Do brifters shift triples well?
#26
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My ergobrifters shift a triple great. This is one area that I think Campy has a clear advantage over Shimano. The Campy ergo levers (at least the older ones) don't have preset 1-2-3 positions on the left lever. Instead there are many small clicks that let you trim the derailleur as needed, it's very much like shifting a friction shifter. My only limitation in cross chaining a triple with this is when the chain starts rubbing the other chainrings. Very adaptable and no problems shifting a triple at all.
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They have for about 20,000 miles on one bike and about 12,000 miles on another. The key is to pick the proper front derailer. Don't choose one of the fancy expensive Shimano ones. Choose one of the lower end Shimano derailers. They can handle a wider range of gears on the cassette and they work better. The expensive ones are just too clever for their own good.
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Belly up to the bar-end
I'll bet a lot of younger riders have never seen a bar-end.
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The Shimano Claris brifters have been really great for me in shifting. I have a Claris 2403 FD & it is finicky to set up as well as rub slightly if the chain line is not ideal. I may try a cheaper version FD, but it was difficult finding a bottom pull triple with a 34.9mm clamp that could sweep the 48/38/28. I may end up going to a 50/39/30, but that 28 really is nice when climbing while exhausted.
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#34
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I am using an old Shimano Deore XT M730 front derailer. Has been on the bike since 1990. I won't be changing that out, because it has shifted reliably for 29 years. But I agree with you that the current higher-end front derailers limit the shifting possibilities. I tried a modern one last year, and it wouldn't shift at all, because I didn't have exactly 10 teeth between rings.
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Today I mounted a DuraAce ST-7700, designed for a double, and indeed, it would not shift three rings. It pulls about a centimeter of cable, versus the bar-end, which pulls two centimeters. How much cable does an STI triple pull?
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I have a Campagnolo ten speed triple setup that shifts beautifully.
#37
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Not too fancy for their own good, just not designed for what you want. High end stuff like that is usually designed for the lightest possible weight and often a more specialized intent. Thus it will be more particular in setup and depend on the rest of the system being in spec as well. The midrange stuff is intended for more workhorse bikes and as a tradeoff for working over a wider range of possibly mismatched parts will weigh more.
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My 11-speed Crampy Athena triple works flawlessly, FWIW.
One of the nice things about bar-end shifters is you can use them in friction mode, which for the front, has more advantages than disadvantages.
One of the nice things about bar-end shifters is you can use them in friction mode, which for the front, has more advantages than disadvantages.
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Deore rear derailleurs are the top end derailleur right before the DynaSys line and will work with Claris and 105 shifters.
IIRC, my XT RDs say Deore XT which is kind of confusing.
But the Deore RDs have been rock solid for us.
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I run a 3 x 9 Dura Ace 7700/7703 shifter setup with an Ultegra 6603 crankset & front derailleur and an Ultegra 6500 GS mid-cage rear derailleur.
I like the system a lot. Once set up properly, it shifts almost as well as a 2x system does. The set up procedure has to be followed though, and failure to set the cable tension correctly can lead to a lot of headaches. Unfortunately, each time I put new cables & housings on I managed to muck things up for a while. In order for all the front shift clicks (including trim) to be preserved I found that you must shift the left shifter all the way to low granny then set the front derailleur cable with the cage halfway between the 30 & 39 tooth chainring and then pull the slop out of the cable. You then can dial in the 30, 39 & 52 tooth chainring trim positions using the adjuster barrel. The upper & lower stop screws should have already been set BTW.
Using a new nylon bottom bracket guide, new compressionless housing and burnished stainless cable inner wire all helped the tactile feel be able to (eventually) be spot-on.
There are many ways to not get this right. This might be part of the reason Triples are a dying breed.
I like mine a lot & in fact I have the parts to do 2 or 3 more Shimano triple brifter bikes. To me it is pretty cool to run a tighter ratio cassette (mine is a 12-23 nine speed) which permits one tooth jumps, very handy for spirited riding in tight groups yet still can go low for almost all the steeper river valley hills in my area.
I like the system a lot. Once set up properly, it shifts almost as well as a 2x system does. The set up procedure has to be followed though, and failure to set the cable tension correctly can lead to a lot of headaches. Unfortunately, each time I put new cables & housings on I managed to muck things up for a while. In order for all the front shift clicks (including trim) to be preserved I found that you must shift the left shifter all the way to low granny then set the front derailleur cable with the cage halfway between the 30 & 39 tooth chainring and then pull the slop out of the cable. You then can dial in the 30, 39 & 52 tooth chainring trim positions using the adjuster barrel. The upper & lower stop screws should have already been set BTW.
Using a new nylon bottom bracket guide, new compressionless housing and burnished stainless cable inner wire all helped the tactile feel be able to (eventually) be spot-on.
There are many ways to not get this right. This might be part of the reason Triples are a dying breed.
I like mine a lot & in fact I have the parts to do 2 or 3 more Shimano triple brifter bikes. To me it is pretty cool to run a tighter ratio cassette (mine is a 12-23 nine speed) which permits one tooth jumps, very handy for spirited riding in tight groups yet still can go low for almost all the steeper river valley hills in my area.
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#41
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Not too fancy for their own good, just not designed for what you want. High end stuff like that is usually designed for the lightest possible weight and often a more specialized intent. Thus it will be more particular in setup and depend on the rest of the system being in spec as well. The midrange stuff is intended for more workhorse bikes and as a tradeoff for working over a wider range of possibly mismatched parts will weigh more.
XT and XTR are DynaSys and have different pull rates.
Deore rear derailleurs are the top end derailleur right before the DynaSys line and will work with Claris and 105 shifters.
IIRC, my XT RDs say Deore XT which is kind of confusing.
But the Deore RDs have been rock solid for us.
Deore rear derailleurs are the top end derailleur right before the DynaSys line and will work with Claris and 105 shifters.
IIRC, my XT RDs say Deore XT which is kind of confusing.
But the Deore RDs have been rock solid for us.
The XT has also always been Deore XT.
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#42
Senior Member
It’s not that they are just lighter. There is a lot of difference in the dimensions on the plates between the higher end models and the lower end models that has an effect on how they work. Deore and Tiagra, for example, have more space between the inner and outer plates that allow for easier set up and wider range. The narrower plates on the more expensive derailers don’t make them work any better even when paired with the same level of components.
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#43
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I beg to differ. Narrower derailleur plates mean you can shift with less movement of the cage. That translates to some combination of less travel and/or lighter effort at the shift lever. The kind of stuff people talk about when they spend more on a groupset than an entire bike with lower range components costs. To get the derailleur to shift this setup well, they probably also hold tighter tolerances in the shifter and on the chainrings/cassette and rely on clean cables and following all the setup instructions. You'll also notice that the highest tier of components also tends to have a slightly narrower gearing range that probably helps with shift quality as well. The top end of bike components have never been meant to work perfectly with anything, they have been meant to work on flagship bikes bought by riders who can justify & afford to spend the price of a nice used car on a bicycle.
On the other hand, SRAM front derailers don’t have the same narrow and sculpted plates. Their high end derailers offer the same weight savings but they work and are easier to set up than the high end Shimano front derailers.
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!