Building a winter trainer/do it all

richardjallen

I'm thinking of putting together a flatbar road bike as a kind of do it all bike. I've been thinking of something with bullhorn bars like the charge plug (but not a fixed).

The question is gear and break levers. I guess I could mount flatbar break levers and gear levers on the flat part of the bar but it might be a bit cramped and I understand there are levers to go on the bar ends as well. Is it possible to get STI style levers to go on the ends or is it break levers only? Are the break levers for dual pivot breaks, cantilever or V breaks?

richardjallen

Any suggestions?

I have seen bar end shifter and TT break levers. The break lever here:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ever%20Set

Looks as if it has a plug that goes into the bar end.

The shifters I have seen also seem to have a plug that would go in the bar end. I cannot see that I could have both at once.

Are there any levers that are just a clamp? Then the bar end would be free to put the shifters in. Alternatively I could have flat bar shifters on the flat part of the bar. As I use the shifters less it would be ok I think.

Monty Dog

You can't fit bar-end (reverse) brake levers and shifters at the same time - if you want to fit bar end shifters, then you could fit conventional brake levers - but cable routeing can be a bit tight - some people fit the brake levers upside-down to make the cabling easier. Alternatiely, look at fitting straight MTB bars and integrated levers/shifters and then fitting bar-ends