On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 at 11:54 AM, iamkeith <keithhar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I'll say this though: The comfort/ergonomics of most brifters, including > the one you linked, is *vastly* superior to any lever-only design out > there, that I've found. The hoods themselves are large enough that they're > actually a joy to rest your hands on (indeed this seems to be the primary > hand position for most modern road bikes), and the levers are way easier to > reach from the drop position even when the brake body is mounted high > enough to be utilized as a true hand perch. (Hopefully that makes sense - > I'm a mountain biker who happens to own a couple of road bikes, but the > terminology is foreign to me. Basically, on a bar like the noodle, I seem > to have to choose between being able to comfortably and readily reach the > levers from the drop position without a strained contortion of my hands and > body, or being able to comfortably rest on the hoods when I want to ride in > that position. The brake levers are also easier and more effective to > operate from the hoods themselves, but the TRP ones that Riv sells do a > better job of this than most. > > I agree that most brake-only levers have dated ergonomics, and don't really give good hand positions on the hoods or ramps. That's because most brake-only levers haven't been re-designed since the early 90s. I didn't grow up with non-aero levers, so I don't appreciate a point at the top of the hood. The TRP RRL levers, in contrast, have modern ergonomics that mirror Campagnolo 10s Ergopowers. I find that they are very comfortable on the hoods and ramps, as are most modern brifters. I have no problem reaching the brake lever from any hand position, but then again I have pretty large hands. A small wedge is included with the TRP RRL levers that may change that lever reach somewhat. To the overall discussion, I'll add that my control choice is definitely influenced by my gearing configuration. With a triple crank, I accept only a Silver bar-end shifter. Every other shifter I've tried with a triple crank has been disappointing (twist grip shifters, Campy 8s Ergos, Shimano STI brifters, thumb shifters, or trigger shifters). The left Silver bar-end seems to pull a lot of cable (compared to Shimano bar-ends), so shifts require only a small movement of the lever. I can over-shift it a bit if I want to force a shift, and it's super easy to trim. No other shifter is as satisfactory for me with a triple crank. Therefore, both of my bikes with triples have bar-ends. I haven't tried more modern Campy Ergos with a triple, and their multiple standards (quickshift, ultrashift) keeps me from even trying. With a double crank, I've found indexed/integrated shifters to work just fine. And, with a wide-range 10s cassette, I don't really see the need for a triple crank any more. I don't think I'll spec one on any new builds. (Sorry for any offense to the retro-grouches out there. I respect the retro-simple aesthetic and ascribe to most of its tenets, but triples are losing ground in my preferences.) With all that said, I'll admit that I don't like the wrist twisting motion required for brifters. I've injured my wrists enough over the years that they're usually a bit tender, and that twisting gets uncomfortable, especially when my arms are tired from riding. The up/down motion of a bar-end or downtube shifter is much more comfortable for my wrist. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
