Originally Posted by
vintagerando
Hi. Thanks for response. Are the bar-end shifters in the photo on drop bars?
Yes. Another photo attached.
Regarding the bar end shifters, on the Airnimal I have a lot of cable length, it is 8 feet of outer housing for the rear derailleur. All cables are full length outer housing. Thus, there is a lot of cable friction and the shifting on the rear derailleur is not very smooth. I could have shortened the cable routing by maybe a foot, but I really prefer having the cable follow the handle bars for the portion where there is bar tape.
The Dual Drive cable is about a foot shorter, that shifts great. The cable adjustment on the Dual Drive is not as sensitive as the cable on a Shimano eight speed derailleur, that is why it shifts much better than the derailleur. If the cable pull on a derailleur cable is off a half mm, the derailleur might not shift right which is why the cable friction is so critical, but the Dual Drive can easily deal with that.
I am considering switching to a Campy brifter instead of the bar end shifter for the rear derailleur. I plan to use the bike for a week long van supported tour in about a month. If I switch to the Campy brifter, I will make that change after the trip. I do not like to make a major change to the bike shortly before a trip where I would be away from home and away from my tools and spares.
In the photo, note the cables follow the bars until the cables exit from under the bar tape near the stem. If the photo is slightly confusing, I have interrupter brake levers on there too.