barcon compatibility question
 

Hi bike-tech gurus.

I found a 'set' of barcons at my local bike co-op, but they are both for the left side. One is an sl-bs77 and the other is an sl-bs64.

If I'm not fussy about indexing, is there any reason that I can't use one of them on the rear of a 9 speed set-up? I'm thinking that given the physical symmetry of the shifters in a given set, the amount of cable that a either the ultegra or dura-ace barcon pulls is likely the same on the right and the left... am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance.
Neil

No, you can use either one for the right side shifting, of course in friction mode only.

+1,
In the friction world there is no left or right shifter. If either has a smoother or more sensitive action, use that on the right because you'll want good feel for 9s shifting.

Any shifter will do in friction mode as long as it has enough cable pull - I think about 22mm for 9sp.

I think if you use two left shifters the one on the right will be "backwards," i.e. the bolt holding the shifter in place will be on the outside rather than the inside.

But functionally they will be exactly the same. It should work, but I'm not sure how well friction shifting will work with 9S. That will be your call.

Technically it would work, but you may want to consider where the cable is coming out. I know that if I used two left bar end shifters on my bike with the style i got that the shifter on the right would have to have the cable coming out on the TOP of drop instead of the bottom. If you are okay with this then more power to ya. Also the hook shape of the shift paddle itself (i'm sure there's a better technical term) will have to be hooked up rather than down. ie it will look like a J rather than an upside down J.

TL;DR It will probably work, but it will look very, very strange.

I don't know how you got that. Bar con bodies are identical left and right, just the lever mechanism varies (if index). In any case, the cable always emerges to the bar on the side that the lever flexes to (ie. on the bottom if the lever angles down when installed). Why would you need to invert either one?

9 speed shifting is doable. I had a 9 speed rear cassette on my drop bar mountain bike with the popular Suntour bar-end (barcons?) shifters and it worked fine enough.

I did swap out the 9 speed cassette for an 8 speed cassette though only because I'm not very stable and just wanted one less gear to worry about when I let go of the bars and shfited. But when it was setup as a 9 speed, it was fine. I have heard that 10 speed is just a bit too touchy.

Oh man, I had a brain fart. I was thinking about how the barcons are asymmetrical, but I didn't consider that you don't need to have them oriented as you would if you had the matching barcon. I was up too late last night celebrating the end of summer quarter

awesome, thanks for all the replies, and for confirming what I suspected. Looking forward to trying this out....

cheers,
Neil

I will come up a little sceptical on this even fiction mode a left for right basicaly reveresed will likely come up short and not shift all gears on a 9speed.

Just that 9 speed rear cluster will take a bit of right hand finesse, the spacing got tighter to add that 9th cog
in the space of 8, previous, width.

AFAIK, the "drum" diameter and throw on bar end levers is the same on both sides so if one will cover a 9-speed cassette width the other side will too.

engo, I recently installed a set of new bs77 shifters and the FD shifter has as much lever travel as the RD shifter so there should be no problems using the FD shifter for the rear. Technically either shifter has more lever travel (rear lever set to friction) than what will be needed.

Keep looking around the co-op as one of the matching RD shifters may show up.

Brad

I have Shimano 9-speed bar end shifters and have tried them in both indexed and friction mode. By the time I get to a 9-speed cassette I think it shifts better in index, and would recommend that if available (8-speed seems to shift just fine in friction), but it can be ridden successfully in friction mode. You just need to be precise on the shifting and put up with the occasional overshifts and trimming issues.