Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Ugh.... Mechanical Today on the commute: Gotta shift to Barcons I guess

I was riding my LD bike to work this morning, and the shift bar on my left/front SRAM DoubleTap snapped off.

Less than a year of riding - and probably less than 3k miles, since it's been a bad year for me.

I knew going in that these things had a reputation for being finicky, but I had no idea one would just snap off like that.

Fortunately, with it gone, the doubletap control still works as a brake. And the right/rear shifter is still in great condition. Always had problems with the front one - the throw on it to get it to upshift was a bear, so it's small wonder it broke eventually.

So... I'm going the barcon route - at least for the front. Question is... what Barcons? A Set of SRAM 500 TTs will surely be compatible, or I could just get one friction shifter for the front and leave the back on the DoubleTap (which would open the possibility of putting the front shifter on the right bar, leaving the left bar with a mirror).


Gah. With this, it's the second mechanical failure in as many weeks. Both my bikes need maintenance, but at least I can ride this one as long as I don't hit any big hills.

I wondered what had happened to you. You got that nice-looking bike (based on photos) for rando and LD rides, figured I'd see you on the brevet circuit and/or some permanents ... but no.

Disappointed for you about the shifters and other back stuff (?), but nice to know you're still in-motion.

I have seen on other forums that SRAM warrantees theses pretty generously, I would check that out.

I have seen on other forums that SRAM warrantees theses pretty generously, I would check that out.

Yeah, that's a good idea. But here's the thing: I don't think I'll trust their product even if they are willing to replace it.

Yea, when cycling far (and far from home) rando style, there's something to be said for the reassuring durability of a set of old-timey shifters, whether on the bar or the down tube.

Sucks about the shifter! Nothing should break that soon. :(

OTOH, there's no better chance to lock it into the middle ring and show those hills what you can do without a granny gear. :thumb:

Yeah, that's a good idea. But here's the thing: I don't think I'll trust their product even if they are willing to replace it.

well, get the replacements and put them on the 'bay. I'm sure they know there is an issue, but it doesn't hurt to keep the pressure on

good reason or a backup bike for the backup bike. I have 4 road bikes now and that's too much but one is a classic so ...

Here's the pic I snapped when I got in to work yesterday. The entire lever came off right as I got home last night.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UJTrCJNTIoo/UFIb8ZdVw8I/AAAAAAAAA3k/v9eM8skJVAw/s1228/20120912_101917.jpg

That lever throw has always been a hard one. In retrospect, I'm not really surprised it broke.

check out the warranty/replacement, sell on ebay and buy shimano if you're worried. my dura-ace 7800 group has been pretty much flawless. the group is almost 10 years old still on the original chainrings with 7-12,000 miles a year and i ride my stuff hard, racing, getting hit by cars, riding singletrack on a road bike. if if can survive that kind of abuse for that long it would seem silly to take such a large technological step backwards to barcons. you don't need to switch to barcons, you just need to switch brands.

Same with my Ultegra brifters. They do wear out, maybe after 50,000 miles, but one can feel the wear coming on. I have broken an Ultegra brifter by hitting both up and down levers very hard while wearing mittens in winter. Not the fault of the shifter, though. Ultegra, Dura-Ace, or barcons, by far the most frequent problem is a broken cable.

I have seen on other forums that SRAM warrantees theses pretty generously, I would check that out.

This is true, SRAM is always fantastic with warranty, it is a shame they do not seem to have the same durability as Shimano. I had my early model Force shifters break like this and got upgraded to Red which was pretty nice. At the least let them replace them and sell them to cover the cost of going to bar ends.

This is a known problem with the lower end SRAM groups. If you can, get them to upgrade you to RED.

My Raleigh Sojourn came with bar-end shifters, indexed on the rear, not on the front, Dura Ace brand. I like them fine. They are not everlasting, though. I've got around 28,000 miles on the bike, have replaced the rear shifter twice, the front shifter once in that time, if I remember right.

So, I got the bar-cons installed a while back, but never posted any pics. Here she is at the north end of the ATT on the shakeout 50 mile ride. Well, 59 with the bonus miles I logged because I was having so much fun I missed a turn or three.

279005

I like the reflective tape. I noticed your PBSF is pointing up - looks like you can angle it down a bit ...

congrats on the work completed and the ride! ;)