The Anti-Brifter Club
01-30-15, 07:11 PM
#51
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Probably comments about lack of ability and or all the extra friction a jockey cage added as the chain was forced to flex zoo much.
01-30-15, 07:18 PM
#52
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Can I join? My two bikes both have me dropping hands from a foot to hit Simplex/Mavic retrofrictions. Which feed Campy and Suntour goodies.
My brother's ergo-equipped Bianchi isn't here either, so no brifters in the house. My wife's Specialized leisure bike does have indexed grip shifters on it, but I make it stay in the garage. It is currently winter. The other bikes are safe and warm in the basement. You get the picture
Looks just like my '73 I used to have that I rode the 1st Ragbrai on back then. That hideous green bar tape gots ta go Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...
My brother's ergo-equipped Bianchi isn't here either, so no brifters in the house. My wife's Specialized leisure bike does have indexed grip shifters on it, but I make it stay in the garage. It is currently winter. The other bikes are safe and warm in the basement. You get the picture
Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...
01-30-15, 07:39 PM
#53
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Can I join? My two bikes both have me dropping hands from a foot to hit Simplex/Mavic retrofrictions. Which feed Campy and Suntour goodies.
My brother's ergo-equipped Bianchi isn't here either, so no brifters in the house. My wife's Specialized leisure bike does have indexed grip shifters on it, but I make it stay in the garage. It is currently winter. The other bikes are safe and warm in the basement. You get the picture
Looks just like my '73 I used to have that I rode the 1st Ragbrai on back then. That hideous green bar tape gots ta go Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...
My brother's ergo-equipped Bianchi isn't here either, so no brifters in the house. My wife's Specialized leisure bike does have indexed grip shifters on it, but I make it stay in the garage. It is currently winter. The other bikes are safe and warm in the basement. You get the picture
Looks just like my '73 I used to have that I rode the 1st Ragbrai on back then. That hideous green bar tape gots ta go
Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...
01-30-15, 07:47 PM
#54
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I'm in! No STI-afflicted bikes in the stable, although I borrowed one once and it wasn't that bad.
My story is that I needed a road bike in the weeks leading up to my first Ragbrai (2009) and was completely ignorant about road bikes. I found a nice '91 Bianchi Eros on Craigslist in the nick of time and bought it, not having experienced downtube shifters or toe clip pedals before. As an example of my ignorance about bikes, I only realized a couple of years later that it had "lugs." 
At any rate, I slowly gained my confidence with the downtube shifters, and developed a kind of pride in being able to use them well, to the point that I would spec them even when building a bike up from scratch. It's kind of fun for me to be the guy with the older bike on group rides. And like icepick_trotsky, I have an affinity for older/simpler technologies -- there's a '67 Beetle in the garage, I play with tube amplifiers, and shaved with a straight razor for a while. (It's not nearly as scary or difficult as it looks.)
I'm glad jimmuller asked about significant others, since I'd like to build up a nicer road bike for my girlfriend in the near future, and brifters of some sort my be the ticket to get her riding more. She's already said "no way" to downtube shifters.
- Scott
Question to the members -- are you drawn to the older technology because you grew up with it and have always loved it, or is it an aesthetic connection, or something else?
I was born in 1985, roughly the time that SIS came out. By the time I was old enough to ride a real road bike, brifters were already the norm. Part of my rejection of them is my total apathy toward modern racing/roadie culture. I was first attracted to older bikes for the beauty of the frames, not the components, after all. But I think the main attraction to friction for me is the tactile connection to the machine. It's the same feeling I get when typing on an old typewriter, another technology I like that predates my birth. It's as if I have to physically engage with the machinery, and feel it's feedback to make it work correctly. Old components, like many old machines, require the user to become a part of the machine himself. Brifters/indexing in general remove the user from that connection.
In short, and to risk a potential "that's what she said" joke, friction just feels good.
I was born in 1985, roughly the time that SIS came out. By the time I was old enough to ride a real road bike, brifters were already the norm. Part of my rejection of them is my total apathy toward modern racing/roadie culture. I was first attracted to older bikes for the beauty of the frames, not the components, after all. But I think the main attraction to friction for me is the tactile connection to the machine. It's the same feeling I get when typing on an old typewriter, another technology I like that predates my birth. It's as if I have to physically engage with the machinery, and feel it's feedback to make it work correctly. Old components, like many old machines, require the user to become a part of the machine himself. Brifters/indexing in general remove the user from that connection.
In short, and to risk a potential "that's what she said" joke, friction just feels good.
At any rate, I slowly gained my confidence with the downtube shifters, and developed a kind of pride in being able to use them well, to the point that I would spec them even when building a bike up from scratch. It's kind of fun for me to be the guy with the older bike on group rides. And like icepick_trotsky, I have an affinity for older/simpler technologies -- there's a '67 Beetle in the garage, I play with tube amplifiers, and shaved with a straight razor for a while. (It's not nearly as scary or difficult as it looks.)
I'm glad jimmuller asked about significant others, since I'd like to build up a nicer road bike for my girlfriend in the near future, and brifters of some sort my be the ticket to get her riding more. She's already said "no way" to downtube shifters.
- Scott
01-30-15, 07:55 PM
#55
Senior Member
I've never been one to join groups based on inclusion/exclusion. Sort of remind me of cliques in high school. Never was in one and had friends of all kinds. I like to have options and not be defined by bike choices I make. I will watch from afar though.
As an aside, I've never ridden a bike with brifters. All my bikes wither have bar end shifters (friction & indexed), one with downtube friction/indexed (a mixte at that!), top of bar thumb shifters Suntour/Shimano, and below the bar "Rapid Fire" Shimano and Suntour X-Press indexed.
As an aside, I've never ridden a bike with brifters. All my bikes wither have bar end shifters (friction & indexed), one with downtube friction/indexed (a mixte at that!), top of bar thumb shifters Suntour/Shimano, and below the bar "Rapid Fire" Shimano and Suntour X-Press indexed.
01-30-15, 08:00 PM
#56
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I qualify, but I can't agree to rule #2 .
As for the guy who claimed no one could keep up with his club without brifters (was that actually a serious post?) I'd like to remind folks of the 1990 Tour de France, where STI went head-to-head with DT friction - and lost.
As for the guy who claimed no one could keep up with his club without brifters (was that actually a serious post?) I'd like to remind folks of the 1990 Tour de France, where STI went head-to-head with DT friction - and lost.
01-30-15, 08:00 PM
#57
Senior Member
hmmmm.. sounds so discriminatory... maybe we should make a club for the people that don't belong to the ABC club... we can shun them and whatever clubs do... or we can just ride our bikes... and shift the way we want...
01-30-15, 08:02 PM
#58
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Looks just like my '73 I used to have that I rode the 1st Ragbrai on back then. That hideous green bar tape gots ta go Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...
Mine had the sew-ups on it then also, but I'd agree a skinwall tire would look much better. Props for it being all stock from what I can see/tell! Making me miss mine now...And, yes, the bike is stock apart from the 42t chainring I put on in place of the 45t that it came with. I was surprised when I got it to find a 1972 bike with 700c clincher rims. I have no reason to doubt that they are original.
01-30-15, 08:08 PM
#59
Fresh Garbage
My name is Gav and I would like to join. I own two sets of Shimano STIs that I stopped using(sitting in a parts bin as trading stock) once I fell in love with Suntour ratcheting shifters.
01-30-15, 08:28 PM
#60
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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01-30-15, 08:34 PM
#61
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I'm close but no cigar. Four of my bikes have bar-end shifters but I still have one with STIs. I plan to put bar-ends on that bike when the STIs wear out.
01-30-15, 08:43 PM
#62
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01-30-15, 09:11 PM
#64
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Neither of my bikes have brifters OR shifters. I'm single speed all the way.
You weaklings with multiple gears can't join MY club!
You weaklings with multiple gears can't join MY club!
01-30-15, 09:33 PM
#65
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I am still brifterless. Recently acquired a 1969 Falcon 10 speed, the year when civilization peaked. I don't own a smart-phone, my car is from the last century and my keyboard of choice is the IBM Model M.
01-30-15, 09:43 PM
#66
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I have 2 road bikes and one frame to be built; a 74 Raleigh Grand Prix with original friction DT and a 2011 or 12 Fuji stratos with 8 speed indexed DT. The frame might be built as a SS.
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Cambodia bikes, Bridgestone SRAM 2 speed, 2012 Fuji Stratos...
Cambodia bikes, Bridgestone SRAM 2 speed, 2012 Fuji Stratos...
01-30-15, 09:49 PM
#67
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I like both. I guess I can`t join the club. 
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01-30-15, 10:10 PM
#68
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01-30-15, 10:42 PM
#69
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My road bike has down tube friction shifters and its brake cables exit from the top of the brake levers.
01-30-15, 11:04 PM
#70
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Tried brifters. Hated them. They are still buried in the spare bike junk drawer i think.
01-31-15, 12:49 AM
#72
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I have a lot of bikes. About 20. Of the 20 bikes I have, none of them have brifters. I rebuilt a cannondale r600 for my wife, eliminating the brifters and converted in to a freewheeling ss. The shimano 105s went in the garbage, as there is no point in saving something that I will never use. My roadbikes all have matching group sets 3 nuovo record, 1 super record, 2 c-record, 1 suntour cyclone, 1 suntour lepree, 1 dura ace, and 1. 1949 simplex friction rear and suicide front. Friction shifting puts you in rhythm with your bike, it's some zen Buddha cloud 9 awesomeness. Can I run for v.p.? Vote 4 Greg!!!
01-31-15, 01:07 AM
#73
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01-31-15, 01:18 AM
#74
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I cannot join, as the fleet now includes two brifter bikes and one Retroshift bike. However, I think the club is a pretty cool thing and I am happy that such dedicated retrogrouches exist.
01-31-15, 03:12 AM
#75
Senior Member
Guess I can't join as I am currently building a bike with 7700 STI. My current stable consists of three DT and one IGH. I have 9 speed down tube shifters at the ready though in case I hate the DA brifters. This will be my 4th time trying integrated shifters. Twice with Campy, once with Shimano. I disliked all three immensely even though the concept is so sensible. Last year I test rode a bike with 6800 and I have to say that was pretty close to damn nice.
