LarDasse74

Brifters are outrageously overpriced... the shimano version is basically a set of brake levers mounted on a sideways set of rapidfire levers . Basic brake levers are $30 and Alivio rapidfire levers are $40 - so why are sora brifters $200? Whateverer - prices are set by what people will pay. Not me, but other people are willing to pay. If you don't like it buy used or ride a single speed - it's that simple.

Also, barcons do not cost half of what comparable brifters cost... Dura-Ace 10sp bar cons - $150 at Jenson USA, Dura-Ace 10sp brifters - $450 at Jenson USA - barcons are 1/3 the cost of brifters.

100% true. THe same thing happened when a guy invented the perfect tinfoil hat back in the '80s. Professionally made tinfoil hats became too expensive, and now if you want to stop the government from controlling your thoughts you have to make your own tinfoil hat!

furballi

Not for me. Secure the clip all the way to the end of the bar with the cable end pointing toward the front of the bike. Rotate the body so that the gear indicator windows points straight up. This will allow you to shift by pushing/pulling on the two levers. No problem checking on the gear position with my older style Rapidfire. 7-speed shifter works fine with 8-speed cassette. I simply use the derailleur adjusting screw to lock-out the smallest rear cog. You can also lock-out the largest cog.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Shifters.aspx

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/10284/

https://www.outsideoutfitters.com/p-8...-shifters.aspx

TimeTravel_0

"why are bar cons shfters so $$$?"

supply and demand.

cs1

Priced Campy yet? Used go for almost $100 on ebay and new, well they're really expensive.

LeeG

I'd rather have old Suntour shifters. The levers aren't as sharp and the whole assembly is stronger. I fell over on a bike with recently installed DuraAce bar ends and now it's bent in a few degrees. The Suntour assembly holds the lever by both sides, the Durace holds it on one side.

cs1

You can't have modern indexed levers supported on both sides unless the plug is VERY wide. The weight penalty would be more than most would tolerate.

corkscrew

That's the price you pay with Dura Ace. The worst my Ultegra 8 speeds have seen in a fall was getting twisted in the handlebar slightly. A remove and reinstall fixed that just fine.

Jeff Wills

There's no such thing* as "Dura-Ace" and "Ultegra" bar-end shifters. Shimano's only made one grade of bar-end since they were introduced in 1988(-ish). They've always been non-series components, like the R450 long-reach brakes and the R600 "small hands" brifters.

*Except pre-1997 Dura-Ace shifters, which used a different cable pull to match the Dura-Ace derailleur.

cs1

Shimano doesn't call them DA or Ultegra. It's usually the retailer. Still they are a lot cheaper than brifters.

bigbenaugust 

I would like to see pictures of this setup. Do you have any?

fuzz2050

as opposed to when my bike with the suntour shift levers fell over, they just sheered off cleanly.

They are less pointy though, and the rubber covers seem to last longer.

AEO

You're just going to have to learn supply and demand. If demand was low, they would be cheap, but if demand was low and inventory was also low, they would be expensive. You want a commodity that's out of production, at least I think it's out of production, and the seller can charge what they want, because they know someone will pay that price. It's just not you.

Besides, they're not that low tech. For the amount of abuse that barcons will take, with all the sweat and abrasion from the hands, they hold up pretty well. They also come with DT cable stops of similar quality, a set of DA/XTR shifter cables, cable housing and that trapezoidal thing that protects the cable housing from being crushed.

Like I said, if you want the best deal, go for the campy veloce ultrashift levers. They're a great deal at $123+S&H since they come with campy cables too.

If you think barcons are expensive, you should see what shimano and campy charge for their cablesets.
And yes, sometimes using their cables is what will solve the problem.

furballi

Thumb is on low-gear lever (push down). Index is on high-gear lever (pull up). Note the forward-facing end of the rear shift cable at the lower left of picture.
Due to the 2:1 pull ratio of Shimano rear shifters, you'll probably have to over shoot the initial "click" by 10-20% when shifting to a larger rear cog to ensure that the upper pulley is directly below the cog. Shifting to a smaller cog is dead-on.
SRAM's "X" series use 1:1 ratio to reduce the need to over-shif

dobber

Expensive is a relative term.

Kimmo 

I'm not clear on why some people (notably the cyclocross crowd) prefer barcons to brifters...

Sure, brifters are a rip-off, but the design of the machine was simply incomplete until they came along.

clasher

I use bar-cons 'cos I have a drop-bar bike with v-brakes. I don't mind moving my hands off the brake hoods once in a while. Bar-cons are also great if you like to mix and match mountain and road stuff. One could make the case that they are more durable, but for real durability I think downtube shifters are where it's at. They're also nice 'cos you can switch to friction if the indexing is out and you can't fix it yourself... almost anyone can be shown how to switch barcons to friction mode.

surreal

I don't race cross, but i know ppl who do. All of them rock brifters on their race bike, but they're personal trans bikes have barcons or DTs. The reason racers love brifters so is b/c they're the only thing that'll allow you to brake and shift with the same hand pretty much simultaneously. The kelly take-offs come close to this, but the ergonomics are different.

Personally, i've never touched a set, but it's my understanding that the sram brifters are easiest to work on/modify. If you're running a 1x10 on your cross bike, for instance, you can actually remove all the shiftiness from the left brifter, to shave weight and keep it p!mp. If you're curious, you can take the bridter apart and reassemble. You can on a ergo shifter, too, but it isn't as simple. And, i've read that you *can* rebuild STI brifters, but i've heard that reassembly is wrought with peril.

I'm fat and lazy, so i don't race, and don't need/want brifters. For anyone who isn't riding competitively, the barcon is probably the best option in terms of reliability, tunability, and simplicity. But, if i was racing, i'd definitely get some brifters on my race bikes.

-rob

wunderkind

My commute is a race! Brifters for me. Dodge and turn baby!

TimeTravel_0

you cannot have friction shifting with brifters.

If you're racing and want to stay competitive, brifters are a no-brainer.
If you're touring/commuting/riding just for fun/whatever, bar-cons are an excellent choice.

I never see cx racers use bar-cons...

kh777

Unfortunately I have. This is one instance where I envy the price of a new set of Shimano bar end shifters. I wish I could find some new Campy bar end shifters (even a 9 sp) for the price of a nice new Shimano unit.

shouldberiding

Shimano considers these to be part of the Dura Ace line.

Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen Shimano bar ends with "Dura Ace" printed on the lever somewhere.

Bezalel

The bar end levers are not marked as Dura Ace but are listed as Dura Ace parts. The downtube levers are marked as Dura Ace.

Jeff Wills

I've seen bar-end packaging with "Dura-Ace" printed on it, but never the levers themselves.

However, I'm going to have to reverse field and call "BS" on myself. The Shimano service small parts sheets clearly call the last several iterations of bar-cons "Dura-Ace":
https://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830628723.pdf
https://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830609202.pdf
https://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830728256.pdf

Well, how do you do...

AEO

SL-BS77


7800: SL-BS78
7900: SL-BS79

Jeff Wills

Let's see close-ups of the levers.