Author Topic: shifters  (Read 19477 times)

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Offline staehpj1

Re: shifters
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2012, 09:38:04 am »
First downtube shifters, and to some extent barend shifters, are inaccessable if you are climbing standing and determine you need a lower gear in a hurry.

I'll buy less accessible, but not inaccessible.  I guess it depends on how you set up the bike among other things, but I can shift just fine with bar ends while standing to climb.

I also do not find down tube shifters any less accessible than bar ends for me, but on the smallish frame I ride and with my preferred low bar position down tube shifters and bar end shifters are at almost exactly the same height and therefore the same amount of reach.

As I said I ride a smallish frame and prefer my bars 4-5" below saddle height, so riding seated or standing involves a good bit of bending at the waist any way.  I acknowledge that someone who uses a more upright riding posture and or a larger frame would likely have a different take on this.

Not knocking STI brifters, I like them quite well, but I also enjoy riding my downtube shifter equipped bike just fine, even in the mountains.

Offline DaveB

Re: shifters
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2012, 01:48:12 pm »
[Not knocking STI brifters, I like them quite well, but I also enjoy riding my downtube shifter equipped bike just fine, even in the mountains.
OK everyone, I think we've flogged this fatally stricken equine quite enough. :) 

I don't deny that many riders like, even prefer, downtube and barend shifters and they are certainly welcome to use them forevermore.   I've ridden thousand and thousands of miles using both.  My beef is with the attitude that says brifters are an unneeded waste of money and only sold to the fashionable, trendy and naive. 

Offline driftlessregion

Re: shifters
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2012, 08:11:05 pm »
Just because it is marketing hype, selling us stuff we don't need, doesn't mean the new stuff isn't pretty cool.
I'm a retro-grouch some days and long for Campy Electronic system other days.