Yes, asked the question that came to my mind. Suntour 6 index and Super Record rear mech… hmmm. Indexable?

Frame no doubt was modified at repaint for cable stops at head lug. Removal of shifter bosses.

Terrific paint on a subordinate level bike, someone must have really liked it

I love Gevenalle shifters. All the reliability of downtube or bar end shifters, but with the shifters in a more convenient location for the way I ride (and, yes, I have had a brifter fail on me in the middle of nowhere and had to 3-speed it home).

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2464/...1e2d1232_c.jpg

Sure, the looks do take some getting used to. I would never put them on a bike that I intended to be a show pony. But for a bike that I intend to be a mule they are my first choice.

After saying that I remembered that the bike that won best in show at this year's NAHBS had a Gevenalle shifter, so what do I know.

http://bicycletimesmag.com/wp-conten...ke-800x559.jpg

Bar ends with drop bars...don't like. But they're fine on this...

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbg6mr48x.jpgP

Not too wild about the stache bars, but the shifting is fine.

Those Genevale shifters look very sensible...I like them.

That looks like something I could live with.

What I can't figure out is why no one has ever made a Grip Shift-type shifter that will fit on road bike drop bars. I love those on my MTB's. Simple, foolproof, reliable, cheap, and with no drawbacks other not being able to shift from the hoods or drops.

Same with thumb shifters. Why not make a thumb shifter that will fit on a road bike drop bar? I bought some very nice Sun Race 8 speed thumbshifters, but when they arrived, I discovered that they're designed to fit a smaller-diameter MTB flat bar ONLY. I broke the clamp trying to force it onto some road bike drop bars. :(

My favorites as well.

But at least one can call them extinct.

I haven't spent significant time on bar end shifters, but I have lots of friends who love them. They're great for shifting while in the drops, since you can just slide your hand backward a little to take care of things, and then move your hand back up to the hook.

If you are not comfortable riding in the drops, that is a completely different issue to be addressed! :)

Posting that in the C&V sub-forum where bar-end shifters were the standard for touring and 'cross bikes for decades, not uncommon on road race bikes and "trick" on TT machines back-when do you expect a resounding: "Yes?" :foo:

BTW: If you rotate your bars so they are parallel, or nearly so, to the ground you will have the correct ergonomics for the controls of the period when bar-cons were common.

-Bandera

I believe this is one of the original GripShift products, for drop bars. Long out of production if memory serves.

http://30thcentury.files.wordpress.c...4/stp85315.jpg

I've had very bad experiences with grip shifters on MTBs. Any bike that's more than a year old seemed to be more likely to have a broken one than not. That, and they are really good at being poorly indexed after stretch and wear. I like the concept of them, but I have too often been disappointed by them. First thing I do when I get a MTB is to ditch the grip shifters and replace with thumbies.

note - I realize that Genevale's are essentially thumbies integrated to brake levers. I have no expectations that a MTB will look refined, so not an issue there. There's just something about mounting a box-like apparatus on an elegantly curved brake lever that doesn't mesh. There are some brifters that are ugly beyond redemption, and others that have flowing, sculpted lines. Perhaps someone with design sensibilities will come up with a more aesthetic presentation and I might get past my initial impression.

Seems like you could have a thumb shifter underneath the brake lever somehow. That would definitely look cleaner.

I think you took a wrong turn somewhere. You know this is the C&V forum, right? :lol:

I like barends over downtube shifters. I like pretty things as much as the next guy, but I prefer function over form.

I will admit that a downtube shifter bike looks a tick better than a barend bike but you can make grey/silver barends look decent. Those black suntours would be hard to make look good on anything except for a bike with all black components. And just like the others said, that cable routing, sheesh! Running it under the full length of the bar tape is my preferred way. It might add a little more friction, but I prefer the way it looks. Hows that for contradicting myself? ;)

Not only that, there are still a few production bikes you can buy brand new with bar ends.

They're not for everyone, but like any component a rider has to give him or herself a chance to get the hang of using them. Someone told me they'd put a set on and rode for a couple miles and decided they "hated 'em." Jeez. A couple miles?

I have a pair on my Carre and I really like how handy they are when riding in the drops. It's not a big deal to reach down to shift, which I do intuitively with the palm of my hand to push down, and a finger to pull up. As for DT shifters being "extinct"... I beg to differ. They are my preferred shifting mechanism and I've got 'em on most of my bikes. I far prefer them over shifters integrated into the brake levers. But vive la difference! We all have our preferences.

Same. I tried gripshifts once on a mountain bike and hated them immediately. I would accidentally shift all the time and the tiny stationary portion of the grip that was leftover was way too small for my hands. Gimme a trigger shifter or gimme single speed.

Extinct**********?? And here I thought those were brand new Dura Ace 10 speed bar end shifters I just put on this. How silly of me! :rolleyes:

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/166544662.jpg

Did you read the first post?:twitchy:

You beat me to it! :)

I originally built the UO-8 from a bare frame -- I worked at a Peugeot-Nishiki dealership at the time -- for my wife, who want stemed shifters and UO-18 upright bars, which are similar to MTB bars. When she decided she preferred riding trails over streets, because of traffic intimidation, I built her a mountain bike and repurposed the UO-8 as my commuter and shopping beater. With its disproportionately long top tube and a downtube-mounted cable stop already bolted in place, drop bars and SunTour ratchet barcons were a natural choice, and they have worked superbly. My other road bikes all have downtube shifters, and I do not understand the comments about barcons being just as destabilizing or "inconvenient." In contrast, I find that the barcons give me fast access to gear changes, while maintaining two-hand control on the bars. Yes, the response is a bit slower than with DT levers, but it is not bad, so consider me a big fan of barcons. I bring the cables straight out in front, at the base of the bar bend.

Can't totally disagree. The claim of serviceability and failure is an exaggerated one in my mind.
With that said, any loose cable or even bent hanger makes STIs useless while bar ends in friction mode will still work.

I agree that the claim of servicability is often repeated and overused, but it isnt nonsense like you claim.

Mostly successfully on the ST-6400 lever I recently rebuilt :thumb:

Well played, sir! :lol:
Come to think of it, I had a set of those on a Cannondale R-900 some time back.

My only dislike about Gevenalle shifters is the exposed cable that gets in the way of a handlebar bag. If you're on the hoods, they are just as ergo and handy as brifters. And permit almost any downtube shifter to be used, including friction.

Love em, plain, simple, period. Yes I ride brifters too. ;)

I'm laughing about this. My first trip out with DT shifter-equipped bike. Reached down to shift, swerved into traffic and nearly died, tried again, put my fingers right in the spokes BZZZZZZZZZZZ OWWW !!!!!!MOTHER MULCHER!!!!!! Never again. Back to nice, safe bar-ends.

I love STI and ergo - but STI and ergos get gummed up...springs break...they don't always survive a crash...

To say they're as durable as DT/barcons is just silly.