Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

In looking at options for a trike or velomobile specification I was considering going with Shimano Dura-ace Bar end shifters based on my experience as a touring cyclist where they are popular. However, I notice over at BROL that there seems to be a bit of dislike for more recent incarnations of the shifters with some riders reporting issues.

I am curious to know if anyone here has had negative experiences with their Shimano Dura-ace Bar end shifters as my Google searches only bring up threads at BROL and the Catrike forum.

Thanks
Andrew

Hi,

I have no experience with recumbents, but do use 9 and 10 speed dura ace bar end shifters - both are latest gen (I was so happy with the 9-speed set up on my disc trucker that I went with bar ends on my new cross bike).

They work fine - I am very happy with the 10 speed as i routed cables under the bar tape and was concerned that shifting would be affected by the extra bends, but indexing is perfect.

Cheers

Chef wrote:Hi,

I have no experience with recumbents, but do use 9 and 10 speed dura ace bar end shifters - both are latest gen (I was so happy with the 9-speed set up on my disc trucker that I went with bar ends on my new cross bike).

They work fine - I am very happy with the 10 speed as i routed cables under the bar tape and was concerned that shifting would be affected by the extra bends, but indexing is perfect.

Cheers

Yeah that is my experience on a diamond frame too, which is what got me wondering if this was a particular issue to trikes and/or BROL members

Andrew

I had them on my Ice trike and loved them compared to the twist shifters.

Also might add that I did lose a shifter bolt but it was a no brainer to replace it.

I've had no trouble with the 8 speed version.
I have heard of some problems due to that round plastic part breaking probably due to UV degradation.

That wouldn't really be a problem if you could buy spares but unfortunately it seems Shimano don't make them available.

John

Grip shifters can be a bit messy for replacing cables, not as nice in the actual shifting, but can be an advantage when you're cruising along. Since most trikes are underseat steer this means that bar end shifters will stick up on the ends of the handlebars, grip shifters don't and provide you a flat rubbery surface on the end of each bar to rest your hands on while pedalling along. In other words you have to grip with bar ends but can deckchair with grip shifters.

If I was touring however I'd consider bar ends on durability and maintenance.

Hi Andrew,

The latest iteration lack the facility to use them in friction mode,like the shifters of old on downtubes .The new models can only be used indexed.

This makes for a considerable reduction in versatility if you want to experiment with different derailleur/ cassette combinations .

Friction means you can use any brand derailleur and any cassette, with no modification required.

If you need to know which model numbers have /haven't got friction mode let me know and I'll have a look at the boxes in my spare parts box

I have 9 speed Dura Ace on my Bacchetta. It initially had sram grip shifters. I went back to grip shifters and immediately went back to the bar ends.
I think the 10 speed versions are the ones that have had durability problems but not widespread as the complainers will have you believe.
I also have 10 speed Sram bar ends on my Musashi and have no problems at all. These have covered about 9,000K's and the Shimano 9 speed has seen about 14,000K's. Both sets still working like new.

Take a look at Pauls Thumbies
I read of them used on some Quests.
I thought they would convert to friction but reading it seems to suggest it depends on the barcon you are converting.

http://www.paulcomp.com/thumbies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

John

devotees of pauls thumbies (and I have a couple of pairs) might also be interested in a newish product from taiwanese company microshift. Thumb shifters in 8, 9 or 10spd out of the box: http://www.microshift.com.tw/city_Shifters.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. A friend got a new bike recently speced with the 10spd version, they work suprisingly well and don't look to bad (not big and clunky like some thumb shifters. And slightly better priced and less fiddling than pauls thumbie bases and seperate shift lever units from bar end shifters. Cheers Alex