Bullhorn conversion, levers + shifters etc.

[Radius]

Doing what you might call an 'interesting' conversion to my hybrid, whereby I'm planning to put bullhorn bars on it, but want to keep the flat bar brake and shifter levers. Unfortunately, the Shimano Acera ones I have at the moment wont fit on the new bars, the diameter of the clamp is too small to slide over the bar, so I'm looking at getting new shifters and brake levers.
my current ones are integrated, but I'm looking at separate ones.
So far I've come up with

these shifters (Shimano STX)
and possibly these brake levers (Tektro)

I imagine the bullhorns are 26mm diameter, so the Tektros would be fine, but it doesn't list the clamp diameter for the shifters. Does anyone happen to know it, or just know whether or not they'll fit?


Cheers


JM

 

[mickle]

Road bike bars are 24mm (15/16ths IIRC) and flat bars are 22.2mm (7/8ths). They wont fit without butchery. You could however just fit a pair of long bar ends to your existing flat bars to give you a similar set-up to 'bullhorn' bars

 

[Radius]

nope, these are 26, sorry, just checked, They're these ones : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Profile_Airwing_Road_Aero_Bars/5360008178/

EDIT: And currently I've got risers with bar ends, but they really aren't doing it for me...

 

[mickle]

The bar clamp is indeed 26mm (rather than oversized) but the section which takes the controls is 24mm. Honest.

 

[PpPete]

Another way of putting both gear shifters & brakes on bullhorns

Looks hideous I know, but it works for me.

 

[Oddjob62]

Another way of putting both gear shifters & brakes on bullhorns

Looks hideous I know, but it works for me.

That's how i've got it on my SS (obviously without the shifters). Like you say, not the prettiest, but it does the job. Looking to get some proper aero brakes in the near future.

 

[Joe24]

Another way of putting both gear shifters & brakes on bullhorns

Looks hideous I know, but it works for me.

Just as i was going to sugest it.
Or, failing that, just put the shifters where-ever they will go. Or, get rid of the shifters , just keep it in one gear at the back and stop being such a big girl, you dont really need gears

 

[Oddjob62]

Just as i was going to sugest it.
Or, failing that, just put the shifters where-ever they will go. Or, get rid of the shifters , just keep it in one gear at the back and stop being such a big girl, you dont really need gears

Now how did i know you'd be the one to suggest that?

 

[mickle]

Just as i was going to sugest it.
Or, failing that, just put the shifters where-ever they will go. Or, get rid of the shifters , just keep it in one gear at the back and stop being such a big girl, you dont really need gears

:goodgrief:

 

[Radius]

Right then. So I could do something like use these bar end shifters, and those tektro levers (24mm ), and it would work?
Are there any cheaper bar end shifters about, could only seem to find Ultegra and Dura Ace, neither of which are 7 speed (not that that's an awful problem), but are both fairly expensive.

 

[Oddjob62]

I believe those tektros might be an issue if you have v-brakes

 

[Radius]

This is true, depending on how badly affected the pull is.

 

[mickle]

Yeah, you can't safely run linear pull brakes (aside from shorties) with any road bike levers unless you use a gizmo to convert the pull rate.

An eight speed bar-end shifter will work perfectly well on your seven as the sprocket width and spacing is identical, you'll just have an unused click.

 

[Joe24]

Now how did i know you'd be the one to suggest that?

Because in reality, you dont need that many gears
Infact, just run a cable, and have little hooks to put it on, and have it so each hook is a gear, you will only need about 3 for the back, leave it in the big ring at the front and you will be away.
For your brakes, get rid of the levers, just have a block of wood or metal attached to the end of the cable, and when you need to brake pull this, have one for the front and the back, and you will look cool with this new system

 

[Radius]

Mmm. So what to do on the brakes front? Get pull rate adjuster? Are there any 24mm clamp V brake levers?