I agree with Greg on this one - I've never even thought about hitting my knees on the barcons. I have Campy bar ends and when I was out Saturday afternoon, I looked down to see where my knees were in relation to the shifters. I wasn't even close - maybe 5-6 inches.
Greg's email sparked a question - is it possible to buy Campy hoods for the bar ends? Mine are model 1012/1013 and do not have hoods.
Bill Prouty Wellesley, MA, USA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Greg Arnold Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2009 1:45 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR] Some Questions on Suntour Barcons:
More about Barcons!
I had never heard before that riders knees hit these shifters and that people cut the end of their HBs - is this standard procedure? Never had that problem.
I've used Suntour shifters since the early 70s, specifically to keep my weight centered while shifting - The reach to downtube shifters on larger frames tend to change my weight center enough to be annoying. Suntour Barcons were a really practical solution then - and now! But I never needed to cut my bars, nor would I want to.
My shop friends and I always felt the Suntour barcons were the only thing around superior to Campy gear. But we were such campy heads, we'd file down and polish out the suntour logo! - as well as shave down the shifter handle so we could fit Campy hoods on them. (ok we were teenagers with lots of spare time)
But I still use these shifters exclusively - makes shifting balanced and comfortable.
One other way of routing the cables is to drill small holes directly in front of the shifter housing on the bottom of the bars, and another right near the end of the tape. It keeps the handlebar tape uniform, and - in my opinion - does not compromise the shifting ability. It is also a much neater cable run, as there are no loops falling off the bars to hook on things like doorknobs, fences, etc. But as someone already said, its just a matter of taste - its all good!
There is a fine pair on ebay right now - cheap enough! #180368836509
Cheers!
Greg Arnold NYC
greg@nofatmusic.com
http://www.nofatmusic.com