Dual Control Levers?

[Gregory_carroll]

Hi Folks
I am thinking about getting some dual control levers for the Steed. I currently have grip shifts and when I get a a bit sweaty I can't change gear!! Doing a hill start on a low racer in a high gear (or low - I'm never sure) is the definition of tricky. Has anyone had anything to do with them? particularly on a recumbent?

(I tried to post the link - but I'm not cool enough yet

[Freddyflatfoot]

Greg,
You could wear gloves! Will also help with hand starts if you can reach the ground on your low racer. That'd be your simplest option.
If you have room between your legs and the bars, the trigger shifters could also be an option.
I did consider dual control levers myself at one stage, but I'm not sure about availablity, I hear they have fallen out of favor with the MTB guys?
Either way, I can't see any reason why they wouldn't work!
BTW, is your gear system Shimano or SRAM?

[Kalgrm]

I've got them on my Bacchetta. Shimano XT (cable brake version). I love them on the 'bent, but I couldn't imagine anything worse on a MTB (I've got two, but only one of them has gears).

You can see them in this thread.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Gregory_carroll]

I did try gloves - and they worked really well. They are the best option - but there goes my excuse to buy new bits for the bike Although I do tend to wear through the ends of the fingers doing hand stands.

Graeme - they are the ones I was looking at, good to hear they work on the recumbent (nice wheels by the way), but why would they be a nightmare on mtb?

[Kalgrm]

The bars get a lot of external input on them when you're hurtling down a trail. Rocks, logs, roots, etc. all require a steady finger on the brake whilst maintaining grip on the bar for steering.

To change gears with these things, at some point you need to get your fingers underneath the lever to lift the lever. That action requires you to loosen your grip on the bar with your fingers, not to mention losing the ability to apply the brake at that point (unless you're very dexterous).

On the MTB, I'm much happier with SRAM Rocket trigger shifters, since they allow me to ride with one finger touching the brake lever while my thumb is free to shift gears up or down. I'd put them on my 'bent too, but they interfere with my legs when I turn.

Cheers,
Graeme

(PS - got even better wheels on it now. 700c Velocity Deep-V rims laced to XT disc hubs.)

[Gregory_carroll]

I took the plunge and bought a pair of dual control levers, they are the same as the Deore XT ones that are on Graemes' bachetta.
The verdict is still out, but there are a few pro's and cons'

The Good;
I have hamster bars on my bike and tend to hold the top of the brakes while riding. With these lever / brakes, I can hold the top of the brakes and change gears with my little and next to little fingers, so no need to change my hand position.
As the bars are very narrow, I now have a whole hand width of bar to grab hold of should I need to.
Unlike the grip shifts, I am not likely to get so sweaty that I can't change gear
The shifting is very crisp and nice on the rear derailleur.
The brakes work very well.
Despite the rumors a MTB front shifter will work with a roadie derailleur, without indexing issues.

The Bad;
They are probably a bit less aero than the previous set up.
Because the bars are very narrow, routing the cables was tricky and there are now some pretty severe angles involved.
To get the cable angles livable, they need to be set wider apart than I'd like, so the levers hang over the end of the bars a little.
The front shifter is very stiff, but this might be because it is working on a roadie derailleur)
Routing the cables so they didn't interfere with the brakes took a while.
They are a bit agricultural looking, but saying that, they probably look better than the new XTR ones.

The Daft;
The cables out of the box were about 2 inches to short, so I had to go and get a new set meant for a tandem. Its a common issue with a bike thats over 3 miles long.
The cable outer were no where near long enough, so I stuck with the originals.
I need a smaller computer so that it doesn't interfere with the cables.

Net result, I'm not 100% sold, but will stick with them for a while.

[Mikael]

Because the bars are very narrow, routing the cables was tricky and there are now some pretty severe angles involved.
To get the cable angles livable, they need to be set wider apart than I'd like, so the levers hang over the end of the bars a little.

Heres what I do to avoid cableloops on narrow handlebars:
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/252026 ... 0131jOLOxr

Actually this handlebar was a bit too narrow even for this trick.
Works well on my VK2 though.

Best
Mikael

[Kalgrm]

Nice work Mikael. That keeps things nice and neat. (It does look like you've run down a couple of doctors and stolen their stethoscopes on the way through though! )

Welcome to the forum, too.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Gregory_carroll]

Mikael

Thats a genius idea....I am going to the bike shop now!!
I'll post a pic when I am done.

Cheers

Greg