Shimano Bar-End Friction Shifter Question

[Jeffrey S]

I got a set of Shimano bar-end shifters for my wife's bike. They are the set with the black rubber tips, not the grey.

They are not working properly on the bike. I have tried several adjustments, but something is wrong. There isn't a good, continuous friction. They feel loose and don't stay in place. The rear deraileur keeps slipping into higher gears. The front deraileur also requires an excessive amount of force to shift into a higher gear.

I have the grey ones on my bike and they are perfect. I am wondering if the black ones are different.

She has a Shimano Ultegra deraileur on the back and a Shimano Tiagra on the front. Both front and rear are having this issue. The front deraileur also requires a lot of force to shift into a higher gear.

[Joe Bernard]

My thoughts:

1. Installing shifters on Paul mounts can be finicky, remove and start over. 

2. You may need fresh inner wires, maybe even housing. 

3. Some newer road Shimano front derailleurs have a new-to-me cable routing which may not work well with friction thumbies. 

Joe Bernard 

[Jeffrey S]

I replaced the housing and the cables.
  I wonder if it needs a long pull derailleur?

[Michael Doleman]

Someone will have to check my math on this, but something in the recesses of my brain tells me that the Shimano bar end shifters with the silver body and black rubber tips are 10-speed Dura-Ace specific and don't play well with anything other than 10-speed Dura-Ace, at least for indexed settings.

As far friction goes, however, my baseline assumption would be that that ought to be fine, of course.

In one of your photos, you show a lever attached to the thumb pod with a screw which I believe to be different from the stock one that comes with the levers. Again, I may be mistaken about this, but I think the Shimano levers need the screw they come with, in order to function properly -- I think it balances the friction tension more evenly, or somesuch. I don't know for sure but it's something to try.

Other than that, I don't know. I've used Shimano bar-end shifters in lots of different iterations and haven't ever encountered issues quite like the ones you are describing.

Gotta ask: what is a "long pull derailleur?" I've never heard that term. Some derailleurs surely have different pull ratios, but that is usually only a factor with indexed shifting. It might result in a slightly different feel, when in friction mode, from one derailleur to another, but it shouldn't be the root cause of the problems you are describing, from everything I know.

Maybe try going back to the stock bolts, and then take a look at the other factors already suggested -- is there a bind somewhere in your cable routing? Etc.?

[exliontamer]

The black ones are 10 speed in my experience but that is a non-issue if you're running them in friction. Forgive me for seemingly stating the obvious since you've installed these before but slipping usually occurs when they're not tightened properly or the bottom washer/spacer with the indentation that mates to the shifter isn't aligned correctly. In a worst case scenario I've seen the internals stripped out or broken but it's rare.
Also, as Joe stated, newer Tiagra (presuming your fd is newer) has a different cable pull. Never used them but have heard the FDs don't play nice with friction. The rear Ultegra should be fine.  I think I have an old Claris sitting around if you'd like it. It's a bolt on but I have a generic FD clamp I could include. 

[Jeffrey S]

Thank you for the suggestions! I will take them apart and see if something's not assembled right.

I will look closer at the front derailleur situation as well. I saw something on the Riv site about that.

I appreciate the offer of the derailleur, I will try these things first!

[Ted Durant]

On Monday, September 2, 2024 at 4:37:15 PM UTC-5 Jeffrey S wrote:

I got a set of Shimano bar-end shifters for my wife's bike. They are the set with the black rubber tips, not the grey.

Looks like 10-speed, which alas do not have the highly desirable friction mode.

 

They are not working properly on the bike. I have tried several adjustments, but something is wrong. There isn't a good, continuous friction. They feel loose and don't stay in place. The rear deraileur keeps slipping into higher gears. The front deraileur also requires an excessive amount of force to shift into a higher gear.

I found Paul thumbie mounts to be incompatible with pretty much all shifters. The ones that somebody sent me didn't have the requisite opening for the all important piece that replicates a braze-on shifter mount. Without that part-round-part-flat hub onto which to slide the shifter body, friction and index shifters alike won't work.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA