Bar end shifters and STI levers

mzm70
mzm70 Posts: 123
edited September 2010 in Workshop
Sorry for the noob question......

I've recently got a set of clip on aero bars for my Spesh Allez, at the moment I just intend to get used to them on the turbo but maybe later use them in some TTs (probably on a different bike). Bar end shifters look a neat addition...........so the question, are bar end shifters mutually exclusive with the regular 105 STIs ? Logically the answer is yes, there's only one cable, unless there's some trick box I'm unaware of.

Thanks for any advice

Comments

  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    If what you are asking is - do bar end shifters work independently of STI shifters - then the answer is yes.

    However - you will struggle to use BOTH systems on one bike as you will have to rewire the cabling every time you swap over. You can only use one or the other at a time.
  • mzm70
    mzm70 Posts: 123
    Thanks, that answers the question perfectly
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Just as an FYI - I often travel for races which involve a road race one day and a TT the next. As it is expensive to bring two bikes (on airplanes, etc) - some competitors will bring one bike and WILL completely swap over the bars from drops to full TT bars with bar-end shifters, etc.


    But they do it overnight, with the aid of a mechanic and it does require a lot of effort. Depends how hard/easy it is to thread new brake and shifter cables on your bike.
  • satanas
    satanas Posts: 1,303
    You *can* use both sets of levers. There have been at least two aftermarket solutions that I know of, for instance: http://jtekengineering.com/doublecontrol_l.htm (Profile used to offer something similar.)

    The expensive way to do this is to use Di2 or the older Mavic electronic shifters.

    It isn't necessarily difficult to switch shifters and bars as long as you don't have internal cables <shudder> and you do have cable splitters such as those illustrated here: http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_cable.htm
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Do those splitters work if your cables run under your bartape? Like many shifter systems do these days? Older or lower-end Shimano stuff still runs externally.
  • satanas
    satanas Posts: 1,303
    The cable splitters (used to separate the cables and thus preserve the adjustment) should work fine on any frame with external cables; usually they reside down near the BB.

    If you mean the Jtek widgets, then I imagine they'd work with current STI levers provided they were located a bit differently to the illustration, i.e., just above the cable stop on the downtube. IIRC, that's where the Profile thingies attached, but I only ever saw pictures of those, not "in the metal." I don't imagine it'd be a good idea to mount the Jtek DoubleControl device under the bar tape, but I suppose it could be done. Disclaimer: I haven't used the Jtek DC's but have heard good things about some of their other products.

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