Bar end shifters

Now its the end of the tri season (for me anyway), its time to pull my race bike to pieces and replace bits with more expensive bits ;-)

One of the things I was thinking about was adding was some bar end shifters to my aero bars. They appear to be quite cheap (about 30-40 squids on ebay) and it is awkward changing gear using normal shifters while down on the aero bars and eating a power bar at the same time :-)

Has anybody got them fitted ? Are they difficult to fit ? Is it worth the hassle ? Are there any downsides to having them ?

Comments

  • I dont have them but considering it also, at the mo I only spend about 75% on the Tri Bars and have found little discomfort changing gear on the STI's.

    Will be interesting to see the thoughts of others.
  • CartmanCartman ✭✭✭
    the one down side I have been thinking of is how horrible it will be trying to change gear while climbing a steep hill (when you have to stand).. oh, and cycling in traffic will probably be a bit of a no no...
  • i use them and they are great - you just need to make sure that you're in the right gear before you mount the steep hill

    i'd use them on all but the most mountainous course (eg any but the Norseman, I think)
  • I've got them and they scare me sh*tless. But then most things about cycling do!

    They are fine, really, esp. if you are used to being on your aero bars (which I'm not!). It's not difficult to change gear even if you're on your...er...handlebars (or whatever the normal bits are called), just do what I do which is....creep....one...hand slow-l-y...off...the..handlebars...aaaaand....oh hang on....aaaand....JUMP them over to the shifters change gear really quickly then jump back to the handlebars phew I can't believe I am still alive.
  • I've got the STI's on my Lo Pro. Spose bar ends might be good for flat TT's - but not so good for Ironbridge !

    I think I'll leave them like that.
  • I've had bar end shifters and have taken them off to go back to STI's. To get the most out of the bar end shifters I'd say that you need to looking to race on the tri bars most of the time.

    I don't - I'm not stong enough on the bike to remain on the tri bars when climbing and I'm too chicken to remain on the tri bars on anything resembling a downhill (mental scars from recent fall).

    As previously said changing gear when you are not on the tri bars is a pain with the bar-enders.

  • CartmanCartman ✭✭✭
    Candy, I've never heard cycling up a hill described like that !

    I take it you reckon aeros and bar end shifters will be OK for IMCH ???

    I'm pretty much sold on them, going to get a set and a set of normal break levers and put the STIs back on my drops..
  • The electric Mavic Zap system would be perfect for this. You could have buttons at both places to change gear.

    Dunno if they still make them though.
  • cartman - i'll be using bar end shifters at IMCH.

    i'll do a recce lap on the thursday to get some idea of where the sudden climbs are.
  • Sounds a good plan Candy. You do that and let us know.

    I'll check out the lake and let you know where the climbs are on that.

    All we need is a Marathon looker-atterer.

    (do we need to enter yet ? Do we ? Huh ? Huh ?
  • doubt it. i will next week though.

    you should come on the ride. an easy few hours on the bike on thursday combined with a few practice swims makes a good final week of taper in my book. oooo and as its a multi-loop swim we can practice sighting too. i think you need to head for the mountain... hopefully they will colour code all the surrounding mountains for us

  • Got bar ends on my lo-pro and got no probs with them. Just like anything 'different' they take some time to get used to, but I'm happy with them and they encourage me to maintain the aero position.

    I've only ever used my lo-pro on 10s where it's always best to remain as aero as possible so I guess they serve their purpose.

    And besides, potential performance improvements aside, bar end levers look the nuts, and as every cyclist knows image is everything!!
  • they are quite good for ramming people, too
  • bit of time on ebay, 4 trips to the bike shop, several evenings spent adjusting "H" and "L" screws, and two knackered gear cables later and I have finally got bars end shifters on and operational :-))))

    took off my STIs completely and stuck on a pair of straight forward break levers. Will keep a hold of the STIs just in case though.

    All in all, quite easy to do and not ~that~ expensive..

    Will give them a go tomorrow... Cycling that is, not ramming people ;-)
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