Been considering running the shift cables from the take offs to under the brake levers and then under the tape to see if it looks any cleaner the next time I re-tape the bars, but I odn't know if the longer cable and more bends will decrease the functionality to the point that it kills the benefit.

I love brifters, and if I was made of money, they would be on all my bikes. $140 to use my existing shifters is a bit spendy, but is not that much more than the cost of adding barend shifters to a bike.

I've bought two pairs of Suntour Bar-cons for an average price of $45. New cables, bar tape, maybe another $30. Still a lot less than $140.

I just wanted to say a word in favor of the Kelly take-off's that people seem to be disliking here. They may not look the prettiest, but they make friction shifting smooth and easy like butter. Just don't look down and you're good. Been considering running the shift cables from the take offs to under the brake levers and then under the tape to see if it looks any cleaner the next time I re-tape the bars, but I odn't know if the longer cable and more bends will decrease the functionality to the point that it kills the benefit.

I run the shift cables all the way under the tape with my bar-cons. Works fine, except that you have to make sure you use shift cable housing (with the longitudinal wrap versus the spiral wrap of brake cables). When I use bar-cons I need to use a tandem shift cable to reach to the rear derailleur- a standard cable ends up about 6" too short. If you're only routing cables to the brake lever, a standard cable may work.

Friction > Indexed
Bar-cons > Brifters
Command Shift > Everything else.

I keep hounding Velo-Orange to get some repros made but I got no pull over there and they keep ignoring me.

Hmm, I like both this and the Kelly Take Off. I'd seen the Take Off before, but thought it was something made exclusively Back In The Day, so I never paid much mind, since the chances of finding something that niche on the used market are so slim.

Neither is excessively physically attractive, but I like the ingenuity a lot.