A 'brifter' is a shifter that is part of the brake lever. Brake-lever-shifter = Brifter. If your brakelevers and shiftlevers are integrated into the same unit, you have brifters.
The group might have taken you sideways into a "million dollar project" in part because your original post said: "I want to rebuild it from the bottom up, as the components.... were completely worn out. " If only your drivetrain parts are worn out, and you love everything about your bike otherwise, then by all means get a new cassette the same size as you have now, get three new chainrings, and a new chain, and be happy. 100-200 in parts, plus labor, maybe get cables and housing and handlebar tape and brakepads and it will feel and look like a new bike. If you want to totally reconfigure your drivetrain to a double in front, there may be weight savings, but it will almost certainly be less than a pound of savings, and could easily add another $200-$500 to the project, and might force you into shifter choices that you regret if you've loved what you have been running. On Friday, April 6, 2012 6:37:37 PM UTC-7, dr...@charter.net wrote: > > Well I want my bike to be beautiful too. I want indexed shifters, not > bar end as I am used to them. I am thinking about going to a double > crank. From everything I have read here is would be lighter, and I > could still get a good gear range for touring,a lthough I would have > to get a rear MB derailer. It is hard for me to conceive that with a > 42 front ring that I could get a high enough gear for flats to cruise > on.. but from what i can tell it seems that you all think a triple > chain ring in the front is very repetitive. Am still not sure if I > have to replace my 105 Shimano indexed shifters if I just decide to > change to a double crank and different rear cassette. Can you clarify > please.? What is a brifter?I think the first thing to decide is double > or triple crank and rear cassette and then figure out if I have to > replace my current derailers and shifters if I do that. The rings > were the reason that I took the bike apart in the first place, as > they were the only parts that were really worn out.. now here I am > with half my bike sitting next to this computer desk in a big pile and > this is turning into a million dollar project. I can probably afford > to redo the whole thing, but do not necessarily feel the need to do > that. I kind of like to use things up and recycle etc. > > On Apr 6, 9:17 am, islaysteve <alkire...@verizon.net> wrote: > > dr (original poster): I agree you have a lot to consider and digest > here. > > You a debating compact double vs. triple cranks, for one thing. As for > > myself, I've always had a double, and used 105 STI 'brifters'. They > have > > performed so well for me that I see no reason to leave them. The > mainline > > Rivendell philosophy favors non-indexed bar-end shifters, and lots of > folks > > here go that way. However one good thing about Riv and this forum is > that > > there's a wide tolerance for individuality and using what works for you. > > Along those lines, I'd suggest that you may first want to decide on your > > shifting system. I believe that you have been using STI? If you like > it, > > you'll likely not want to change. I've heard (and not confirmed, and > > others here may correct me) that triples are a bit more finicky for > > brifters. But you were running a triple anyway, so would have your own > > experience. As Jim and others have mentioned, you can go to a compact > > double and still have a wide gear range. That's what I am going to work > > toward on my bike. I also admit to considering it an object of "beauty" > > and consider that when choosing parts. I got a very nice-looking Sugino > > Alpina compact double and that's what I'm sticking with. You may not be > > able to keep your 105 RD if you opt for a larger cassette; but as > mentioned > > above, you can get a good Shimano mtn derailleur that will handle the > > larger cogs and should be just as reliable as what you are used to. > Good > > luck, Steve -- 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/-/CCIxAN08tDcJ. 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.
