nyc_commuter

I'm toying with the idea of converting my Nexus IGH hybrid to drop bars - primarily for more hand positions. I like the J-tek bar-end shifter because it works with the Nexus hub and is relatively cheap; but I don't know how much of an inconvenience it would be to take my hand off the hoods and reach down to the bar-end every time I need to shift. Is this something that becomes second-nature and you don't really think of as an inconvenience after a while? I have a relatively hilly commute and find myself shifting - both rapid-fire and gradually - pretty frequently. I'd like to get the input of commuters who currently use bar-end shifters. Thanks!

P.S. I'm aware of the Versa brifter for Nexus hubs which sounds ideal, but the exorbitant price tag eliminates this as an option for me.

Schwinnrider

I've put 7500 miles of commuting and riding on my barcon equipped bike(s). It's really not a problem. Far easier than downtube shifters were. I shift fairly frequently and it was second nature from the start. Nothing to worry about, sir.

amdoo

After a couple of rides, you won't even notice it anymore . . . You'll just reach down and shift without paying attention.

fietsbob

I get more hand positions with trekking bars too..
, then you get to keep all the controls and cables ,
saving money there .. bars $20, stem change ,maybe,
and a maybe couple layers of padded tape..

the headwind tuck if needed,
comes from reaching forward on the figure 8 bend..
and bending your elbows, a bit.

its like a near and far bar setup ,connected by bar ends
but, all in one bent tube..

I have drop bars and bar end shifters on my derailleur bikes .
I ride my 2 IGH bikes with trekking bars More.

tjspiel

If you're riding mostly on streets then it shouldn't be a problem. I have the Jtek shifter and I like it but there are times I'd rather keep both hands on the bars and still be able to shift.

Early last week I had to deal with long stretches covered with icy ruts. I really had to pay attention to what I was doing and it was the first time it bothered me not to have the shifter at my finger tips. Most of the time it's a non-issue.

megalowmatt

I recently built up a new commuter with bar ends and like them a lot. Personally I don't find reaching for the shift to be much of inconvenience.

I also have an IGH commuter with the Versa shifter and it works well also. For what it's worth, if you're converting from flat bars, you'll probably need to replace the brake levers also. As a price comparison, Tree Fort bikes sells the Versa shifter/ brake levers for $180 and I think the j-tek usually sells for ~$100(?). By the time you buy the brake levers the cost may be within $40-50. Just a thought...

clawhammer72

I made the switch from a hybrid to a road bike with drop bars and bar end shifters just a month ago. It's gotten easier, and I am sure it will continue and become second nature, but I can't say I shift without thinking about it.

Ray Lovinggood

I ride a Fuji "Touring" for my commuter bike and it came new with bar end shifters. I was a bit worried at first, but the worries were baseless. Now, I really like the bar end shifters. My only other bike has Shimano 105 brifters that work great, but because I'm riding my commuter bike at least five days a week, and the road bike maybe only once or twice a week, my poor brain has trained itself to make my hands look for the shifter on the ends of the bars, no matter which bike I'm on. Oh, I can't remember how many times I've reached down to the ends of the bars on the road bike to shift gears when the brifters were right there... Yea, a little short moment of panic when I reach for the ends of the bars and there's nothing there, except for the ends of the bars.

Ray

Ray

martianone

Have the J-tek shifter & Nexus red band on my BF NWT commuter with Salsa short & shallow handlebar - it all works well and has been reliable. Suggest installing a barrel adjuster on the shift cable to help take up the slack from cable stretching [it was a few hundred km before the stretching stopped] - this will help keep the hub's "green dots" properly aligned. Have about 2000 km of all weather commuting on the hub - no problems.

Rick@OCRR

I use bar end shifters on my touring bike, but had never even thought about putting them on my IGH bike (DaHon Curve).

So are the bar end shifters you're using indexed to the Nexus hub? Mine are SunTour and are "friction" which is to say non indexed. Honestly, I don't like the Nexus "twist grip" that the bike came with because it seems backwards to me, i.e. you rotate forward for a downshift, when it seems more intuitive to me to rotate down for a down shift, not up.

Does the bar end solve this problem too, since it can be oriented differently in the handlebar and hence correct this problem (well, to me its a problem, maybe not to anyone else)?

Rick / OCRR

tjspiel

If you put the J-tek bar-end shifter on upside down the cable would run right underneath your hand which wouldn't be comfortable. Fortunately the way it works when right side up is intuitive. Move the lever up to shift up, move the lever down to shift down.

J-tek has different shifter models that work with different gear hubs.

spathfinder3408

I prefer bar end shifters to all other shifting deivices. I have used them all , including rapid fire, index downtube, stem. When you have drop down bars its just seems like you have more control with both hands on the bars. I noticed bar ends are on the New Surleys, so they are still around for a reason. They work good

bigbenaugust 

Yes. Definitely yes.
I switched my utility bike from flat bars and bar-tops to drop bars with bar-ends a couple of years ago and loved it. Last summer, I went all crazy and found some DuraAce bar-ends for my CX bike (that came with Sora brifters originally).

The big plus (and I am not sure if this is true for IGH users) is that you'll never have to fuss with indexing again.

tjspiel

Unless it's something like a Nuvinci hub, the shifter for an IGH needs to be indexed.

Kip

I've racked up over 50,000 miles on my tour bike which I also use for commuting. The Dura Ace barends are second nature and have performed well.

Gonzo Bob

I think riding the hoods and shifting bar-ends is less of a hassle than riding the drops and shifting STIs. I have 5 bikes and all 5 have different shifting, 1) old roadie with down-tube, 2) new roadie with STI, 3) old MTB with grip shift, 4) commuter/tourer with bar-ends on drops, 5) tri-bike with bar-ends on aerobars. Shifting is second nature on all of them although sometimes on one of the road bikes, I'll reach for the wrong location

tjspiel

Which STIs do you have? I agree that Soras and below can't be shifted easily from the drops (depending on whether or not you're down or up shifting), but anything above Sora shifts pretty well from either the drops or the hoods.

idc

I've never tried bar ends but I'm always amazed when people say it is easier than shifting STIs... how is that possible? I understand if it's more reliable and cheaper but easier to shift when you have to reach? I don't get it.

Rick@OCRR

Thanks tjspiel,

I was not aware of J-Tek. Their bar end shifter looks like it will work well with my 8 Speed Nexus, and it does look to be indexed, so that's good too.

$80.00 seems like kind of a lot, but for a niche product from a small manufacturer, I guess it's really not that bad.

Rick / OCRR

tjspiel

I guess it depends on what they mean by "easier". STIs take some getting used to. Using the brake lever for both shifting and braking was not a great idea in my opinion though you do get used to it. It's worth mentioning that Shimano is the only brifter that does this as far as I know. SRAM, Microshift, and Campy road shifters don't work that way.

I could also see where moving from the small chainring to the large might be easier with bar-ends than with a lower quality brifter. Moving that lever inward to complete the shift can take a little oomph. You get better leverage and a larger range of motion with a bar end.

sauerwald

I use bar ends on both my commuter and utility bikes, both of which have drop bars. I run both of those in friction mode with a standard RDER. I find that shifting is much more organic with the bar-end. When I want to drop down into a lower gear, I often just move my hands from the hoods to the drops, and hit the barcon with the palm of my hand during the movement - and it all happens at once.

MNBikeCommuter

I progressed from down tube to bar ends, and when I bought a tandem with STI, the bar ends felt pretty archaic. I had to upgrade my single to match the convenience and there's been no looking back. I guess everyone has their own preferences and I can't knock them, but it's STI for me.

bigbenaugust 

Well, darn. So much for that idea.

kc0yef 

Bar ends are great for me It is my main stay

fotooutdoors

Easier, probably not. However, it is nice to be able to jump from my highest gear to lowest in front and back with less than one rotation of the pedals. For commuting (ie traffic lights) this is very handy. Other situation where it is easier is in winter; STI's are hard to manipulate with mittens on, barcons not so hard.