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Can someone 'splain me bar end shifters?

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Can someone 'splain me bar end shifters?

Old 12-05-11, 08:00 AM
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Some of us aren't, ooohm, bendable enough to ride the drops for long. So bar-ends would mean moving a hand anyway, most of the time.
And I am one of those people. For me, it is not a problem to move my hands on the bars. It is removing and moving my hand away from the bars that creates the issue. To that, add the need to bend ones body just to change gears. It makes little sense to me even though lots of my bikes still sport the down tube shifter sets.
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Old 12-05-11, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
No loss of control is likely when changing gears. You grasp the bar with your index and middle finger, operate lever with the heel of your palm or ring finger and pinky.
+1, you really operate the bar end with the heel and two end fingers.

However, I'm a drop bar rider, so I cannot relate to moving from the hoods to the bar ends to shift.
Touring guys do it all the time.

STI's are obviously intended for hood riders, and even the pros ride the hoods a lot, so you may want to check those out.

Changing positions to shift makes some difference in efficiency, if you have criterium or racing tendencies.
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Old 12-05-11, 09:01 AM
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I've got some shimano indexed bar ends, and some upgraded Shimano Tourney stuff. Shifts so smooth and quiet. I wasn't a huge fan of the suntour barcons, and since I used to have the accushift setup, I figured I'll stay with indexing.

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Old 12-05-11, 10:38 AM
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One thing about bar-ends is that you can't shift both derailleurs at the same time, unless you move both your hands (or unless you ride with your hands at the end of the bars, which I never do).
One nice thing about dt shifters is that you can do the double shift with one hand.
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Old 12-05-11, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by kroozer
One thing about bar-ends is that you can't shift both derailleurs at the same time, unless you move both your hands (or unless you ride with your hands at the end of the bars, which I never do).
One nice thing about dt shifters is that you can do the double shift with one hand.
I can shift both at a time. Why can't you? My hands are still on the handlebars.
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Old 12-05-11, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by WNG
I used to be one of those who thought the aesthetic of bar-ends was all wrong for a drop bar road bike. These two appendages jutting out beyond the smooth curves of the bar. Then those two antennae-like cable housings near the fork and wheels! Ugh! and what about the chance of striking them with ones' knees?!? I was a corncob-DT-racing weight wienie back in my youth.

These loops were the reason I didn't like the look of Shimano brifters too. Not to mention cost. It was no alternatives that drew me to bar-ends for my more modern rides.
This Fall I installed Shimano Ultegra bar-ends to 2 of my bikes...a CX and an aluminum road model.
To address the routing appearance, I ran their housing under the bar wrap for a cleaner appearance. There is no loss of functionality.
I had no experience with their use, but found them easy to operate just like DT shifters. I even reached down to ghost shift a DT shifter, old habits are hard to break. There is no safety concerns with them. I think they are great, and wished I had a more open mind back then. I would've used them on more of my bikes.
I have bar-cons on two of my bikes and I feel the same way regarding the routing. Maybe because I'm a taller rider (60-63 cm bikes), I find that running under the bar tape requires use of a tandem shifter cable for the rear derailleur. A standard cable is about 6" too short. Other than that, no issues with shifting or anything.





Not as good as brifters I suppose, in that I have to move my hand to shift, but superior to everything else in that when shifting I still have that hand on the handlebar, so it is very stable. I like the concept of DT shifting- very simple, no cable housing near the shifter, but I never could get used to friction shifting with DT shifters. Shifting is far more precise with the bar-end shifters.

Originally Posted by JReade
I've got some shimano indexed bar ends, and some upgraded Shimano Tourney stuff. Shifts so smooth and quiet. I wasn't a huge fan of the suntour barcons, and since I used to have the accushift setup, I figured I'll stay with indexing.
My commuter (the purple bike above) had Shimano 3 x 7 indexed shifting. It shifts just about as good as it did with the indexed shifters, and I never have to worry about adjustment.
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Old 12-05-11, 11:44 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by aixaix
Bar end shifters have been used since the 40s. The pure friction type work well. The ratcheting type, such as the late lamented Sun Tour Bar-con are better.
And the "retrofriction" bar-ends from Simplex and Shimano are best of all.

Bar-end shifters are particularly useful on a loaded touring bike, as you can maintain a good grip on the bars whilst shifting.
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Old 12-05-11, 11:47 AM
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Originally Posted by kroozer
One thing about bar-ends is that you can't shift both derailleurs at the same time, unless you move both your hands (or unless you ride with your hands at the end of the bars, which I never do).
One nice thing about dt shifters is that you can do the double shift with one hand.
That was something I liked about stem shifting. My left hand was always on the bars and I did all my shifting with my right.
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Old 12-05-11, 12:29 PM
  #34  
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One thing not mentioned here is the effect of having more cable housing and two more housing ends. It may not matter nowadays with modern, nearly frictionless housings, but in the old days one noticed a marked improvement in shifting after switching from stem shifters to DT shifters. Bar-ends give back that marvelous directness.
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Old 12-05-11, 12:32 PM
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Bar ends have the same number of housing ends as stem shifters. How can you claim they give more directness than stem shifters? I find stem shifters to be more positive than bar ends, but only slightly. Maybe you only tried lousy stem shifters.
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Old 12-05-11, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
I can shift both at a time.
+1
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Old 12-05-11, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
Bar ends have the same number of housing ends as stem shifters. How can you claim they give more directness than stem shifters? I find stem shifters to be more positive than bar ends, but only slightly. Maybe you only tried lousy stem shifters.
Perhaps I didn't write half of what I was thinking less than half as clearly as what I meant.

DT shifters pull directly on the cable under the DT. Both bar-ends and stem shifters require another housing section between the lever and the DT. When I replaced my stem shifters with DT shifters the improvement was tangible, so I was never tempted to give it back. Trying bar-ends would have required giving it back, and since I've never tasted that particular dish I am sure I don't like it.

As to whether the shifters were lousy, well, ah, they were the Simplex levers which came on my UO8. Which GB claimed once that UO8's never came with stem shifters, now didn't he, but mine did and still has the braze-on housing stops to prove it.

But this is getting off-topic, I think. Clearly a lot of people like bar-ends.
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Old 12-05-11, 03:13 PM
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I hope you don't mean this GB.
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Old 12-05-11, 05:14 PM
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I <3 Bar Ends... doesn't matter to me if it's on drop bars or bullhorns either.. as for the double shifting part you guys are talking about I can see people finding it vexing on drop bars especially if they just are begining to deal with bar ends.. this however is my main commuters cockpit.
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Old 12-05-11, 08:27 PM
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Love, love, love bar end shifters. I've got them on both my bikes and my son has them on one of his.

I really prefer the Suntours, they just feel right.
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Old 12-05-11, 08:49 PM
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Can't add much here other than to say that, like many others, I find bar ends to be a superior option for my style of riding.
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Old 12-05-11, 09:23 PM
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I know many people find them ugly as sin, but I have to say I love Kelly Take Offs. Similar concept and bombproofness to bar ends, but up near the hoods and tops where I spend my time. I friction shift all the time from the tops and hoods with just a couple of finger tips.
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Old 12-06-11, 09:43 AM
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I've had barends on a number of bikes: they work fine. However, in 40 years of cycling, I still prefer downtubes. Hitting the right barend with your knee when you're standing up on a steep section is always a blast!
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Old 12-06-11, 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by dbakl
I've had barends on a number of bikes: they work fine. However, in 40 years of cycling, I still prefer downtubes. Hitting the right barend with your knee when you're standing up on a steep section is always a blast!
I've heard this complaint, but that's not my experience. I've not come close to knee-shifting, and I'm slightly bow-legged. Do you use narrow bars?
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Old 12-06-11, 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by due ruote
I've heard this complaint, but that's not my experience. I've not come close to knee-shifting, and I'm slightly bow-legged. Do you use narrow bars?
Ah, probably just a ****.
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Old 12-06-11, 05:43 PM
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What?
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Old 12-06-11, 05:52 PM
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The first day I got my LHT, I was going over 20 mph and got confused and shifted my left bar end shifter with my right hand. This is the way I shifted downtube shifters on my old bike. I accidentally hit the handlebar and got a lil squirrely. Didn't lose it. That's the only incident I had with bar ends. 3000 miles and wouldn't have it any other way!
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Old 12-06-11, 05:53 PM
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Oh, sometimes when I come to a stop my knee hits the right bar shifter and knocks it out of place. I found a solution for this-move it back! I may get shorter shifters someday.
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Old 12-06-11, 06:14 PM
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the only problem I have with my barends is remembering that on the Nexus IGH pointing the lever down puts it into lower (easier) gears. I sometimes find myself at a stoplight in 8th gear, not that it is an isue with IGH
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Old 12-06-11, 07:07 PM
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Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
And the "retrofriction" bar-ends from Simplex and Shimano are best of all.
Simplex do a bar-end version of the Retrofriction!? Thanks for the info. I must get some!

I'm a recent convert to bar-ends, a pair of SunTours on my Katakura Silk, and I love them. Until I discovered them my favourite levers were dt Retrofriction but I ride a 61cm frame and find them a bit of a reach sometimes. I like the bar-ends so much that I'm thinking of fitting them to all my geared bikes. I'd like to fit one to my Hetchins MO but the bars have sealed ends...

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