Tiagra 9 speed STI on Charge Slice Bars?

Stuww

I'm thinking of ditching the drops on my 2008 specialized tricross and putting a pair of these on http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Charge_Slice_Handlebar/5360033000/

Will I still be able to use my Shimano Tiagra 9 speed STI levers or will I need to buy new brake and gear levers.

If so any suggestions as to what might fit.

Many thanks.

Stu

nation

I've seen STIs mounted on bullhorns before, the only thing is that you lose the "hoods" position.

It probably just comes down to reach.

always_tyred

nation wrote:

I've seen STIs mounted on bullhorns before, the only thing is that you lose the "hoods" position.

It probably just comes down to reach.

But the bars provide that. I've seen the bar tape wrapped so as to provide a lump at the end, a bit like the end of the hoods.

Let us know how you get on - should work and I've contemplated it myself.

I am not sure if the angle to the brake lever means the reach is wrong (or less good, pardon the grammar) or if the brake cable routing would work.

whyamihere

You can. One of the pro teams did it with Campag Ergos for a while (might have been AG2R).

always_tyred

whyamihere wrote:

You can. One of the pro teams did it with Campag Ergos for a while (might have been AG2R).

Gerolsteiner. Someone suggested that it would me moreaerodynamic to have the tri bars further apart, if I recall.

But it doesn't mean that its good on all fronts. Remember, they do things which only have to be good for 50km. I suspect its okay, but I'm not going to all the faff unless I'm sure.

Stuww

A few nice pictures of how I envisage it will look!

always_tyred

Second one looks okay, the lever looks closer to the bar on the first one than you'd want. That's the uncertaintly I'd be worried about. STill, at £20 for the bar, its worth a shot.

prawny

As long as you know where the shims for the levers you should have got with your bike are ( :? ) I can't see a problem with the reach either. I actually saw a guy with this set up a couple of weeks ago.

gtvlusso

Depends on your stem size - they are 26mm bars. You will probably have 26mm bars on your tricross, unless they are oversize (31.6) - then you will need to change your stem.

Your STI's should adjust to fit - however, you may need to change cables as lengths may change. As for brakes - You may need to buy Aero levers - I recommend Dia Compe 188 levers from www.sjscycles.co.uk (about £20) - they will fit the bar diameter perfectly and will keep more of the bar free for the STI's - as opposed to screwing about with old hood levers!

simple_salmon

Why won't the Tiagra brakes work gtvlusso?

I use them on this: http://www.dahon.com/archive/2008/us/speedprott.htm and I've happily done 100 miles with no discomfort and no braking problems.

biondino

Can I use this thread to get recommendations for a good looking, full-fingered (as opposed to the one-fingered Paul monstrosity I have at the moment) brake lever for the fixie? Happy to spend a medium-sized amount for quality.

gtvlusso

simple_salmon wrote:

Why won't the Tiagra brakes work gtvlusso?

I use them on this: http://www.dahon.com/archive/2008/us/speedprott.htm and I've happily done 100 miles with no discomfort and no braking problems.

I did not say that they won't work - you may want to make more handlebar space by using "plug in" aero levers - they will take less space and be easier to fit and get bar tape around.

gtvlusso

biondino wrote:

Can I use this thread to get recommendations for a good looking, full-fingered (as opposed to the one-fingered Paul monstrosity I have at the moment) brake lever for the fixie? Happy to spend a medium-sized amount for quality.

Assumed you have flat bars?

Anything like this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shima ... 000000864/

will do - depends on bar diameter too - usually 26mm. I think Tektro do a nice lever that is used on ther Charge Plug bike.

Not sure if they are full finger though.

simple_salmon

gtvlusso wrote:

simple_salmon wrote:

Why won't the Tiagra brakes work gtvlusso?

I use them on this: http://www.dahon.com/archive/2008/us/speedprott.htm and I've happily done 100 miles with no discomfort and no braking problems.

I did not say that they won't work - you may want to make more handlebar space by using "plug in" aero levers - they will take less space and be easier to fit and get bar tape around.

Ah, fair enough. What would you use for gears in that case?

gtvlusso

Not sure - you could use the Tiagra levers as they are, but I am not sure on comfort without a ridiculous bar angle, and I don't know about cabling/routing - certainly would be different.

As for basic flat bar STI - simple shimano Deore LX 9 speeds off a mountain bike will do - buy them on ebay for £10. They worked on my hybrid with cowhorns and 188 Aero levers.

With levers and so on - you can mix and match a fair bit (assuming you can cable up safely), it is just bar diameter and what fits in the space you have that becomes tricky. Ultimately it has to be comfortable and you don't want to have to be moving your hands all over the place to perform simple actions (hence integrated brakes and STI).

Tandem stokers maybe better, as they are huge, or flat bars and bar ends - with levers mounted in the bar ends (yes, it is possible as the ends come out of some types of bar end and they are the same diameter as the bar!)

Or - lose the gears and go SS/fixed!!!!

Bar diameters are generally - 25.4mm (some MTB and some drops), 26mm (most road bars and cowhorns), 31.6 (Oversize MTB and Road)

So as long as there is a stem match and match with the brake lever/STI locking mechanism (Most STI's adjust to most bars!) you are bonzer.

Roastie

It might be worth checking out other TT base bars as these are essentially the real deal, are probably lighter/stronger, and will have the requisite grooves for cable routing.

Example

Roastie

Also just noticed that the Charge bars are 25.4mm clamp dia. Even with a standard size road stem (26.0mm), you would need a shim to safely fit them. IIRC, your '08 Tricross will have an Oversize stem (i.e. 31.8mm) - so teh Charge bars will not fit without a new stem.

I'd suggest looking at the Profile or Deda TT base bars as they are nicely finished, not stupidly prices and are pretty strong.

Stuww

Thanks for that tip Roastiecp... So these

or these



Should fit the bill?

Stu

always_tyred

Oooh, those profile ones look good. Internal cable routing as well. Cha ching.

Roastie

My pleasure.

Profile T2 Wing looks hot. Those Dedas don't have the turnup at the end, so you'll battle with fitting STIs which need the curve to give the right brake lever clearance.

biondino

Just occurred to me - you could point the bullhorns downwards and just fit the STIs/brake levers and hoods as normal!

always_tyred

biondino wrote:

Just occurred to me - you could point the bullhorns downwards and just fit the STIs/brake levers and hoods as normal!

If the upturned bullhorn bars carried on a bit, they'd create an alternative, more aero hand position.

Hacksaw, drops.

Stuww

I've already considered hacksawing the drops after a tip from another thread.

The Tricross drops have quite an acute curve and I don't think they would make good bullhorns!

Stu

alistaird

Apologies for dragging up an old thread... But would I be right in thinking that this type of bar:



or this one:



would work with Ultegra STIs? And I could try them upside down as well for a more conventional 'riding on the hoods' position?

Thanks,

Alistair

rjsterry

I have seen this done with what were either cut down drop bars (i.e. with the drops cut off) or upside down bull horns: no problem fitting the STIs (it's how they're designed to fit), but the brake levers might be a tad difficult to get a really good grab at.

Have a look for some pictures of Emma Pooley's TT bike used at the Olympics, as I think this had a similar set up.

pdw

You can probably make it work, but it's not straightforward. I've run this setup on my commuter for the last 7 years:



and I've just built up its replacement using 105 levers on the same bars (Profile Airwing)

There are three problems to deal with:

1. The holes drilleed for the cables are in completely the wrong place. You'll need to drill an extra hole directly behind where the levers mount, or have the cable run outside the bars.

2. You need to make sure the bars turn up enough at the ends to get enough lever clearance.

3. The brake cable needs to go round a really tight bend behind the levers. The levers are designed for the brake cables to go forwards (i.e. what would be "up" the drops). Turning then back inside the bars is a very sharp bend.

On the new bike, I'm trying out some Jagwire flexible noodles off v-brakes to help the cable round the corner.

If you're looking at the more recent Shimano STIs with the gear cables routed under the bar tape then you've got more problems, as the gear cables head off in the wrong direction too. I figured that these were going to be insurmountable when building up my new bike, so stuck with 5600 rather than 5700.

It's a fiddle to sort out, but I really like it for commuting. It puts your hands pretty much where they'd be if they were on the hoods, but gives you a much better position for braking.

alistaird

I've got the older Ultegras with the gear cable out the side so will try and route these normally.

I'll look at getting a couple of Brake Noodles to enable me to route the brakes (thanks for the tip.) Looking at the various photos on the net, I think using the bars the right way up looks better from a braking perspective. I'll post some photos when I've built the bike up fully.

Thanks...

alistaird

Just pre-built the bike and tried my existing bars with my adjustable Oval Stem. I can nearly get a comfortable position on the hods but the drops are too short so have decided to look for normal road bars with drops that extend back past the top bar (if that makes sense?) and with flatish top bar.

I could never get anywhere near comfortable on the old bike hence thinking of bull bars...