Rifleman

Ive been thinking about getting some downtube shifters for my LHT 9speed, to replace my bar ends.Wondering if anyone else is using downtube's and what brand.When I first got my bike,I bought some Dura ace 10 speed shifters and used them on friction but I was having a bunch of problems with ghost shifting.I didnt think about it at the time but could it have been my XT rear derrailuer's spring,was to strong for those shifters.Ive been looking at Velo Orange shifters as possable replacements.

Thanks in advance....Kevin

staehpj1

I have had good luck with Shimano 105 down tube shifters with an XT rear derailleur in indexed mode. That is with older 7 speed stuff though.

bikemig 

Do you care about indexing? These would work very well, Dia-Compe ENE Down Tube Shifters - Shifters - Shifting - Components

I prefer bar ends for touring but I've used downtube shifters extensively on tours and they work well.

If you want indexing, 9 speed downtube shifters will work well. Amazon.com : Shimano Dura Ace Downtube Shifters (Silver) : Bike Shifters And Parts : Sports & Outdoors

One of the comments on the Amazon webpage is from a customer who mounted these to his or her Surly LHT.

I rode my Bridgestone RB-1 yesterday which has a triple and downtube shifters. I had forgotten how nicely downtube shifters work. Downtube shifters have a really nice positive feel to them over a triple.

Tourist in MSN

Some older local bike shops have a bucket or box of vintage components in a back room somewhere. You might get lucky and find some used friction shifters from decades ago that fit onto the downtube bosses for a couple bucks.

If so, you could try them out while you still left your bar end hardware installed to see if you prefer it or not. If you like them but decide you want indexing, I do not know if they made 9 speed indexed bar end shifters or not. I have some older 8 speed indexed downtube shifters that I bought used with the hardware to install on bar ends - I think someone used them that way on a triathalon bike.

Quite frankly, I used downtube shifters in the 1970s and hated them. I bought a set of bar end shifters in the 1980s and have used bar end shifters ever since.

prathmann

I have Suntour "Power" downtube friction shifters on my touring bike. These have a ratchet mechanism to minimize the difference in force used for shifting up vs. down which I prefer for friction shifters. Not sure how well they'd work with 9-spd since mine is only 7.

saddlesores

i had a pair of these on my mercian, worked fine with xt derailleurs. and pretty, too!

Campagnolo Super Record Downtube Shifters Very Nice Condition Complete | eBay

lotsaSpokes

I have a 9speed XT rear derailleur, and I use the Shimano SL-7700 9 speed downtube shifters. The rear indexes just fine - no ghosting.
Universal Cycles -- Shimano Dura-Ace SL-7700 Shift Levers

I rode for ages on my touring bike with downtube shifters. I couldn't stand the position of bar end shifters, and I don't trust STIs for long-term reliability. 2 years ago, I picked up a set of Retroshift Lever, which allow mounting a downtube or bar-end shift lever where a STI shifting lever is. I've never been happier, because it has reliability of a downtube shifter, and the ease of position of an STI.
You might want to take a look at their stuff:
Shifters - Retroshift CX

ekibayno

I'm pretty sure the bar end shifters will fit straight onto downtube shifter bosses.

djb

I'm curious, why were you using your bar ends in friction? index just plain works, easy to set up and use.

Second, have you ever ridden with dt shifters? Many of us have a lot in the past, but in constant up and down terrain, I always found them kinda tedious with constant shifting, not to mention riding in traffic--dont get me wrong, I rode these for years, commuted in a busy city and toured with them for years, but have no inclination to go back.

staehpj1

I agree. Having friction as a fallback if you have problems is great, but indexed shifting is a very nice upgrade that can work great with only minimal care in adjusting it. The only real advantage I see to avoiding indexed mode is if you are trying to rum mismatched stuff.

I will just say that I find DT shifters a bit better in that regard than bar end shifters, but not as convenient as STI. For some folks, DT shifters may mean reaching down a lot lower, but that may not be true for all of us. With smaller frames and lower bars the reach may actually be easier for DT than bar ends. I find them much nicer than bar ends for convenience. While I do like I do like brifters a bit better, DT are my second choice if considering mainly convenience. If I was more worried about simplicity and reliability I'd lean more toward DT, but either are quite simple, reliable, and robust.

Even if none of that was the case, I'd still avoid bar end shifters because I find I bump them with my knees and also they tend to get bumped out of gear when parked by leaning against a wall, guardrail, or post. I find that quite annoying.

Tourist in MSN

Thanks for the explanation, I had not thought about some people finding the reach for down tube shifters to be easier - I found them to be a very inconvenient spot.

I find it pretty easy to avoid hitting bar ends with my knees, I do not stand on the pedals to power up hill or accelerate because doing that would damage my knees.

I recall hearing years ago that Lance Armstrong preferred a downtube shifter for front, STI for rear. I have even seen photos of him on bikes with that shifter layout. I am not sure why, I heard that it was to save weight. But they all had bikes that weighed the same because of the rules so I doubt that it was to save weight. Maybe he had problems with STI reliability or adjustment and wanted something more fail safe?

That said, I have been very happy with bar ends since I bought my first pair over 30 years ago.

Rifleman

After 2000 miles of riding on my Lht,the indexing quit working on my Shimano rear bar-end shifter.Ive been using them in friction ever since.I like the indexing but I dont think I want to try Shimano shifters after 2 failed Shimano products.

djb

Sorry to hear that, rather odd for a failure like that, no impact damage at some point? I've never had an indexing problem in over 25 years. ( DT shifters, trigger shifters, brifters)

fietsbob

I prefer to not have to let go of the handlebars to make a gear change.

escii_35

1. 9 speed DA bar ends married to a 7 speed free wheel.

2. I also grew up on DT shifters. When I changed to bar con's the front shifting left hand down and to the left motion drove me batty. I still have yet to master the art of the double shift. A minor annoyance was inability to hang the bike off the handle bars.

Would I go back to DT?

On a traditional non sloped frame I would ride a 8 speed and less on DT shifters.



Back to the orig question. My favorite DT shifter were some late 80s 105 from the coop used bin. They looked like big curvey rectangle with dimples.

Bezalel

I'm using 9-speed Dura-Ace shifters with a 9-speed Deore drive train on a Nashbar touring frame. I don't like bar-end shifters.

fietsbob

To each their own .. do as you wish ..

Sun Tour ratchet Bar end shifters are so reliable , I have them as my Go To choice fot 30 years . .

But in the shop gigs, always Happy to sell you anything you prefer.

roadandmountain

I used dt shifters for 8 years. They tend to keep you riding in an aggressive position since they are easiest to reach when you're in the drops. I like them a lot. They were great for long rides, fast rides and general commuting.

I've never taken a liking to STI style shifters and never used barend shifters. I've enjoyed the sora style thumb button shifters the most. The sensation of bending the brake levers inward seems very weird, esp. with a longer throw. They're not great for people with smaller hands. I also don't appreciate the sloppy feeling of a lever that can move both in and back at the same time. The extra weight and high cost of STI shifters are also less than ideal.

There's definitely another iteration of road bike shifters ahead of us, although I don't know what that design will be.

LuckySailor

I missed the boat on that one when I built my 520. It never dawned on me to put other than bar ends on a touring bike. Duh! After I raised the handlebars as far up as possible, the bar ends now contact the TT-which will be a real pisser when it chips the custom paint I put on! Still time to change, but I kinda like the bar ends now!

djb

how about putting some foam or thick tape right where they will ding frame, I'm sure you could put something that will do the job and look fine also. The ends of my bars on my Tricross kinda hit the frame when they swing around also, but no bar ends to hit.

3speed

Just put a wrap of bar tape around the frame where the shifters hit the top-tube. Then a wrap of electrical tape around the bar tape to keep it in place. Looks fine, no chips or dings.

bradtx

Kevin, Have you thought about a 10S conversion? You could then use your current shifter in index mode and perhaps fill in with an additional cog.

Brad

Tourist in MSN

On one of my bikes, I wrapped a strip of inner tube rubber around the top tube for a couple layers and put a velcro strap over it to keep it on. On another bike I have a short piece of pipe insulation on the top tube, also held on with a velcro strap.



Nice thing about the pipe insulation is that it also protects the paint when I lean the bike on tall sign post to lock it there, but I do not have such a photo.

veganbikes

Folks use Downtubes for the front because generally they are doing less shifting on their front two chainrings so there is no need for the STI and they can potentially save weight on that to use something heavier elsewhere.

I prefer bar end shifters. Reaching down for anything other than my water bottle would suck.

a77impala

I have converted several down tube to bar ends using existing shifters so the reverse should work.