Bar End or Thumb for Albatross

[Brian Hanson]

I'm riving up a commuter bike for kid duty with some Albatross bars.  What are the pros/cons of bar end vs. thumbies with these bars?  I'm pairing this with an older SRAM rear derailer unless I'm proven loco and have to spring for a Shimano...

Brian

Seattle

[newenglandbike]

I have not tried thumb shifters on my albatrosses but I do have bar-
ends and they are *really* convenient. One thing I like about them,
that I don't think you'd get with the thumbs, is more freedom in terms
of grip position. Sometimes you need to move your hands a little
bit forward on the bars, and that might not be possible with the thumb
shifters.

Matt

[Garth]

Hand positions is why I chose the Albatross . . . but I have long
legs, and I knew bar end shifters would be a problem for me at times.
I also found mtb brake levers in the way of my hands no matter where I
put them. The solution is time trial bar end brake levers from Tektro
(RX 4.1), along with thumbshifters. This way I get the entire usable
bar for my hands! This is an absolute perfect setup for
myself . . .but everyone has their needs, likes and dislikes. I
found I had to try both by mock-up at least to see what I'd like
better . . . and the TT braker levers w/thumbshifters was it for
me. This is not a widely known option as TT levers have not been
around long nor is it "traditional". . and people look at them as
racing levers. BTW . . . for cable adjust, just put a barrel cable
adjuster(the $2 ones Riv sells) just before the cable stops F & R.
Here's some photos of mine :

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2433/3644420885_6995e0403c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3645057344_0eb8b27096_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3644287545_875be9f054_b.jpg

[Seth Vidal]

Aren't those just inverse levers?

Velo orange has them and has been selling them for a while. They
aren't really TT levers- that's just how they've been reintroduced.
Inverse levers have existed for quite some time.

here's another shot of them

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_C1XrRVl3W8k/SejMtvXnQVI/AAAAAAAAIMU/Bwyjuli4Sl8/s1600-h/city+bike+1.jpg

-sv

[Seth Vidal]

On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 10:14 AM, Seth Vidal<skv...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 10:11 AM, Garth<gart...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>  Hand positions is why I chose the Albatross .  .  . but I have long
>> legs, and I knew bar end shifters would be a problem for me at times.
>> I also found mtb brake levers in the way of my hands no matter where I
>> put them. The solution is time trial bar end brake levers from Tektro
>> (RX 4.1), along with thumbshifters. This way I get the entire usable
>> bar for my hands! This is an absolute perfect setup for
>> myself .  .  .but everyone has their needs, likes and dislikes. I
>> found I had to try both by mock-up at least to see what I'd like
>> better .  .  .  and the TT braker levers w/thumbshifters was it for
>> me. This is not a widely known option as TT levers have not been
>> around long nor is it "traditional".  . and people look at them as
>> racing levers.  BTW .  . .   for cable adjust, just put a barrel cable
>> adjuster(the $2 ones Riv sells) just before the cable stops F & R.
>> Here's some photos of mine :
>>
>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2433/3644420885_6995e0403c_b.jpg
>>
>> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3645057344_0eb8b27096_b.jpg
>>
>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3644287545_875be9f054_b.jpg
>>
>

One more thing - your positioning of thumbshifters is very cool and
the profile shot of your bike looks very well balanced. What kind of
tires are you running in that last shot?

-sv

[Garth]

Seth . . . I guess I always thought of them as TT levers as that's
how Tektro markets them . I've also got a pair of all black ones I got
for $5 ! I wanted silver levers . . . but for a five spot I couldn't
resist:) http://www.tektro.com/02products/12rl.php

The tires are Performance/Forte Cross/K tires 700x35. They now call
them Metro/K's. I thought I'd try them, and I've been nothing but
impressed. I run them at about 70-75 psi. The rubber is
grippy . . .the profile round (great in corners!). . . they have
have low road resistance . . . and I've had no flats this first year
of using them(knock on wood).

I'm not one to to give props to tires . . . but I can't say anything
negative about them. They weigh about 460g. I can't knock that
either.