[CR]In defense of Suntour

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli)

From: "Michael Doleman" <michael@doleman-cycles.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 10:39:38 -0800
Subject: [CR]In defense of Suntour

Ok, ok, as an avid Suntour fan, I've got to chime-in on all these bar-con/bar-end posts (and can we just settle on "those-shifter-thingies-that-go-in-the-ends-of-your-handlebars"?).

I've logged many many miles on different bar-end set-ups, including Suntour bar-cons, Campy bar-ends, modern D'ace, and the Dia-tech pods with a couple different types of friction levers. My conclusion? They all work rather nicely!

I personally do not see a huge difference between the Campy and Suntour models. Lots of people "swear" by one or the other, I try not to swear by anything. The Suntour bar-cons have a slightly different feel owing to the power ratchet mechanism. In certain situations, though, I find that this can make shifting a much smoother affair. I notice very little decline in the quality of mechanical 'feedback' imparted through the mechanism.

Honestly, the Dia-tech pods probably offer the greatest degree of flexibility because you can use your favorite friction lever.

Between Campy and Suntour, well, there's 80% of the world's finest componetry; I don't think you can go wrong either way. My suggestion to anyone looking to implement bar-end style shifting would be to try at least a couple different set-ups if you can afford it.

Michael Doleman