Originally Posted by timcupery
OneTinSloth: you're an interesting sort of retro grouch. How well does STI work on Moustache bars? I'd think that bar-end shifters would actually be easier to use than STI on moustache bars. But I've not tried it both ways (heck, I've never used brifters, and not because I'm against them, but rather because I've not seen the need to update).
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And, in addition to realizing that you don't need that, you also realize that your body weight fluctuates by probably more than 4 pounds through weekly or monthly life, and that amount of weight makes little difference to your cycling.
i'm not a retro grouch in the sense that i shun all the new stuff, i just have a really deep appreciation for everything that simply, reliably, and effectively does it's job.
hehe...umm, well, the STIs still do their job. it's an interesting feel though. i would actually prefer the barcons for looks and function. eventually, i'll get around to putting them back on. the biggest reason i put the STIs on was that i didn't have decent brake levers for the longest time. i had some old dia comps that were falling apart and needed/wanted something i could rely on. the other reason was that my cassette is a 9-speed mountain and the bar ends were indexed for 8 and i wanted to be able to go off road without having to fiddle too much to find the sweet spot in the rear. i have done it, and had minimal trouble with it, so that was workable, however the brake levers for long descents just weren't going to cut it. i had these 9-speed STIs that i wasn't using, that i didn't pay for (a customer didn't want them because the nameplates broke off in such a way that they couldn't be replaced). the bike also has a first generation XTR rapid rise RD with a roll-a-ma-jig. the bike is a total hodge-podge and i like it that way. my motivation behind this bike is "because i can and it works."
if i could find another trek 600 frame that had it's original fork intact, i'd try to restore it to as close as possible to original, but since this one had been mucked with so much already, i figured, what the hell?