Originally Posted by jgedwa
In a related note, why didn't barcons become more popular than they were? I know it is forbidden to say this, but I HATE downtube shifters. What a terrible place to force me to reach while I am straining. Barcons are right where you want them. And yet they are put in the touring ghetto. Why?
jim
Can't say for sure. Campagnolo made them, but SunTour popularized them. It might have had something to do with "in the box" thinking, and it also might have had something to do with the stigma that Japanese made products had until the early eighties. Bar cons are a little less quick in operating than downtube shifters, and they weigh more. Still, once you get used to them, nothing is sweeter (IMO)
I've heard some people say they hit their knees on them, and I imagine that bar-cons would be easier for another rider to switch on you than downtubes.
