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Brifters on a touring bike?

Old 08-29-19, 07:10 AM
  #26  
andrewclaus
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
A good thing to check before every tour and any time the shifting gets a little funny or adjustments start changing.
Another ditto on this. If you need to turn a barrel adjuster more than once a month, get a new cable.

The cable is easy to check with this method (for the rear, front is similar): Shift into low gear, stop pedaling, then shift into high. The cable will be slack enough to pull one housing end out of a slotted frame stop, so you can get lots of slack at the shifter. Release your brake or remove the wheel, squeeze the lever open. Push the cable end out the access hole and inspect. After you put it back together, you haven't changed the cable adjustment. This check takes less than two minutes.

In my opinion, this is the only drawback of brifters. With old downtube and bar end shifters, you'd feel the first strand break, often with a painful pin prick that's real hard to ignore.
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Old 08-29-19, 07:40 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by andrewclaus
Another ditto on this. If you need to turn a barrel adjuster more than once a month, get a new cable.

The cable is easy to check with this method (for the rear, front is similar): Shift into low gear, stop pedaling, then shift into high. The cable will be slack enough to pull one housing end out of a slotted frame stop, so you can get lots of slack at the shifter. Release your brake or remove the wheel, squeeze the lever open. Push the cable end out the access hole and inspect. After you put it back together, you haven't changed the cable adjustment. This check takes less than two minutes.

In my opinion, this is the only drawback of brifters. With old downtube and bar end shifters, you'd feel the first strand break, often with a painful pin prick that's real hard to ignore.
Another another ditto and happened to me but I caught it before it completely broke. Tiagra 4600 10 speed brifter in my case. Now I routinely check it but I usually just replace cables more often. My amount of paranoia and prep is directly related to the worst case distance and conditions I'd have to push. I'm overall happy with the brifter concept in general though. I have wide flared gravel bars and my paddles stick way out. I ride offroad, I've gone down a few times, the bike has fell on things, I've hit things with them etc... They seem pretty durable and mechanically sound other than the potential for cable fray.

Last edited by u235; 08-29-19 at 11:47 AM.
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Old 08-29-19, 07:55 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Cycle Tourist
All my touring bikes have had barend shifters untill now. I came across a great deal on a 7X3 brifter set several months ago. I bought it to use on a future rebuild. Now my Suntour barends on a Shimano equipped bike could be used somewhere else and I could install the brifters on my favorite touring bike. I'm old and settled in my ways but willing to listen.
Changing my beloved steed is sorta like a trip to the dentist. "I don't really want to go but if it means I feel better, I'm all for it".
My question, "finally" is, does anyone that tours for weeks or months at a time, use brifters? If so how do you like them and what do you prefer.
Triple front derailleur setup with a brifter can be quite tricky. If you plan to tour with 3x7 (Sora?, RSX?) brifters, make sure to thoroughly road test them before embarking on your journey.

I did a triple Sora brifter conversion for a friend who had a classic Cannondale touring bike that had come standard with friction triple front shifting over a crankset that was close to what you would call “half step plus granny”. It had a Deore friction front derailleur that friction shifted the 3 chainrings fine. When I tried it with the odd triple combo (I want to say the chainrings were like 28-44-52) in index mode with the Sora lever - I was mystified and came very close to getting it right but had to give up several times.

I eventually made it functional with the existing crank and a rank and a newer Shimano front derailleur. I don’t recall if it was a Sora or what model FD it was but I was able to get it to shift through all 3 chainrings.

The thing was - this set-up did not inspire confidence. These entry level triple front derailleur/shifter combos are crude to me. I think there may have been one or two “trim” clicks to help eliminate chain rub but they weren’t dynamic trim like on my Dura Ace 7703 triple. I was more of a take it or leave it type of setting. You might have to just live with some front derailleur cage rub in certain combinations. I did not like that. If you were out in the woods in the dark somewhere hundreds of miles from civilization, I would not feel good listening to some grinding going on down there.

With the Dura Ace 7703 triple shifter/Ultegra 6603 front derailleur combo I am running with an Ultegra 6603 crank, I don’t have this issue. Could you run this set up on a heavily loaded touring bike that is weighed down with gear? Yes you could in theory. But would you want to? I would argue that no it is not ideal. This parts work wonderfully when they are used in a lightweight club riding kind of a way where you baby your bike but pressed into heavy duty service you are pushing your luck a bit.

If you look at the installation instructions for whatever Shimano Triple front brifter and front derailleur you are using - and the documentation is often skimpy BTW, you will soon realize that these parts are optimized for very specific gear combinations. Useage of other gear combinations is often either not possible or trial and error only.

For example, you may only be able to adjust an index front derailleur to drop from the middle to the “granny” ring by over adjusting the low limit screw a little to where you would normally drop your chain. This is to give the click shift the extra “pop” to overcome a cage profile mismatch. Then you need some kind of “dog fang” device or chain keeper to keep the chain from falling off internally.
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Old 08-29-19, 03:27 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by masi61
Triple front derailleur setup with a brifter can be quite tricky. If you plan to tour with 3x7 (Sora?, RSX?) brifters, make sure to thoroughly road test them before embarking on your journey.

I did a triple Sora brifter conversion for a friend who had a classic Cannondale touring bike that had come standard with friction triple front shifting over a crankset that was close to what you would call “half step plus granny”. It had a Deore friction front derailleur that friction shifted the 3 chainrings fine. When I tried it with the odd triple combo (I want to say the chainrings were like 28-44-52) in index mode with the Sora lever - I was mystified and came very close to getting it right but had to give up several times.

I eventually made it functional with the existing crank and a rank and a newer Shimano front derailleur. I don’t recall if it was a Sora or what model FD it was but I was able to get it to shift through all 3 chainrings.

The thing was - this set-up did not inspire confidence. These entry level triple front derailleur/shifter combos are crude to me. I think there may have been one or two “trim” clicks to help eliminate chain rub but they weren’t dynamic trim like on my Dura Ace 7703 triple. I was more of a take it or leave it type of setting. You might have to just live with some front derailleur cage rub in certain combinations. I did not like that. If you were out in the woods in the dark somewhere hundreds of miles from civilization, I would not feel good listening to some grinding going on down there.

With the Dura Ace 7703 triple shifter/Ultegra 6603 front derailleur combo I am running with an Ultegra 6603 crank, I don’t have this issue. Could you run this set up on a heavily loaded touring bike that is weighed down with gear? Yes you could in theory. But would you want to? I would argue that no it is not ideal. This parts work wonderfully when they are used in a lightweight club riding kind of a way where you baby your bike but pressed into heavy duty service you are pushing your luck a bit.

If you look at the installation instructions for whatever Shimano Triple front brifter and front derailleur you are using - and the documentation is often skimpy BTW, you will soon realize that these parts are optimized for very specific gear combinations. Useage of other gear combinations is often either not possible or trial and error only.

For example, you may only be able to adjust an index front derailleur to drop from the middle to the “granny” ring by over adjusting the low limit screw a little to where you would normally drop your chain. This is to give the click shift the extra “pop” to overcome a cage profile mismatch. Then you need some kind of “dog fang” device or chain keeper to keep the chain from falling off internally.
My experience using tiagra shifters and tiagra fd for triple is completely the opposite to yours.
I've changed cables a number of times, and each time I just follow the usual procedure and its easy as pie to set up, no messing around, it works from the get go.
I dont know if its your method or technique, or if its the material. The Tiagra trim function is super simple and works great, once you get the concept, and maybe its the Tiagra triple fd, but I have always had super fast, super simple setups, and it just works flawlessy afterwards for years.

I even changed my granny gear from a 50/39/30 to a 50/39/26, and didnt have to touch the fd at all, it just worked and continues to work with no issues ever.
My bike does have a dog fang thing on it, which most likely helps, but my fd limit screws are adjusted just as with any setup, no bodging or futzing, and honestly, my fd and my shifting just works and works and works, solid , precise shifts with no issues, and Ive been riding this bike for 10 seasons and shift a lot.

I tour also, and to me, this has no bearing on fd setup, except I guess how a dog fang thing probably does help at times, and we dont even know its doing its job....
To my recollection, Ive never setup the fd position to be a bit "past" the granny.

I kinda figure the Sora 9 spd series stuff is exactly the same as my older Tiagra 9 spd stuff, derailleurs and all.
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Old 08-29-19, 05:47 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by djb
I certainly agree on the fraying thing, I've experienced it after about 3 or 4 seasons, not any where near as many kms as you say, but i figure every seasons is fine.
I also figure that if slightly improperly set up, ie too much tension maybe from slightly improper low screw setting so having to force a bit getting into large cog, probably adds more stress that adds up over time.

But as you say, the sign of having to adjust a barrel adjuster was the sign I was unaware of, and then after another adjustment, then finally realized and changed cable and it was rather frayed at the bend.
If the cable breaks it can be a nightmare to remove.
When I used to used mechanical shifting, I always used to carry a bar end lever in my spares bags for an emergency repair
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Old 08-29-19, 07:57 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by geoffs
If the cable breaks it can be a nightmare to remove.
When I used to used mechanical shifting, I always used to carry a bar end lever in my spares bags for an emergency repair
I guess the strands could be troublesome. I changed mine at home in the garage with all my tools around, so could see it wise to change cables before a trip depending on how many kms ridden on them.
Another reason I like my gevenalles.
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Old 08-29-19, 08:45 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by masi61
\

If you look at the installation instructions for whatever Shimano Triple front brifter and front derailleur you are using - and the documentation is often skimpy BTW, you will soon realize that these parts are optimized for very specific gear combinations. Useage of other gear combinations is often either not possible or trial and error only.
I've had much the same experience that djb has had with Tiagra 9 speed brifters. I also have a combination that we have used on 5 of our family's touring bikes. I use a Tiagra 4503 front derailleur, which IMO is one of the most versatile 9 speed front derailleurs. We use a 103 mm bottom bracket to pull in the chainline on Sugino DX 500 mountain bike 44/32/22 crankset to about 46mm.


It shifts very positively and smoothly. We combine that with an XT or LX rear derailleur and an 11-34 cassette. The combination shifts as well as my road bike's higher end components. It has a nice gear range that works in most touring situations.


My wife's newest touring bike has used this set up for over 23,000 miles without an issue. Her old touring bike was set up a little differently, the difference being the crankset and BB. It still had mountain bike gearing.

Last edited by Doug64; 08-29-19 at 09:13 PM.
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Old 08-29-19, 09:05 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by djb
I guess the strands could be troublesome. I changed mine at home in the garage with all my tools around, so could see it wise to change cables before a trip depending on how many kms ridden on them.
Another reason I like my gevenalles.
I broke a rear derailleur cable last winter while riding up a short , steep hill on the way home from the gym. Changing the cable was a only little bit more of a challenge than getting up the small section of 9-10% near the top. I had to walk it I also replaced it in a well equipped shop, but believe I could have done the job with the tools I carry on tours. I did find out that it isn't too hard if you remove a few parts. I used my "parking brake" velcro strap to hold the top of the brake lever where I could get at it, removed the face plate, and the black plastic covering which exposed the the working parts. I used a pair of needle nosed pliers, and a small awl to work the wrapped cable out. I've added a large paper clip to my tour tool box to act as a pick if needed. I've always carried spare brake and derailleur cables. My Leatherman type multi-tool has neeedle nose pliers, and a small phillips screw driver should be all that is needed. It also made it easy to clean the sand resulting from a crash out of the shifter.
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Old 08-29-19, 09:27 PM
  #34  
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There’s a whole lot of information posted above that doesn’t fit my experience. I have STI shifters on my commuter bike that have over 25,000 miles on them without a single problem. The STI shifters on my touring bike have 10,000 miles on them without issues. I’ve never broken a cable in the shifter. The broken cable issue is more a problem with newer shifters starting with the 10 speed 105. I don’t carry spare cables nor other spare parts. In 10,000 miles of touring, it has never been a problem.

I’ve never had problems setting up the front derailer due to the shifters. The derailers can be a problem but it’s not due to the shifter.

Brifters are robust and good equipment. I’ve crashed directly on one of them and never had a problem...and that was 10 years or more ago. They are still in use.

Finally, I also see a lot of old shifters at my co-op. Many of them just need a shot of WD40...yes, that stuff...and they are back to working just fine.
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Old 08-29-19, 09:39 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Doug64
I broke a rear derailleur cable last winter while riding up a short , steep hill on the way home from the gym. Changing the cable was a only little bit more of a challenge than getting up the small section of 9-10% near the top. I had to walk it I also replaced it in a well equipped shop, but believe I could have done the job with the tools I carry on tours. I did find out that it isn't too hard if you remove a few parts. I used my "parking brake" velcro strap to hold the top of the brake lever where I could get at it, removed the face plate, and the black plastic covering which exposed the the working parts. I used a pair of needle nosed pliers, and a small awl to work the wrapped cable out. I've added a large paper clip to my tour tool box to act as a pick if needed. I've always carried spare brake and derailleur cables. My Leatherman type multi-tool has neeedle nose pliers, and a small phillips screw driver should be all that is needed. It also made it easy to clean the sand resulting from a crash out of the shifter.
Hi Doug btw
Ya, I'm pretty sure I used my awl to get it out too. It was a bunch of years ago so didn't remember the face plate stuff.
Because of the disc brakes on the troll, I've added a small, light set of needle nose pliers and a small screwdriver, so i figure i could deal with a finicky thing, but I'm hoping I notice and change cables when needed, and not in the rain and cold one day.
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Old 08-30-19, 04:35 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
There’s a whole lot of information posted above that doesn’t fit my experience. I have STI shifters on my commuter bike that have over 25,000 miles on them without a single problem. The STI shifters on my touring bike have 10,000 miles on them without issues. I’ve never broken a cable in the shifter. The broken cable issue is more a problem with newer shifters starting with the 10 speed 105. I don’t carry spare cables nor other spare parts. In 10,000 miles of touring, it has never been a problem.
Just to be clear I don't see it as a frequent problem either just something to keep an eye on. I wouldn't bother carrying a spare or anything, just giving it a glance before a big tour. I never actually broke a cable on a brifter, but had a frayed one that stopped shifting properly. I don't remember how many miles the problem occurred at but fairly sure it was over 10,000 miles.
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Old 09-01-19, 08:04 PM
  #37  
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I got plenty of great feedback. Thanks. I think I'll try the Chinese STI's on a nice rebuild that's my size and see what it feels like. Honestly I'm pretty happy with clicking bar ends so why change? Yeah, you do have to shift before getting outta the saddle but I can live with that. Usually you just want one gear if your content with grinding for 1/4 mile or so. If you need another gear you can sit for a second and get it.
The other side is seeing where the cable goes and changing it without difficulty. I've never broken or even frayed a cable in tens if thousands of miles. I understand the multigear STI's are much tougher on cables than the 7sp. I would prefer still...
The old Trek touring bike will be the test mule. Who knows, I may sell the Klein Performance with barends and keep the seventies TX700 with brifters. My favorite touring bike was an old converted Univega sport touring bike with more upright geometry than your more common touring bike. Unfortunately in the big sizes some builders don't increase the thickness of the tubes and they are too flexible for all the stuff I carry so I usually look for straight gauge tubing and a more mid-range bike. Stiffness is good, (stop it), but I wouldn't mind a comfy steel frame and an accurate, easy to use shifting system. About what you'd expect from a luddite with a thirst for knowledge.😂😂
Thanks again everyone for your thoughts.
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Old 09-03-19, 12:10 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Cycle Tourist
I got plenty of great feedback. Thanks. I think I'll try the Chinese STI's on a nice rebuild that's my size and see what it feels like.
What are Chinese STIs?

...Microshift? If so, they shift differently from Shimano and SRAM. Not different as in worse, just different as in not the same. I have 2 sets of Microshift STIs and like em both, but they are definitely distinct.
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Old 09-03-19, 12:16 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
What are Chinese STIs?

...Microshift? If so, they shift differently from Shimano and SRAM. Not different as in worse, just different as in not the same. I have 2 sets of Microshift STIs and like em both, but they are definitely distinct.
Yup. Microshift. Since I've never used brifters before they will be different.😉
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Old 09-04-19, 03:37 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Cycle Tourist
All my touring bikes have had barend shifters untill now. I came across a great deal on a 7X3 brifter set several months ago. I bought it to use on a future rebuild. Now my Suntour barends on a Shimano equipped bike could be used somewhere else and I could install the brifters on my favorite touring bike. I'm old and settled in my ways but willing to listen.
Changing my beloved steed is sorta like a trip to the dentist. "I don't really want to go but if it means I feel better, I'm all for it".
My question, "finally" is, does anyone that tours for weeks or months at a time, use brifters? If so how do you like them and what do you prefer.
I REALLY like my Campagnolo Mirage 9-speed Ergos (brake lever shifter combo) on my touring bicycle. With the Ergos I can shift whenever I want to without having to move a hand from the brake lever. This is really nice when honking up a hill with the bike loaded or when fighting gusty headwinds or sidewinds. I also find that because of the convenience I shift a lot more often which make bicycling more efficient and thus less tiring on longer rides.

Oh, one other thing. If your bike has a tall frame then it's so much easier to reach a Brifter or Ergo lever than it is to reach to a downtube shifter.

Cheers
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Old 09-07-19, 12:15 PM
  #41  
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I have brifters on my road bike and a rear brifter on my rando bike. But bar ends on my two derailleur touring bikes.

I find with the bar end shifters I almost never cross chain because when I put my hand on the shifter I immediately know if my chain is up on the big sprockets on the cassette or down on the little sprockets. That mental feedback helps me avoid cross chaining because by feeling the lever position I get immediate feedback on where the chain is on the cassette.

But my road bike has brifters front and rear, my rando bike has a brifter for the rear. I am frequently cross chaining on my rando bike and to a lesser degree my road bike.

***

A friend of mine was getting his touring bike with brifters ready for his third cross continent (cross USA) tour when one of his brifters became dysfunctional. He asked me what bar end shifters were like, I let him ride one of my bikes for a 10 mile test ride. He installed bar end shifters for his trip. One of the group on that cross country ride had her rear brifter stop working, she had to finish the cross country trip with three gears. Fortunately, she had a triple crank so she had three gears instead of only one or two.
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Old 09-12-19, 11:50 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
One of the group on that cross country ride had her rear brifter stop working, she had to finish the cross country trip with three gears. Fortunately, she had a triple crank so she had three gears instead of only one or two.
If she was more than a couple days from the end of the trip I'd think she could have installed a bar end or down tube shifter (friction if necessary) if a replacement brifter wasn't available.
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Old 09-12-19, 01:06 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
If she was more than a couple days from the end of the trip I'd think she could have installed a bar end or down tube shifter (friction if necessary) if a replacement brifter wasn't available.
I am just relaying what I heard. And since that was the guide for the ACA group, she had a lot of additional time consuming duties, so she might not have had the free time to deal with her own bike issues. It was my understanding that a bike shop got the brifter functional long enough to cross one state or maybe two before it died again. I think it was somewhere around Ohio on the way to Maine.


Agree that a bar end or friction downtube would have been preferable. But a lot of newer bikes no longer have the ability to mount a downtube friction shifter, instead they have only a cable stop and no fitting for a downtube shifter, thus options get more limited on some newer bikes.
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Old 09-12-19, 02:55 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I am just relaying what I heard. And since that was the guide for the ACA group, she had a lot of additional time consuming duties, so she might not have had the free time to deal with her own bike issues. It was my understanding that a bike shop got the brifter functional long enough to cross one state or maybe two before it died again. I think it was somewhere around Ohio on the way to Maine.


Agree that a bar end or friction downtube would have been preferable. But a lot of newer bikes no longer have the ability to mount a downtube friction shifter, instead they have only a cable stop and no fitting for a downtube shifter, thus options get more limited on some newer bikes.
I have never done an ACA group tour so I don't know, but I guess maybe it is much harder to deal with issues when you are on someone else's schedule. Also I agree that today's bikes are likely to not have bosses for DT shifters. Still Ohio to Maine is some hilly country and I'd think getting something working would be a pretty high priority.

Options would seem to include a bar end shifter, a clamp on down tube shifter possibly mounted somewhere other than on the down tube (maybe even on the handlebar, seat tube, or stem), and a replacement brifter. It would seem like one of those ought to have been easy enough to track down, especially since friction mode would suffice in a pinch and even the wrong number of speeds would suffice in friction mode. Things can get crazy on tour though so who knows what the situation might have been.

On the other hand, since they probably managed to rig up the RD to be in a the best choice of gear maybe shifting between just the three rings wasn't so bad and she was dealing okay.

I have to admit the story is enough to make me consider carrying a spare friction bar end shifter if I ever go on an ACA group tour.
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Old 09-12-19, 03:52 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
...
I have to admit the story is enough to make me consider carrying a spare friction bar end shifter if I ever go on an ACA group tour.
That was a cross USA trip, not a week or two, so more bike supplies and repairs needed on that trip than most.

I have been on two week long ACA trips, one was Glacier Waterton Loop and it was self supported (each of us carried our gear on our bikes) and the other was Big Bend and van supported (we only had to carry our lunch and water on the bike).

The Glacier trip, I remember two mechanicals in the group. One was an external bottom bracket, that rider got a new one shipped under warranty to a bike shop that we would be at later, so he rode with a bad bottom bracket for two days. The other was a busted spring or something like that on a front derailleur, in that case I managed to rig it to shift with some bunge cord so that rider could downshift.

The Big Bend trip, I trued up a couple wheels, adjusted a couple disc brakes. But the bigger problem on that trip was three bikes had bent derailleur replaceable hangers, I refused to try to do anything on those because I was afraid I might break a hanger. One bike had a derailleur so far out of alignment, that the rider had crashed a couple times when the chain went where it was not supposed to go, I tweaked the stop screws so the derailleur would not go on the smallest or biggest sprockets and that pretty much solved the crashing problem, but the bike still shifted poorly.

If you have over a dozen riders going over three or four thousand miles, that is a lot of bike miles. So, besides the standard expendables, lots of things can fail. But I tour with bar end shifters (on two touring bikes) or a Rohloff (on my expedition bike), so it never occurred to be to bring a spare shifter since it is extremely unlikely I would need to replace a shifter on my own bike.

But if I toured with a brifter on a several thousand mile long tour, I might consider a spare friction thumb shifter that can clamp onto a handlebar, I would probably do that instead of a bar end shifter.
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Old 09-12-19, 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
But if I toured with a brifter on a several thousand mile long tour, I might consider a spare friction thumb shifter that can clamp onto a handlebar, I would probably do that instead of a bar end shifter.
Yeah, the friction thumb shifter is probably a good choice for a spare. Since I generally travel alone these days, taking a day or a few days off waiting for a part is possible and I could even have something sent from home. So I'll probably never actually bother carrying a spare.

I have to wonder how hard it usually is to just get a replacement brifter shipped next day. Personally I wouldn't mind buying the pair when I needed one or over paying a little to get one to finish a multi week or multi month tour.
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Old 09-12-19, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
Snipped

But if I toured with a brifter on a several thousand mile long tour, I might consider a spare friction thumb shifter that can clamp onto a handlebar, I would probably do that instead of a bar end shifter.
Where can you buy a thimb-shifter that'll fit onto a dropbar handlebar? All the thumbshifters I have are too small a diameter to go onto a dropbar.

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Old 09-12-19, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Miele Man
Where can you buy a thimb-shifter that'll fit onto a dropbar handlebar? All the thumbshifters I have are too small a diameter to go onto a dropbar.

Cheers
Good point, I was thinking of putting it on near the stem on 26mm bars, but now most bars are 31.8mm. Yeah it is unlikely you will find any unless you could attach with a zip tie.

For a few years my indexed front shifter on my errand bike (an early 90s mountain bike) was dysfunctional, so I used a cheap Nashbar friction thumb shifter until I picked up a used one to replace it.
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Old 09-13-19, 01:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
Good point, I was thinking of putting it on near the stem on 26mm bars, but now most bars are 31.8mm. Yeah it is unlikely you will find any unless you could attach with a zip tie.

For a few years my indexed front shifter on my errand bike (an early 90s mountain bike) was dysfunctional, so I used a cheap Nashbar friction thumb shifter until I picked up a used one to replace it.
If I was using an Old School drop handlebar and stem and I thought that I might need to replace a Brifter or Ergo (Campagnolo) I'd carry a stem mounted shifter.

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Old 09-13-19, 04:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
Good point, I was thinking of putting it on near the stem on 26mm bars, but now most bars are 31.8mm. Yeah it is unlikely you will find any unless you could attach with a zip tie.
In a pinch for finishing a tour I think you could make it work somehow, worst case a short stick of wood carved to the two required diameters and wedged into the end of the bar. That or something zip tied on somewhere. Same could as easily be done with an old style clamp on down tube shifter. Or as Miele Man mentioned an old stem shifter would be a perfect fit on an old school quill stem.

For me the whole thing is pretty moot since I am unlikely to actually carry a spare, despite the fact that I think I am the one who suggested it in the first place. Brifters have proven reliable enough and I am enough of a minimalist packer that it isn't likely to actually happen. I do think that on a group tour it might make sense for there to be that option especially on a van supported tour with a mechanic who doesn't have to carry the spares on a bike.
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