Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

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brucelee
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Joined: 19 Feb 2009, 10:39am

Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by brucelee »

I know this (might) sound silly but everything's expensive at the moment so want to use what I've got lying around. I'm looking at https://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?show=2956 to replace drops on a surly L.H.T. which I intend to do an e-bike conversion on. Looking for a very upright touring set up with a sprung saddle. Want to give butterfly bars a go but don't want to shell out on shifters/brakes just in case I don't like them and go back to drops. I've calculated the shimano 7700 shifters should just about fit in between the ends of the bars but I'm concerned about the inner diameter of the bar not being big enough. Anybody know what this is ? Also, please feel free to comment on the proposed set up given my intentions.
Cheers,
Bruce.
PT1029
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by PT1029 »

I assume the shimano 7700 levers you plan are bar end levers (hence your ref to internal diameter), 7700 levers come in various forms as well as bar ends.
Drop bars have a bigger outer diameter than flats/buterfly bars, my guess is that the butterfly bars would thus be too small internally.

Bar end levers on those bars could ergonomically be awful (?), plus the cable run ends up pointing outwards, so big wide curves (or use 90 deg noodles?).
One option might be to try some bolt on bar ends on the handle bars (not necc at the end) and mount the bar end levers in the end of the bar ends.
You have the same issue of finding if the bar ends will take the bar end shifters of course. In my experience, shops often have an accumilation of short stubby bar ends, so you might get some cheap. Fitting bar end levers into bolt on bar ends has been done before, often on tribars, so it can work
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nick12
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by nick12 »

Alternatively sjs sell clamps for converting bar end shifters to thumbies. Which would work but are about £40.
brucelee
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by brucelee »

PT1029 wrote: 7 Jun 2021, 5:17pm Bar end levers on those bars could ergonomically be awful (?), plus the cable run ends up pointing outwards, so big wide curves (or use 90 deg noodles?).
Oooops hadn't thought of that, that's that idea out the window. Actually what I was trying to achieve was a more upright sitting position and it looks like butterfly bars are not the way to do this. Shelved the idea for the time being.
Thanks for the sanity check
Bruce.
Bice
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by Bice »

Butterfly bars are great. I did not like the idea - or ridiculous expense - of thumbies, so fitted downtube shifters to keep the bars clear of stuff and well out of the way.

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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by [XAP]Bob »

If you’re still looking for bars I have a set of butterfly bars in the garage…
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arnsider
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by arnsider »

I rode a nine speed Claud Butler Hybrid, fitted with butterfly/anatomic bars, for years and found the set up to be excellent.
I swapped the grip shifters over from the original strainght bars and used shimano entry level brake levers.
Ignore any prejudice about grip shifters. They are every bit as good and efficient as thumb shifters and anyone starting to suffer from thumb arthritis will really notice the improvement in comfort from Sram shifters.
Vorpal
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Re: Butterfly bars and bar end shifters

Post by Vorpal »

I've got butterfly bars on my hybrid, and I think they might be able to do what you want, if you can find bits to go on them.

Butterfly bars in general have the same diameter(s) as flats. So, shifters form an old flat bar hybrid or MTB should work.

I've see bar end levers in butterfly bars & they seemed ok, though I don't have any idea what they were (could even have been Thumbies, or something similar), so I'm not completely convinced by the "ergonomically awful", but it might be a struggle to do well with bits lying around.
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