Downtube shifters in the 2020s
Iīm curious to know is there anyone doing or planning to do any semi-serious or competitive group rides, lots of mileage or even racing with downtube shifters in 2022-2023? Not talking about only some vintage group rides or special events for vintage bikes like Eroica.
Would downtube shifters be something thatīs frowned upon today, i.e. would choosing them be considered as a safety risk to the group? I now have accumulated a bunch of Shimano 600 indexed 7s parts and a 90s Rossin frame. Thinking of building it up next season and maybe do some group rides and maybe a road race or two. With SIS indexing, a hyperglide cassette and a modern chain, the shifting is really nice actually. I know itīs not ideal as you can not shift out of the saddle, but Iīm not a contender for the TDF. Really just looking for stronger legs, thatīs all. I do have a bike with brifters but this is something I would be choosing to do just for fun. |
Go for it. Vinyl records and film cameras have made a comeback lately, why not downtube shifters?
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If you wanna race with DT shifters, why not? People did it for decades upon decades.
Just be prepared for the day when, while waiting at the start line, someone on a carbon fiber wonderbike points and says, "What are those things?" :lol: It'll be even more fun if you can drop that person. |
yes ,I don't see why it should be a problem, I bought a pair of sl 7800 for upgrading my peugeot race bike to 20 speed. I have raced in the past with dt shifters, it wasn't a problem.
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I'd say a lot depends on how well you handle the bike. I think if you show up for a group ride of youngish (like, under 50) riders, they may be wary of you, and in that situation you'll want to demonstrate that you can hold the pace and hold your line as well as anyone else, and that the DT shifters don't make you a liability to other riders. The shifters per se aren't the issue, it's how you use them. Are you adept at reaching down with one hand to shift one or both levers without looking and without either slowing down or deviating from your line? Are you good at anticipating the gear you'll need, since when you hit a steep pitch you'll have to be in the gear you need BEFORE you get to it?
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You don't do much sprinting or fast hard climbs do you. During those times I much prefer to have both hands on the bars. So it makes sense for me to keep shifters on the bars where my hands need to be.
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I remodeled most of my old bikes with brifters. I thought it would be fun to put downtube shifters back on one of them. I like that they're lighter and I like the sound, especially on a big aluminum downtube. They were fun until I had to shift while standing on a climb. I switched back when I got home.
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Originally Posted by Jack Tone
(Post 22708802)
I remodeled most of my old bikes with brifters. I thought it would be fun to put downtube shifters back on one of them. I like that they're lighter and I like the sound, especially on a big aluminum downtube. They were fun until I had to shift while standing on a climb. I switched back when I got home.
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Originally Posted by genejockey
(Post 22708808)
Route selection is key. The other thing about DT shifter bikes is that since they tend to be from pre-1995, they also tend to have "Hero Gears". You know, 52/42 x 12-21, 13-23 - that kind thing. I routed around on Ebay so that I could put at least a 12-25 on all my DT shifter bikes. Even so, I tend to ride them only on routes that don't have extended climbs. I CAN do medium length climbs on them, but it's a chore.
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I'll throw in my two cents here since I do have a performance oriented bike with downtube shifters - it's my 'office bike' and it gets used for group rides, both fast and casual. It's not my primary road bike, but it does get ridden hard. Downtube shifters are fine for riding in a group with others when they're on integrated if you have the handling skills to hold your line while shifting, you're a strong enough rider that being in less than optimal gearing on occasion doesn't hold you back, and you're mindful of how using them changes your shift pattern and timing. A more important thing to be concerned with when riding with people who are on different bikes are the differences in brakes and how that translates to stopping distance and brake timing.
Picture: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dac050d3bf.jpg |
Originally Posted by lasauge
(Post 22708835)
I'll throw in my two cents here since I do have a performance oriented bike with downtube shifters - it's my 'office bike' and it gets used for group rides, both fast and casual. It's not my primary road bike, but it does get ridden hard. Downtube shifters are fine for riding in a group with others when they're on integrated if you have the handling skills to hold your line while shifting, you're a strong enough rider that being in less than optimal gearing on occasion doesn't hold you back, and you're mindful of how using them changes your shift pattern and timing. A more important thing to be concerned with when riding with people who are on different bikes are the differences in brakes and how that translates to stopping distance and brake timing.
Picture: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dac050d3bf.jpg |
You can move your downtube shifters to the bar ends with pods - an easy conversion - and keep both hands on the bars while shifting
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I have 11-speed bar-end shifters, and if possible would like to replace them with down-tube friction shifters. Are there any options? Do they actually work?
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Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
(Post 22708846)
I have 11-speed bar-end shifters, and if possible would like to replace them with down-tube friction shifters. Are there any options? Do they actually work?
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Originally Posted by genejockey
(Post 22708808)
Route selection is key. The other thing about DT shifter bikes is that since they tend to be from pre-1995, they also tend to have "Hero Gears". You know, 52/42 x 12-21, 13-23 - that kind of thing. I rooted around on Ebay so that I could put at least a 12-25 on all my DT shifter bikes. Even so, I tend to ride them only on routes that don't have extended climbs. I CAN do medium length climbs on them, but it's a chore.
Encouraged by the responses here, I think I will proceed with the bike. I have a fair bit of experience with dt shifters so Iīm quite confident on my handling skills. Looking forward to this, thanks all |
Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
(Post 22708846)
I have 11-speed bar-end shifters, and if possible would like to replace them with down-tube friction shifters. Are there any options? Do they actually work?
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Originally Posted by lasauge
(Post 22708851)
I'm not aware of any friction DT shifters that pull enough cable for an 11-sp drivetrain, but you can install your bar end shifters on downtube studs and retain the indexing.
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Am I the only one who would prefer downtube friction front shifting to index/brifter?
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No.
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Originally Posted by Leinster
(Post 22708860)
Am I the only one who would prefer downtube friction front shifting to index/brifter?
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Originally Posted by Leinster
(Post 22708860)
Am I the only one who would prefer downtube friction front shifting to index/brifter?
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Originally Posted by genejockey
(Post 22708808)
Route selection is key. The other thing about DT shifter bikes is that since they tend to be from pre-1995, they also tend to have "Hero Gears". You know, 52/42 x 12-21, 13-23 - that kind of thing. I rooted around on Ebay so that I could put at least a 12-25 on all my DT shifter bikes. Even so, I tend to ride them only on routes that don't have extended climbs. I CAN do medium length climbs on them, but it's a chore.
Originally Posted by Jack Tone
(Post 22708810)
Agree. I still have two bike with DT shifters, but they're just for relatively flat rides.
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Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
(Post 22708846)
I have 11-speed bar-end shifters, and if possible would like to replace them with down-tube friction shifters. Are there any options? Do they actually work?
I could shift the 9 speed OK but it was a bit fussy to trim. The spaces between the sprockets is so small that it's much more difficult to get the shift just right and I had a few occasions where it would ghost shift without me hearing any sound that sounded like it needed trimming. So I just was too distracted getting the 9 speed right on. I got some 9 speed DA indexed DT shifters and they worked much better. My guess is that 11 speed friction might be way too fussy to get right. |
Yeah, my 11-speed indexed bar ends are hard enough to get right. I was hoping for a miracle, with shorter shift cables, but the truth is my arms are so short I was never a natural down-tube shifter.
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Originally Posted by Camilo
(Post 22709018)
Hmm. My only DT shift bike currently has an 8 speed cassette with 50-34 in front and 11-28 in back. I'm no hero, but I can ride pretty good hills with it. I have the exact same gearing on my two other road bikes that have shift/brake levers. Nothing's flat round here.
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