Any bad experiences with bar end shifters?

[Twanger]

I am back to the idea of putting drop bars on my Sirrus. I have played around with moving the grips and using bar ends on the straight bars, but they do NOT satisfy.

"Brifters" are unobtainably expensive, and I have no braze ons for downtube shifters.

So. How do the bar ends work? Any good?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[mickle]

I'm a big fan. Taping your bars is a little more complicated with bar-end shifters but that's about it for negatives. What the fitting instructions don't tell you is to chop off a length of handle-bar equal to the length of the shifter body (usually around 25mm) before you fit them.

Also consider a set of Pauls thumbie mounts.

 

[jay clock]

Personally I think they have several weaknesses

1- Bashing your knees on them
2- Changing gears when climbing hard
3- Sensitive to knocks if packing the bike on a plane

And I KNOW everyone says how reliable they are etc, but on that basis cars would still have starting handles to avoid the chance of the starter motor going wrong! I have done in excess of 30000 miles in the past few years with STI levers and the biggest problem I have had has been a snapped cable, which of course could have happened with any bike

 

[mickle]

Personally I think they have several weaknesses

1- Bashing your knees on them
2- Changing gears when climbing hard
3- Sensitive to knocks if packing the bike on a plane

And I KNOW everyone says how reliable they are etc, ......

1- Solve this by installing them correctly by removing a section of handlebar equal to the length of the lever body.
2- Cable outers need to be taped to the bar securely to prevent them moving about. I've never heard this to be a problem and can only assume. Cos what else could it possibly be? Again, poor installation.
3- On a plane? Eh? Who travels by plane these days??

 

[Twanger]

Thanks to both of you!

I read Jay Clock's second point as meaning it's a pain to reach the lever when honking up a hill. With STIs, though, your hands are already there.

It's a good point, but should the bar ends be tougher than downtubes in this?

Oh, and the only thing I have against STI is the price.

 

[mickle]

Doh. I ma nidiot. Yes changing gears when honking up a hill is difficult w. bar end shifters.

But then I prefer to sit and twiddle.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Got them on my tourer. Love'em. I have kneed them occasionally, but you get used to avoiding that.