I'm a DT shifter. They work, they are simple, I like the look. I've gotten pretty good at shifting both levers at once with the right hand, so DTs usually aren't a hassle.
That said, I have been thinking it would be nice to switch my rough stuff bike to brifters, because DT shifting is a bit awkward when riding tricky trails. I'm impressed by the current generation of SRAM brifters - a mega improvement from brifters of years ago. On Aug 2, 6:27 pm, bicyclebill <b...@wbpnet.com> wrote: > This will probably get me a lot of flack but please keep in mind that > one of my non-RBW bike is a Claud Butler, so I'm no enemy of > tradition. Having said that, I believe that each generation of > shifters has represented evolution and that the state of the art has > improved. My Butler originally had Campy downtube shifters and, aside > from the question of reach, they were extremely vague and had a mind > of their own about shifting. Before you get on me about adjustments, > please know that in addition to my own efforts these were adjusted by > very experienced mechanics including those at my LBS, Harris Cyclery. > > I then went to Campy bar ends and found the position much better but > the shifting equally vague. From there to Sun Tour bar ends and a > whole new world! Using them in friction mode (I've never tried them > in indexed mode), these are still my favorites. For a couple of > years, I had a Cannondale touring bike with Shimano STI brifters and I > have to say they were a pleasure. I spend most of my time on the tops > and on the hoods and the STI's were convenient, effective and very > reliable. While the STI indexing worked flawlessly, I still prefer > friction and have thus resorted to bar ends on both the Butler (Sun > Tour) and my Bleriot (Shimano). > > I've heard the arguments that if you're in Katmandu and your STI's > break down, who's going to fix them. Since the next time I'm in > Katmandu will be the first time, that's a bridge I'm willing to cross > later! > > In the interest of full disclosure, I also have a Cervelo Soloist with > Dure Ace STI shifters but that's a completely different story! > > On Aug 2, 2:31 pm, Roger <rogerdhod...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > I ride a 65cm, and the downtube shifters are right in the arcswing of > > my arm if I bend my other elbow just a bit to lower myself. If one's > > arm doesn't swing to the dt shifters, I wouldn't recommend using them > > no matter what height they are. It may have to do with leg/torso/arm > > proportions, but I don't think it's intrinsic to being tall. > > > I think it's a losing battle to ever encourage someone to switch to > > dt's. Probably most new users in this era will be self-motivators who > > will try it on their own, and some will stick with it. I like it > > really well, but no one was gonna tell me to use such an elegantly > > simple way to shift. > > > The only time that dt's make one's life demonstrably better is while > > experimenting with stems and bars. > > > On Aug 2, 11:02 am, Rex Kerr <rexk...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Interesting question. I'm also curious how much frame size has to do with > > > DT shifter preferences. > > > > I ride a ~67 cm frame and the reach to DT shifters is insane, making me > > > uncomfortable using them. For this reason I have a strong preference for > > > barend shifters. I'm curious if this is true for other tall riders. > > > > -Rex > > > > On Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 5:00 AM, Forrest <ftme...@me.com> wrote: > > > > Among those of you who now use downtube shifters (or have in the past), > > > > how > > > > many of you are confirmed fans of downtube shifting, and how many of you > > > > tried it as an experiment but then switched to a different shifting > > > > system > > > > that you felt was better? Oh, and any thoughts re downtube indexed vs. > > > > downtube friction would be welcome. > > > > > Thanks, -- Forrest (Iowa City) > > > > > -- > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups > > > > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > > > > To view this discussion on the web visit > > > >https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/ewWKs5Wvv_gJ. > > > > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > >http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
