Long live the Stem Mounted Shifters!
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Long live the Stem Mounted Shifters!
I finally finished the rebuild on this 1997 Specialized Sirrus. It came with 3x7 RX100 brifters which I knew were going to be replaced when I bought the bike, I just didn't know with what.
I got everything else done but still hadn't determined a good solution for braking and shifting. So I decided to make use of what I already had laying around, just to get it on the road and see how it felt. I assumed it would be temporary, and it still may be, but for now this is the setup I landed on and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to ride it this way for the rest of the season and may end up keeping it this way. I actually love this setup.
I could have used downtube shifters that I also have kicking around, but with the more upright position of these Soma Oxford bars (Nitto Albatross clone) the placement of these stem shifters are extremely convenient. Naturally they shift great. Go ahead and roast me for using stem-mounted shifters, but in this case they're perfect. And I really like the multiple hand positions of the Soma Oxfords. The bike itself handles great, as I expected it would with the frame that it has.
By the way, I'd like to thank kansascity for the shifters. Last year he offered a box of stem shifters for just the cost of shipping, and I grabbed them for a "just in case" scenario. Hopefully he'll see this and be glad to know they were put to good use.
I got everything else done but still hadn't determined a good solution for braking and shifting. So I decided to make use of what I already had laying around, just to get it on the road and see how it felt. I assumed it would be temporary, and it still may be, but for now this is the setup I landed on and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to ride it this way for the rest of the season and may end up keeping it this way. I actually love this setup.
I could have used downtube shifters that I also have kicking around, but with the more upright position of these Soma Oxford bars (Nitto Albatross clone) the placement of these stem shifters are extremely convenient. Naturally they shift great. Go ahead and roast me for using stem-mounted shifters, but in this case they're perfect. And I really like the multiple hand positions of the Soma Oxfords. The bike itself handles great, as I expected it would with the frame that it has.
By the way, I'd like to thank kansascity for the shifters. Last year he offered a box of stem shifters for just the cost of shipping, and I grabbed them for a "just in case" scenario. Hopefully he'll see this and be glad to know they were put to good use.
Last edited by Jeff Neese; 05-07-24 at 05:46 PM.
#2
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I finally finished the rebuild on this 1997 Specialized Sirrus. It came with 3x7 RX100 brifters which I knew were going to be replaced when I bought the bike, I just didn't know with what.
I got everything else done but still hadn't determined a good solution for braking and shifting. So I decided to make use of what I already had laying around, just to get it on the road and see how it felt. I assumed it would be temporary, and it still may be, but for now this is the setup I landed on and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to ride it this way for the rest of the season and may end up keeping it this way. I actually love this setup
I could have used downtube shifters that I also have kicking around, but with the more upright position of these Soma Oxford bars (Nitto Albatross clone) the placement of these stem shifters are extremely convenient. Naturally they shift great. Go ahead and roast me for using stem-mounted shifters, but in this case they're perfect. And I really like the multiple hand positions of the Soma Oxfords. The bike itself handles great, as I expected it would with the frame that it has.
By the way, I'd like to thank kansascity for the shifters. Last year he offered a box of stem shifters for just the cost of shipping, and I grabbed them for a "just in case" scenario. Hopefully he'll see this and be glad to know they were put to good use.
I got everything else done but still hadn't determined a good solution for braking and shifting. So I decided to make use of what I already had laying around, just to get it on the road and see how it felt. I assumed it would be temporary, and it still may be, but for now this is the setup I landed on and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to ride it this way for the rest of the season and may end up keeping it this way. I actually love this setup
I could have used downtube shifters that I also have kicking around, but with the more upright position of these Soma Oxford bars (Nitto Albatross clone) the placement of these stem shifters are extremely convenient. Naturally they shift great. Go ahead and roast me for using stem-mounted shifters, but in this case they're perfect. And I really like the multiple hand positions of the Soma Oxfords. The bike itself handles great, as I expected it would with the frame that it has.
By the way, I'd like to thank kansascity for the shifters. Last year he offered a box of stem shifters for just the cost of shipping, and I grabbed them for a "just in case" scenario. Hopefully he'll see this and be glad to know they were put to good use.
#3
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Love it! Stem shifters are the first I recall using. Why fix what ain't broke?
#4
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I built a beater bike a few years ago out of a Schwinn World Sport. I used a 3 X 7 Shimano SIS drivetrain with indexed stem shifters. I loved being able to shift with just my thumbs when riding the top of the Schwinn Approved randonneur bars I salvaged from a flat bar conversion. I even stooped so low as to keep the turkey levers that came with them. I liked the arrangement so well that when I decommisioned it I kept the bar setup and shifters for future use.
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#5
Bianchi Goddess
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Cool. I’ve been considering those Suntour PowerRatchet stem shifters if I need to replace the Ergos on Samantha.
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#6
Well I, for one, have lost all respect for you. Harumph!
#7
aka Tom Reingold
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As bike lovers in the 1970s and 1980s, we looked down our noses at bikes with stem shifters. And there is nothing wrong with them. Snobbery proves to be less useful than I thought. I even had stem shifters on my Raleigh International briefly in 2015.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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#8
Yes
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59 Allegro Special -- 72 Bob Jackson -- 74 Motobecane Grand Jubile -- 74 Sekine SHS 271 -- 80 Nishiki International
85 Shogun 800 -- 86 Tommasini Super Prestige -- 92 Specialized Rockhopper -- 17 Colnago Arabesque
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#9
Francophile
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As I recall, it was the combination of stem shifters and turkey levers that generated the criticism, for a practical reason. They encouraged riders to hold the bars too close to the stem, leaving the rider with insufficient leverage to control the bike over bumps etc.
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#10
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The dark side. At the bike shop I worked in my '70s racing days, we would try to convince male buyers to upgrade to DTs or bar ends if we thought they might be open to it. (We had in mind the "what if your crotch comes in contact with the stem in as crash".) At my last race, I was staying at the once grand hotel of an old NH city. Wheeling my bike and bag in, an old man, resident there, approached me in the lobby to tell me he had done just that. Sobering.
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#12
Senior Member
When I bought my Peugeot UO8 in 1972, it came with stem mounted shifters which I thought would be great. I found out that I really disliked them. I mostly rode with my hands on the brake hoods so that reaching the shifters was awkward. I also found that the force needed to shift made me wobble from the torque of the shift on the steer tube. Before that summer was out, I converted to downtube shifters which I found more manageable as I didn't have to sit up to shift, I just reached down to the shifter on the downtube
I still own a bike with downtube shifters and wouldn't try to change anything about it
I still own a bike with downtube shifters and wouldn't try to change anything about it
#13
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Jus sayin’…
see the 00:12 mark
see the 00:12 mark
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#14
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Thread Starter
Here's the obligatory garage door portrait.
What I learned about these bars is that while they do provide a nice, "beach cruiser" position in the back, the forward position (where I have the brake levers) actually lets you put weight over the front wheel and gives you pretty nice control. Not like drops, but it handles pretty well with your hands in the forward position. And like I said, the position of those shifters is actually perfect for this application.
What I learned about these bars is that while they do provide a nice, "beach cruiser" position in the back, the forward position (where I have the brake levers) actually lets you put weight over the front wheel and gives you pretty nice control. Not like drops, but it handles pretty well with your hands in the forward position. And like I said, the position of those shifters is actually perfect for this application.
Last edited by Jeff Neese; 05-08-24 at 03:41 PM.
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#15
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Here's the obligatory garage door portrait.
What I learned about these bars is that while they do provide a nice, "beach cruiser" position in the back, the forward position (where I have the brake levers) actually lets you put weight over the front wheel and gives you pretty nice control. Not like drops, but it handles pretty well with your hands in the forward position. And like I said, the position of those shifters is actually perfect for this application.
What I learned about these bars is that while they do provide a nice, "beach cruiser" position in the back, the forward position (where I have the brake levers) actually lets you put weight over the front wheel and gives you pretty nice control. Not like drops, but it handles pretty well with your hands in the forward position. And like I said, the position of those shifters is actually perfect for this application.
Looks good from here, not particulaly my jam but a fine looking machine.
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I've got a saved search on eBay for some indexed, 7-speed Shimano bar ends. If I find a set (long shot NOS) then I'll buy another set of Nitto 135A Randonneur drop bars, and configure it that way. I really do prefer drops over anything else. But that would be one of next winter's projects. I'll ride it like this for a while.
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#17
Senior Member
Thread Starter
#18
I think bikes with slacker geometry and basic tubesets make better upright riders. Think 70s Raleighs, Schwinns… But hey, y’all can do whatever the hell you want with your old bikes.
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#19
Mother Nature's Son
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Not my normal thing either, but I have two other bikes with drop bars that I can ride. This is a fun change of pace. I can see why Albatross-style bars are popular.
I've got a saved search on eBay for some indexed, 7-speed Shimano bar ends. If I find a set (long shot NOS) then I'll buy another set of Nitto 135A Randonneur drop bars, and configure it that way. I really do prefer drops over anything else. But that would be one of next winter's projects. I'll ride it like this for a while.
I've got a saved search on eBay for some indexed, 7-speed Shimano bar ends. If I find a set (long shot NOS) then I'll buy another set of Nitto 135A Randonneur drop bars, and configure it that way. I really do prefer drops over anything else. But that would be one of next winter's projects. I'll ride it like this for a while.
Adding: check out these 9 speed DA bar ends. https://www.ebay.com/itm/285098517840
Last edited by delbiker1; 05-10-24 at 07:36 AM.
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#20
Full Member
I bought a Super Course last week from a 92 year old guy who still had a garage full of bikes. He still rides on a regular basis but was complaining that he was getting a sore neck from being hunched over. The setup on your Specialized would be ideal for him.
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#21
pan y agua
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Because you value your nuts?
Also if you’re taking your hand off the bars to shift anyway, downtube mounted shifters are only a slightly further reach, and have much less cable housing cable run.
Besides do you want your bike to look like a Schwinn Varsity?
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#22
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I had stem shifters on two bikes--My BSO Sears Free Spirit and my low-end Centurion Sport DLX.
See the trend?
See the trend?
#23
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But yeah, I do like that my better-performing Supersport looks about like a Schwinn Varsity, makes it a sleeper.
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