Cycling UK Forum

I'll have a ponder... Can you suggest any particular types I should be looking out for ?

Horrible word, brifter - like someone who's still undecided about Brexit.

Audax67 wrote:Horrible word, brifter - like someone who's still undecided about Brexit.

What are they called in French? Can you suggest an alternative in English?

Brifter could be a medical condition

A seller of Bri-nylon perhaps

fausto99 wrote:I'll have a ponder... Can you suggest any particular types I should be looking out for ?

On a 26" wheeled bike maybe

X-FD 70mm front hub
X-RDC 70mm rear cassette hub (for derailleur gears)

The spoke/rim loadings from braking are lower than for disc hubs (because the flanges are larger) and the result ought to be a durable wheelset with these hubs.

In this case I think there will be a small weight penalty over disc parts because you will (presumably) be using the same(ish) fork with either disc or rim brakes (whereas given a free choice a steel fork/frameset for the drum brakes could be built a bit lighter). The end result should be a very capable bike but obviously it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

FWIW you could hide/use the canti bosses by using them to mount lights/racks etc on if you wanted and this makes the conversion reversible if you want.

BTW I don't particularly like the word 'brifter' either but I don't know of an alternative. In this case you could say 'STI' since you are presumably talking only of shimano (or shimano compatible) stuff but even that isn't a unique identifier except by context; it could be taken to mean a type of car or a disease in other situations...

cheers

If I can find some second hand I may give it a try. I used too have a Moulton MIni Automatic and I still have a Moulton Stowaway. Both used a duo-matic rear hub with back pedal brake and 1/4 back turn 2-speed gears. I like them a lot for urban use. However, I am put off by the price of new hubs with hub brakes, no QR and the faff of reaction arms.

BTW I don't like the word "brifter" either but it does combine brake and gear shifter in a meaningful, economical and concise manner (unlike "Brexit" which just tries to oversimplify a tremendously complex problem).

P.s. I can't reuse my existing 32 h rims as the SA drum brake hubs are only available in 36h

FWIW, the Microshift R8 levers are a slightly cheaper alternative to the Shimano Claris STI levers. Quite hard to find, but they're distributed by Moore Large in the UK, so any bike shop with a Moore Large account (which is a lot of them) could easily get hold of them for you.

Brifter has a certain shifty feel about it. Perhaps we could combine brake and gear to make Brag or Brar or maybe not

Audax67 wrote:Horrible word, brifter - like someone who's still undecided about Brexit.

St. Sheldon of Brown* coined the word "Brifter"

Patron saint of bike anoraks.

Audax67 wrote:Horrible word, brifter - like someone who's still undecided about Brexit.

When I first heard that term, I thought it meant bar end shifter. Horribly imprecise slang term...


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels Pro

fausto99 wrote:I have a little used Specialised MTB from the 80s, which I'm thinking of converting into a winter/gravel bike with disc brakes, if it's economically viable... I'm pricing up brazing, wheels, rotors, brakes, etc. atm, but which brifters would be compatible with the vintage 8-speed mechs and be able to pull cable disc brakes ?

Initial pricing seems to indicate that things can get very expensive quite quickly...so... after a rethink.... I'm looking at changing to drop bars and levers (which I have) but keeping the existing rapidfire gear change triggers and transmission. Brazing adapters (+respray?) and changing to disc wheels and brakes is very pricey...so... If I can just source some secondhand drum brake hubs and re-build into some 700C rims (if they fit the frame), I won't have to buy any tyres. I have just found a front drum brake hub at a very reasonable price, just need a rear now...

Couldn't you fit levers with MTB pull and keep the v-brakes?

It's the V brakes I want to lose! I want to get away from the graunchy sounds of grit grinding rims when caught in the wet on a winter ride. So it's either discs or drums. It looks like conversion to disc will be more expensive and it is not unknown for bits of grit, etc. to get flung up between disc and pads. The disadvantage of drums is wheel removal; no QR and the reaction arm fixings, but that may not be so bad with tough p-resistant(?!?) winter tyres.

Cyril Haearn wrote:

Audax67 wrote:Horrible word, brifter - like someone who's still undecided about Brexit.

What are they called in French? Can you suggest an alternative in English?

Brifter could be a medical condition

The things on the bars are called manettes, qualified according to function*. Those quarrelling over Brexit are simply called les anglais, with the eyes lifted to heaven. Or maybe it's les cinglés: sometimes it's hard to tell.

* don't SJS call them STI levers?

C'est peutetre la manivelle!
(G Morgan-Grenville)