I love the idea of downtube shifters; simplicity, good looks, easy packing,
disassembly, and repair, etc. However, as soon as I'm off road, bar-end
shifters become much nicer and down tube is a giant pain.
Right now, I have downtube shifters on my Ram. However, I'm still getting
my bars and
One way to think about DT shifters is that they are above the same level
(or slightly less stretch) as the top of your water bottle when it is
mounted on the downtube. For a given bike set up (geometry, seat height, or
stem height etc), you can simulate DT shifter experience by touching the
I have 2 bikes set up each way (2 Rivendell and 2 Rivendell-ish). I prefer
the DT shifters, but both are okay. The bar ends tend to bump things while
you are handling the bike from storage to the bike rack, etc and you'll be
out of gear. Neither is hard to get to, once you have a feel for
I can't think of a right or wrong placement for shifters. or shifting
too soon, too late, too much or too little ((( laughing ))). I mean hey , I
hop on the bike, I pedal and the bike goes, and shifting just happens along
the way like all the rest of the scenery. If I told you a
My experiences mirror some of the other responses here. My last shifter
setup on an Atlantis also employed the dt shifter for the front and bar end
for the rear. Worked very nicely using a an original Silver up front and a
Shimano DuraAce for the rear. My SamH uses DuraAce bar ends front and
Thanks so much for all the inputs . It was very helpful. I will start of
with downtube for front and bar end for rear, so that I get a feel for what
works and a later point convert if need be . I am planning to route cable
housing for barends outside the handle bar wrap , may be secure it
I guess I’m not the only one still using Inolights!
On Saturday, December 25, 2021 at 10:11:48 AM UTC-5 KenP wrote:
> I have tried four ways. I like thumb shifters the best on upright bars
> because my hands are usually on the grips and there is immediate reach.
> The second choice for
DT for front is great because it's an occasional reach for one or two big
shifts but I've never gotten along well with it for the rear, I run my bars
too high for the reach to work for me. It's probably fine if your bars are
at or below saddle level.
Joe Bernard
On Friday, December 24, 2021
Downtube shifters have the advantage of simplicity and a shorter cable run.
However, they are most useful for road bikes with very aggressive riding
position - where the seat is a good bit higher than the bars, and you can
just move your hand to the downtube without bending farther.
Bar ends
I wholeheartedly agree with the honorable Mike Packard. I have DT shifters
on my Atlantis, Hillborne and Jitensha Ebisu.
Ahmed in San Mateo CA
On Fri, Dec 24, 2021 at 11:35 AM Mike Packard wrote:
> I have DT on my Homer and like it for the following reasons
>
> - it makes me shift about 17%
I have DT on my Homer and like it for the following reasons
- it makes me shift about 17% less often, which encourages more dynamic
riding
- as a perpetual handlebar switcher it just makes it a lot easier to not
have to move shifters around
- cleaner looks / less clutter up front. this is
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