Barend shifters

[barbelfisher]

I have just acquired a set of shimano bar end shifters which are indexed, can anyone tell me if the ones for the front derailleur are indexed or just friction only please.

Kind regards

barbelfisher

[Norman H]

No. The left hand lever is friction.

[pwa]

Yes, the left are friction only, which is one reason some of us favour them. Getting the front mech perfectly positioned with no rub is easy.

[Jeff31]

Hi Barbelfisher

My left hand lever (9sp) can be set with one indexed position, I adjust the cable so that it corresponds with the middle ring and then use the adjuster screws on the front mech to get the inner and outer rings. This effectively means it works as an indexed shifter with a triple. By keeping the rear mech on sprockets appropriate to the chainring I don't need to even trim the front changer to avoid rubbing. Of course with a double the adjuster screws are all you need.
If your left changer doesn't have the indexing try reassembling it, the bits can be rotated in 90 degree steps before being put together again. Discovered this by accident as I didn't get the instructions so can't advise what Shimano actually say.

Hope this helps.

[Dynamite_funk]

Hi Barbelfisher

My left hand lever (9sp) can be set with one indexed position, I adjust the cable so that it corresponds with the middle ring and then use the adjuster screws on the front mech to get the inner and outer rings. This effectively means it works as an indexed shifter with a triple. By keeping the rear mech on sprockets appropriate to the chainring I don't need to even trim the front changer to avoid rubbing. Of course with a double the adjuster screws are all you need.
If your left changer doesn't have the indexing try reassembling it, the bits can be rotated in 90 degree steps before being put together again. Discovered this by accident as I didn't get the instructions so can't advise what Shimano actually say.

Hope this helps.

I will be trying this out on our tandem and my soon to be completed LHT, fabulous idea

[Psamathe]

Question about bar-end shifters: With my STIs I often change both front and rear almost at the same time (i.e. one then as it's changing the other which then starts once the other has just completed). With bar end, do you avoid doing this or do people move both hands down to the bar ends ? Sometimes I'm changing gear whilst braking which must be hard with bar-end changers.

Hence, were I to change to such style shifters I think I'd prefer down-tube shifters (where you can change both front and back with just the one hand). From years ago I know down-tube are fine, but I've no experience with bar-end ones, hence the question.

Ian

[pwa]

It is something I have never tried, but I imagine using both levers at exactly the same time would be difficult.

Bar end levers are in another way a bit easier to use than down tube levers because the hand doing the shifting is still able to help with the steering, which is a bonus on bumpy surfaces. And you can go through as many sprockets as you like in one go, useful if you turn a corner and are surprised to find a 1 in 4 ramp. That, of course, is also an option with down tube levers.

[andrewjoseph]

not if you're braking at the same time to avoid a car. i went back to sti's for touring after this scenario happened several times touring fully loaded. not an easy task to get the gears on suitable sprockets.

[cjchambers]

Question about bar-end shifters: With my STIs I often change both front and rear almost at the same time (i.e. one then as it's changing the other which then starts once the other has just completed). With bar end, do you avoid doing this or do people move both hands down to the bar ends ? Sometimes I'm changing gear whilst braking which must be hard with bar-end changers.

I don't think I've ever ever used both levers simultaneously - to be honest, I don't think my gear setup would like tolerate such severe shifts. Some people think I'm mad having friction bar end shifters in this day and age, but it's surprising how quickly you get used to them. On approaching a junction, I can brake, signal, and change down without even really thinking about it. It just becomes second nature, and is fine out on the open road. For city riding I imagine they'd be a complete pain, and I would have brifters any day!

[531colin]

Assembly of Left bar end lever......



The pip on the alloy square seats in the bit of the shiny spacer that has "2" on it .....better seen below...the area with the "2" is recessed to seat the pip, its difficult to photo convincingly



When assembled like that, the "pip" that locates the lever on the shiny spacer points down.....



Assembled like that, the lever is at the end of its travel (ie against a stop inside itself, not against the mount) when its pointing down...



and when you pull the lever up, it detents into the end of the ratchet as below....



if you take the lever past that detent, its working on friction rather than ratchet, and some front mechs. have a strong enough spring to overcome the friction....I had somebody who called himself a mechanic telling me a lever was "worn out" because he had assembled it wrong