About to buy bike with bar end shift levers?

[k8t]

Glad to hear you're so excited about your new bike! Do you have it yet? Do you love it? It's like magic when you find one that fits!

I haven't seen a recent post on this but thought I'd chime in.

I bought a touring bike with bar end shifters, the Novarra Randonee, for the gearing ratio and the fit. I love the bike but after trying to adjust to the bar ends for about 6 months, I gave up and had our local bike shop swap them out for brifters. Best thing I ever did!

I'm short so on the small frame I'd hit the end of the bar ends with my knees now and then, and I'm also a returning bike rider who gained a lot of weight so my balance and confidence are not what they used to be. My husband has the Trek 520 with the bar-end shifters and patiently coached me though several months of bar end tips and tricks but I just never got comfortable. We tried adjusting the tilt of the handlebars and stem length but that messed up the fit, so back to the shorter stem. Most importantly, I noticed I was trying to push up hills without shifting because I didn't want to take my hands off the bars. My knees started to ache and I wasn't as excited about riding my new bike with the awesome gear ratio. So, we switched out to the brifters.

I noticed immediately that I'm shifting all the time and getting better and better at climbing hills! We live in a pretty hilly area so even short little rides would affect my knees if I didn't shift more regularly and take advantage of the gears I have available.

I ride for exercise and pleasure, and I'm aiming for my first metric century by the end of summer 2015. And I'll probably use this bike. With over a 100 pounds to lose, a few extra pounds on a touring frame compared to a fast road bike frame won't make a difference. We're also looking forward to touring a bit and our first target is the Willamette Valley up in Oregon, and other rides such as that. We'll rarely if ever be far from civilization and bike shops so the on-road fixability of the bar ends is
not a factor.

My husband swears by his bar ends. Absolutely loves them, but was very supportive when he saw the difference the brifters made for me.
I hope you get used to the bar ends, but if you don't, don't be afraid to switch out to the brifters. Its kind of expensive, but worth it if it means you'll enjoy riding your bike more.

[ny biker]

Glad to hear you're so excited about your new bike! Do you have it yet? Do you love it? It's like magic when you find one that fits!

I haven't seen a recent post on this but thought I'd chime in.

I bought a touring bike with bar end shifters, the Novarra Randonee, for the gearing ratio and the fit. I love the bike but after trying to adjust to the bar ends for about 6 months, I gave up and had our local bike shop swap them out for brifters. Best thing I ever did!

I'm short so on the small frame I'd hit the end of the bar ends with my knees now and then, and I'm also a returning bike rider who gained a lot of weight so my balance and confidence are not what they used to be. My husband has the Trek 520 with the bar-end shifters and patiently coached me though several months of bar end tips and tricks but I just never got comfortable. We tried adjusting the tilt of the handlebars and stem length but that messed up the fit, so back to the shorter stem. Most importantly, I noticed I was trying to push up hills without shifting because I didn't want to take my hands off the bars. My knees started to ache and I wasn't as excited about riding my new bike with the awesome gear ratio. So, we switched out to the brifters.

I noticed immediately that I'm shifting all the time and getting better and better at climbing hills! We live in a pretty hilly area so even short little rides would affect my knees if I didn't shift more regularly and take advantage of the gears I have available.

I ride for exercise and pleasure, and I'm aiming for my first metric century by the end of summer 2015. And I'll probably use this bike. With over a 100 pounds to lose, a few extra pounds on a touring frame compared to a fast road bike frame won't make a difference. We're also looking forward to touring a bit and our first target is the Willamette Valley up in Oregon, and other rides such as that. We'll rarely if ever be far from civilization and bike shops so the on-road fixability of the bar ends is
not a factor.

My husband swears by his bar ends. Absolutely loves them, but was very supportive when he saw the difference the brifters made for me.
I hope you get used to the bar ends, but if you don't, don't be afraid to switch out to the brifters. Its kind of expensive, but worth it if it means you'll enjoy riding your bike more.

Thanks for posting this, and welcome to the forum!

[Jolt]

Interesting to read about everyone's different experiences and preferences...count me in with those who like their bar end shifters. For me they were easy to use right away and there never was a problem getting used to them. Downtube shifters, on the other hand...no thanks! I had a vintage bike for a bit that had them and never did feel completely comfortable reaching down to shift. That bike was also a little big, which probably didn't help. Hope the OP is enjoying the new bike!

[nuliajuk]

I had bar end shifters on my last touring bike, and used them for 23 years. At one point I was even comfortable enough to shift while standing up to climb or start from an intersection. When I got my current tourer and switched from the Sora brifters that I couldn't get comfortable with to Dura Ace bar ends, I didn't find them quite so easy - they seemed a lot stiffer then I remembered the old Sun Tour bar-cons being. Now I have some older 105 brifters that I found on eBay and get on a bit better with them. Mind you, part of that is that the levers are a much better fit for my hands than the huge brake levers that the shop fitted when they put on the Dura Ace shifters.
One drawback to bar end shifters is that they add about 1" to the length of the bottom of your handlebar. If I had kept them, I think I'd have had to have the bars trimmed back, because I occasionally found myself shifting with my knees by accident.