Bar End Shifters In 1970s Peleton?
05-06-14, 09:26 PM
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Bar End Shifters In 1970s Peleton?
I was leafing through the coffee table book about the TI Raleigh team - this was about a year ago - and I noticed several pictures of the team's riders on bikes - Team Pros, naturally - with bar end shifters. I don't have access to the book any more, so I can't determine how many riders used bar ends; maybe they were all pics of the same bike.
My question is: in the late 1970s, how common were bar end shifters in the pro peleton? Were they used for specific stages only? Any notable riders use them?
My question is: in the late 1970s, how common were bar end shifters in the pro peleton? Were they used for specific stages only? Any notable riders use them?
05-07-14, 12:35 AM
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Well,..... This 80's pro racer seems to like bar ends on her bike (I suspect Simplex Retrofriction bar ends too).......
Hey!, that CF bike looks familiar!
Hey!, that CF bike looks familiar!
05-07-14, 07:15 AM
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Yeah, but look at her cable routing.
05-07-14, 07:19 AM
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They were more common than you think. When you look at the old pictures look for them and they will be there.
https://www.cykelhobby.com/92320eng.htm
Crescent "Pepita" racer - model 92320
Crescent Pepita 1968
This well-kept 92320 from 1968 was owned by Stig Blom, well-known Swedish bicycle racer. The bar-end shifters were a popular option among racers at that time.
https://www.cykelhobby.com/92320eng.htm
Crescent "Pepita" racer - model 92320
Crescent Pepita 1968
This well-kept 92320 from 1968 was owned by Stig Blom, well-known Swedish bicycle racer. The bar-end shifters were a popular option among racers at that time.
Last edited by seypat; 05-07-14 at 07:26 AM.
05-07-14, 07:29 AM
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Bar-end shifters: not just for touring bikes any more.
05-07-14, 07:35 AM
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Last edited by seypat; 05-07-14 at 07:50 AM.
05-07-14, 08:03 AM
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'60s - definitely. Late '70s - probably not so much.
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05-07-14, 08:49 AM
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In Southern California in the 70's there were a few who used bar end controls. Suntour and some Shimano, Suntour using the ratchet, and Shimano using a counter spring.
Campagnolo was not to be seen at the end of the handlebars.
The Category A (the old top tier Senior category) riders, who did use them most were the sprinters. They liked to be able to keep their hands on the bars in preparation for the sprint.
Campagnolo was not to be seen at the end of the handlebars.
The Category A (the old top tier Senior category) riders, who did use them most were the sprinters. They liked to be able to keep their hands on the bars in preparation for the sprint.
05-07-14, 09:59 AM
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I've seen DuraAce bar ends at a recent cycling garage sale. So that would have to be more recent than early 70s.
05-07-14, 10:20 AM
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besides people who like bar ends, these get used a lot on triathlon bikes.
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05-07-14, 10:21 AM
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??? What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
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05-07-14, 10:23 AM
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~>~
High BB, short wheelbase, straight block, bar-cons, a pair of well glued Criterium Setas and have at it.
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05-07-14, 11:05 AM
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What's shown there looks like the standard routing to me. It's what I've seen most often and is the most direct; ie fewest housing bends. I see though that many of the riders in seypat's pictures have theirs routed aero style. Either way will work, especially with friction gear.
[edit] Or were you referring to the brake cables? Those are just plain wrong and belong behind the bars, as we have been reminded on numerous occasions!
[edit] Or were you referring to the brake cables? Those are just plain wrong and belong behind the bars, as we have been reminded on numerous occasions!
05-07-14, 11:35 AM
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My point was that someone had suggested that bar ends for racers were more sixties and faded in early 70s. Dura Ace didn't exist then, but clearly wasn't intended for touring bikes but for racers, so must have had some demand.
05-07-14, 12:08 PM
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05-07-14, 01:05 PM
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Yes, I'm being snarky about her brake cable routing. Granted she could break me in two with her thighs, so she gets to route her cables any way she likes.
05-07-14, 05:34 PM
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05-07-14, 05:47 PM
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~>~
05-07-14, 07:36 PM
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1972.
...and it's Peloton.
...and it's Peloton.
05-07-14, 11:38 PM
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Eddy Merckx used them in the 1960's, as did Tom Simpson.
(Sorry if this post/photos come out crazy looking. I still haven't gotten the hang of posting photos)
Not how I was hoping the photos would show up. But you can see the shadow on the wall of Merckx's bar-end shifter in the photo of his bike on the repair stand.
(Sorry if this post/photos come out crazy looking. I still haven't gotten the hang of posting photos)
Not how I was hoping the photos would show up. But you can see the shadow on the wall of Merckx's bar-end shifter in the photo of his bike on the repair stand.
05-08-14, 12:19 AM
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There is a video of a vintage 70s stage race in Quebec, and it showed a number of the the pro racers equipped with bar end shifters.
05-08-14, 12:56 AM
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The consensus here squares with my recollection: a fair amount of usage in the pro peloton in the 50s and into the mid 60s, with them fading in popularity from teh mid 60s to the mid 70s. Yes, Fuente used them a lot, but he was done by 1975 or so. There are lots of photos of Rik van Looy using them in his Feama and Solo days, but he retired in 1969 or 1970. Seypat's photo of Coppi and Magni looks to be mid 1950s - since Coppi is still alive in it, it certainly can't be later than 1959 (he died Jan 2, 1960), and the Bianchi jersey suggests significantly earlier than that. Merckx rode for Peugeot c.1966-67, and I can't recall him on a barcon-equiped bike in Faema or later livery.
I have no clue how much they were used in the US - I'll always defer to repechage in such matters.
Some great photos you folks dug up and posted, btw. Thanks.
I have no clue how much they were used in the US - I'll always defer to repechage in such matters.
Some great photos you folks dug up and posted, btw. Thanks.
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05-08-14, 04:38 AM
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Heck, I'm feeling really fast just knowing that all but two of my C&V bikes are equipped with barend shifters!
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