I have used SIS, barcons and down tube shifters and each has its advantages. SIS is fast and keeps your hands right on the brakes; but are a pain when they are out of whack, are expensive and have the shortest life expectancy of any system. I don't care for the ergonomics of pushing with my fingertips. Barcons are much slower than SIS but have better ergonomics and otherwise offer similar control at a much more affordable price than SIS. BEs are my favorite for commuting or any time I'm in traffic - bike or car traffic. DT shifters do require learning to reach down to shift, but it's not much different than pulling out a water bottle. Your hand memorizes the location and you want to keep your eyes up the road. DT shifters are even faster than SIS. They let you shift front and rear with the same hand, either in quick succession or even simultaneously if you want to, and they can run across the length of the cassette much faster than SIS. Vt, where I live, has lots of rolling terrain which rewards rapid double shifts, so I much prefer DT friction shifters, and that's what's on my Ram. I do miss a shift occassionally, but I simply see that as a learning experience. BTW, if you want to teach someone how to shift, I have found that BE is easier to master than SIS. The shifters always move in the same direction as the chain, which reinforces the learning and makes it easier to visualize what's happening.
If you go to a CD, you will get improved shifting from a FD with a shorter cage, which allows it to be mounted closer to the ring, without hitting the chainstay, as the 105 will on most bikes. I highly recommend the new Campy. There is no compelling reason to change the RD, but if you have something with a very long cage you will get faster, smoother shifting from one with a shorter cage. Michael On Sep 13, 5:35 pm, Johnny Alien <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hey Johnny, > > > Downtube shifters are more classic than barcons and lighter too. A triple > > really isn't classic, and the bottom bracket and cranks are both heavier > > than a traditional double or compact double. > > > Regards, Doug > > > P.S. No slight intended, but it seems to me like a lot of Roadeos are being > > built up pretty much the way I would think most AHHs get built up rather > > than as any lighter than average go-fasties... > > I definitely wanted to be more on the racier end but with keeping with > some classic looks. I never thought about it but DT shifters might be > a fantastic idea. They are very light and more classic than putting > on brifters. (I didn't want to do barcons). > > 100% going to do a compact double. I'm not sure what to do with the > FD and RD. But DT shifters??? You have me leaning this way. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
