8-Speed Jtek Bar End Shifter

[Alex]

Hi all:

Do you know where i can find an 8-Speed Jtek Bar End Shifter? It
appears Jtek stopped making them. I ask because i want to put a
Shimano Alfine internally geared 8-speed hub on my Rambouillet.

Alex

[JoelMatthews]

You may be out of luck for the time being. J-tek was a one person
shop. The designer maker has cancer and is undergoing intensive
treatment. As one might expect, he and his loved ones have a lot more
on their minds right now than making new shifters.

It does lead me to wonder at times with all the people unemployed
these days why unique and in demand products such as those made by
Jtek and Zugster bags cannot find a way to get additional people
making product for them. Seems maybe there are not enough people with
the skills out there. Or maybe most people with the skills would
rather take a job selling or supporting someone else's product so they
can have employer insurance.

[David Hallerman]

That was true until recently. But in fact, one of Jay Guthrie's loved ones, his son Ryan, is now running the business.

http://www.jtekengineering.com/

At this point, they're only selling the ShiftMate. But the website says "Other products will be added again in time."

So I'd give Ryan a call, to see the status of the bar-end shifter. Perhaps they have one around to sell?

Dave, who relies on the ShiftMate to build up bikes that work best for his needs and desires

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JoelMatthews wrote:

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[R Gonet]

Is it possible to use a Shimano or Silver bar end shifter in friction
mode? I'm guessing the answer is no, otherwise there would have been
no need for the Jtek. However, I don't know why they wouldn't work.

[Sarah Gibson]

ok this is only my experience
but at acme
we tried every single possible 8 speed or friction shifter
(btw-the shimano bar ends all have friction mode....)
for use with internally geared hubs
with little success of quality shifting
thats why jay created the jtek barend shifter
have installed numerous ones on shimano 8 speed internal hubs with excellent results.
im sorry to hear he's no longer producing them
theres a huge market
in kansas city area anyways
for barend style shifting
or anything remotely "road" oriented for internal hubs
at the handmade bicycle show in indianapolis in feb
we discussed this at length with the shimano guys
and they indicated that shimano was indeed researching that as an option for shifting
tho ive not heard anything else about it since...
nevertheless
anyone who makes an internally geared hub should
in my opinion
make a quality shifter that can be used on road style bars
be they drop or moustache etc
peace



well behaved women rarely make history
_ride yr friggin bicycle_
 




> Date: Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:00:10 -0800
> Subject: [RBW] Re: 8-Speed Jtek Bar End Shifter
> From: richar...@earthlink.net
> To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com

[Patrick in VT]

On Dec 6, 12:14 pm, Sarah Gibson <sadieja...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> ok this is only my experience
> but at acme
> we tried every single possible 8 speed or friction shifter
> (btw-the shimano bar ends all have friction mode....)
> for use with internally geared hubs
> with little success of quality shifting

using an 8spd bar end shifter with a travel agent was in vogue for a
while - it actually works great. i know a fella who's been running
this set-up for about 3 years with no problems.

[R Gonet]

Thanks for the info. Shimano already makes a trigger shifter for the
Nexus and perhaps they don't see a much larger market for the bar end
shifter. If you want to use the Nexus you'll probably do so with the
shifter they already provide, even if you'd rather use a bar end
shifter. Let's hope that Shimano doesn't think like this, however.

On Dec 6, 12:14 pm, Sarah Gibson <sadieja...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> > From: richard.go...@earthlink.net

[Sarah Gibson]

travel agent? duh!
why didnt i think bout that
thanks fer the info
will have to hunker down in the shop this week and try it
tho i really do hope that shimano takes notice that
there is indeed a market for a "quality" road style shifter
the trigger and grip shift style ar whole inadequate quality-wise
for anything but entry level city sorta bikes
not necessarily how they work perse
but asthetically
and thats important to me i have to say

peace



well behaved women rarely make history
_ride yr friggin bicycle_
 



 

> Date: Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:25:18 -0800

> Subject: [RBW] Re: 8-Speed Jtek Bar End Shifter

> From: psh...@drm.com
> To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com

[JoelMatthews]

Yes. T'would be nice if Shimano and Sram and Rohloff for that matter
would get to work on producing levers for their IGHs. Strumey-Archer
will offer a down tube shifter for its forthcoming fixed 3 - speed
hub. Maybe that will start something.

Curtis Inglis is trying to modify a J-Tek for use as a down tube
shifter on my forth coming Alfine equipped Retrotec. Hope it works
out, as for now, it does not appear he will be able to get another.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

"using an 8spd bar end shifter with a travel agent was in vogue for a
while - it actually works great."

It does not, in fact, work great, but some may find it adequate. We
set one up awhile back, and it shifted, but the shifts were not exact.
It could be tweaked to shift better at one end or the other of the
gear range, but there was always some compromise. Friction-mode
"seemed" fine, but I have no idea how it would work in the long run.
At minimum, I suspect it voids the hub warranty. Jay at Jtek explained
to me that Alfine/Nexus shift stops are not uniformly spaced, while
standard indexed bar-end shifter have uniform cable pull from one gear
to the next (regardless of whether you use a travel agent). At best,
the travel agent set-up hits the gear more or less correctly "on
average". Anyway, I concluded that it was a fun experiment, but that
I would never sell this set-up/kludge to a customer.

(BTW, I'm cringing at the idea of installing one of these heavy/draggy/
hard-to-fix hubs on a fine bicycle like a Rambouillet, which will
require strange cable routing, a chain tensioner, etc. I have worked
on and ridden MANY of these, and still don't fully understand the
appeal for most bikes... What the heck is wrong with modern
derailleurs?)

[cyclotourist]

That sounds like a nice set up, Joel!  Have you seen the Singular Peregrine with an Alfine?  A guy's got one on flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=1&w=all&q=singular+alfine+peregrine&m=text

--
Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym."  ~Bill Nye, scientist guy

[cyclotourist]

I think using one in wet & mucky conditions would be a pretty good set up.  I wouldn't want one as I'm always changing flats due to thorns/debris and don't want to mess w/ an IGH.  Also, IGHs seem like a cool deal for kids who are learning to shift and/or someone learning or re-learning to ride.  Simplicity is nice!

On Sun, Dec 6, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thil...@gmail.com> wrote:

(BTW, I'm cringing at the idea of installing one of these heavy/draggy/
hard-to-fix hubs on a fine bicycle like a Rambouillet, which will
require strange cable routing, a chain tensioner, etc. I have worked
on and ridden MANY of these, and still don't fully understand the
appeal for most bikes... What the heck is wrong with modern
derailleurs?)

On Dec 6, 11:25 am, Patrick in VT <psh...@drm.com> wrote:
> On Dec 6, 12:14 pm, Sarah Gibson <sadieja...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > ok this is only my experience
> > but at acme
> > we tried every single possible 8 speed or friction shifter
> > (btw-the shimano bar ends all have friction mode....)
> > for use with internally geared hubs
> > with little success of quality shifting
>
> using an 8spd bar end shifter with a travel agent was in vogue for a
> while - it actually works great.  i know a fella who's been running
> this set-up for about 3 years with no problems.

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[Steve Palincsar]

On Sun, 2009-12-06 at 12:02 -0800, cyclotourist wrote:
> I think using one in wet & mucky conditions would be a pretty good set
> up. I wouldn't want one as I'm always changing flats due to
> thorns/debris and don't want to mess w/ an IGH. Also, IGHs seem like
> a cool deal for kids who are learning to shift and/or someone learning
> or re-learning to ride. Simplicity is nice!

Other than needing to keep pedalling while the shift completes, what's
any more difficult about derailleur shifting than IG hub shifting? I
find brifter action confusing - but then, I seem to be the only one who
does, and I find twist grip shifters confusing, too. Triggers, bar ends
and down tube shifters all make perfect sense.

And when it comes to "simplicity" the only thing "simple" about an
internal geared hub is that it's all hidden inside the hub shell. It's
far more complex mechanically than a derailleur drive train, it's just
that you can't see it.

And when it comes to removing a wheel, either to transport the bike or
to fix a flat, derailleur wins hands down. There are no complicated
linkages to remove, and you have quick releases to allow for tool-free
opening.

Maintenance? Removing the chain's no more difficult with one or the
other, although obviously tensioning the chain correctly is harder with
an internal geared hub than a derailleur, especially if you have
vertical dropouts. Can cleaning a derailleur be all that hard?

I'd say the bottom line is, IG hubs have one advantage: you can shift
without moving the cranks.

[cyclotourist]

Simplicity as in one shifter to cover a wide-range of gear ratios.  A 1X9 system would work just as well, but I've observed newbies/kids don't get the whole two-shifters thing.

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[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Well put, Steve. I agree.

Another big drawback with IGHs, in my experience, is that folks treat
them as if they don't require maintenance, and believe that the hubs
are somehow "sealed". They are not so much sealed as shielded - the
nasty gunk gets in, and stays in, out of sight, out of mind.. This
fall we have replaced or should have replaced the rusted solid innards
of probably half a dozen fairly new IGHs. Right now manufacturers
treat this as a warranty issue, but as these things get more popular,
and the neglect-based issues become common, it's going to start
costing real money to fix these "low maintenance" drivetrains.

Incidentally, I now have been told, directly or indirectly, by tech
support people at two IGH manufacturers, that these hubs are designed
for "cruisers and other low torque applications".

[Alex]

Thanks for all the information and advice, folks. It will help me
decide whether or not to install an elegant but heavy Alfine system.

Alex

> > rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

[JoelMatthews]

> (BTW, I'm cringing at the idea of installing one of these heavy/draggy/
> hard-to-fix hubs on a fine bicycle like a Rambouillet, which will
> require strange cable routing, a chain tensioner, etc. I have worked
> on and ridden MANY of these, and still don't fully understand the
> appeal for most bikes... What the heck is wrong with modern
> derailleurs?)

I can see the point with a retrofit of a bike designed for derailers.
On a custom with an EBB and cable routing planned, an IGH allows for a
clean look. And if the rider ultimately sours on the IGH, the EBB
allows a relatively painless switch to single speed.

If you have more than one bike - I have three - it is interesting for
some people anyway to try different approaches. Others may prefer to
have multiple variations on a theme. More power to them. I prefer
variety.

On Dec 6, 12:38 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[JoelMatthews]

> That sounds like a nice set up, Joel! Have you seen the Singular Peregrine
> with an Alfine?

No, I had not seen this one before. Thanks for the link. The color
is fairly close to what the primary color on the Retrotec will be.

On Dec 6, 2:00 pm, cyclotourist <cyclotour...@gmail.com> wrote:
> That sounds like a nice set up, Joel!  Have you seen the Singular Peregrine

> with an Alfine?  A guy's got one on flickr:http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=1&w=all&q=singular+alfine+peregrine&...

> > rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsubscrib e...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

> > > > For more options, visit this group athttp://
> > groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
>

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>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
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> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

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> > .

[Patrick in VT]

On Dec 6, 1:38 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

> It does not, in fact, work great, but some may find it adequate.

yes, I should have been more clear. the bar-end/travel agent hack
seems to work just fine in friction mode. he rides quite a bit, but
like you said - whether it will be fine, or adequate, or work at all
in five years, nobody knows.

[RoadieRyan]

I did see a interesting solution from an LBS for drop bar IGH combo.
They put an extention on the end of the right drop and attached the
twist shifter to the extenstion so the twist shift was where a barend
would be. It actually looked pretty nice.

[Patrick in VT]

On Dec 6, 9:17 pm, RoadieRyan <rya...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I did see a interesting solution from an LBS for drop bar IGH combo.
> They put an extention on the end of the right drop and attached the
> twist shifter to the extenstion so the twist shift was where a barend
> would be.  It actually looked pretty nice.

hubbub makes a similar part - http://www.hubbub.com/store/products.asp?id=32

[Eric Norris]

I totally agree with the need for variety. I have several geared bikes, several fixies, and now an 8-speed IGH on the Quickbeam. Each has its place. I was hoping initially that the IGH Quickbeam would be a great randonneuring machine ... that may not come to pass, but it's a fun experiment and will certainly have its uses. If not, I've still got a fixed gear wheel that can go back on in short order (the beauty of the Sturmey Archer hub is that it fits into 120mm dropouts).

--Eric
campyo...@me.com
www.campyonly.com
www.wheelsnorth.org

[EricP]

Steve does put it quite well. And have to agree with Jim T.'s
addition. Had an 8 speed IGH bike setup for about a year. Changing a
flat tire in winter was an adventure, to say the least.

That said, in less extreme climates can see the appeal. But my chain
tensioning attemps were sub-optimal. Enough to make a sad realization
that single speed is probably beyond my capabilities.

And as for quick releases, guess I'm not qualified to respond there
either. One bike bolt on, two with Pitlocks. Only one with q/r.

The Shimano 8 speed gear jumps are not evenly spaced. And the range I
preferred was always in between two gears. Also, one can use a
mechanical chain cleaner a lot easier on a derailer equipped bike.
Something that makes a chore in winter slightly (just barely ever so)
easier.

Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN

On Dec 6, 2:16�pm, Steve Palincsar <palin...@his.com> wrote:

> > � � � � derailleurs?)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[JoelMatthews]

> Changing a flat tire in winter was an adventure, to say the least.

Removing the Rohloff wheel with OEM drop outs was not a problem in the
least. It had a quick release gear cable attachment. After that it
slipped right out. After market build may be a different story.

> But my chain tensioning attemps were sub-optimal.

Not an issue with an eccentric bottom bracket.