Customer Reviews

Shimano SL-BS64 Ultegra Bar End Shifter Set (8-Speed)

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Anyone still using down tube shifters on an older bike know how unstable the ride can be when you take your hand off the handlebars to reach down to one of those shifters. In an effort to make my ride more comfortable I installed a quill (handlebar stem) that raised the bars about 4 1/2 inches. This made the reach to the handle bars better but exaggerated the shifting problem. This kit is the cure, and it will work on just about any classic design (my guess is 1955-1990) bike.

The surprise was that the kit comes with micro adjustable stops that mount in place of the down tube shifters. I thought I was going to have to fabricate something to do this job. If your bike has down tube shifter braze-ons, this is a straight bolt on application. My 30 year old Fuji Royale had Suntour down tube shifters on a bracket. I just removed the shifter bracket, took off the old levers, and did a little grinding to match the inside curve of the new micro adjustable stops. The bolts that came with the kit matched the threaded holes on my bracket. Then I installed the stops to the Suntour bracket and reinstalled the bracket on the down tube. Job done. Going slowly, using the old grind-a-little-trial/fit method, I was done with this part of the project in about 30 min.

The rest of the installation is straight forward. All cables and hardware are included in the kit. The entire project took 2 to 2 1/2 hours. A bicycle stand makes final adjustments a snap. I replaced the brake lever hoods, brake cables, and rewrapped the handle bars as well.

The shifters are designed to upgrade most older bikes. The left shifter is friction only, will work with any set-up. The right shifter is switchable index or friction. Indexed matched to 8 spd hub. I used the friction setting which should work for any old bike that has friction shifters to start with. My hud is a 6 speed. Works great. These shifters hold their position like they are perfectly matched to the spring tension of my derailleurs. Complete satisfaction.

My first ride was a dream come true. I've logged a lot of miles on this old Chrome Molly framed Fuji tour bike and like the ride and feel. Now she's back on the road with a new lease on life.

I bought these to help create a certain city bike look for my old Trek MTB that I switched out from flat bars to albaross/north road type bars. It had the original everything including the Alivio shifters, crank, and cassette. Shifting was imprecise to say the least. Slapped on the dura ace shifters and WOW what a difference. The thing shifts as smooth if not smoother than my new $1500 Fuji road bike with Ultegra integrated brifters which are damn nice. Even with the old chain and cassette which are visibly worn the shifting went from clunky to perfection. I highly recommend these shifters. Installation was easy. Assembling them took a bit time since there aren't really any directions to speak of. Eventually I figured it out.

My Bruce Gordon touring bicycle dates from 1995 when 24 speeds were the norm. I like the 8-speed system because the chains last longer than 9- or 10-speed systems. Although described in the instructions as for Shimano 600 Ultegra 8-speed, these shifters work well with my 8-speed Shimano XT gearing (22-32-44 chainrings and 11-32 cassette). I now have a SRAM cassette and find it works as well a hard-to-get Shimano XT 11-32 cassettes. I use the friction setting for the front derailleur and index on the rear. The box includes a set of cables and housings as well as the two shifters. NOTE that the box may list SL-BS50-8 Dura-Ace, but the sticker on the back has the correct number SL-BS64!

This replaced the 7-speed shifter on a circa-1994 Ryan Vanguard whose detents could hardly be felt. The bearings in the rear wheel were going bad, and that necessitated a new wheel, therefore a new cassette, therefore new chains, therefore, new chainrings. Well, that was an expensive refurb, but the bike is really pleasant to ride, now. The installation was well documented and easy to do, and the price was reasonable.

Great product used to convert my wife's hybrid into a dropped bar tourer. She loves the simplicity of the levers compared to today's multi-levers systems. Delivery was quick.

I bought this as part of a group training project on Bicycle Maintenance. I am completing the remaining portions of a conversion from flat urban bars with twist shift & MTB brake levers to drop bars, bar end shifters & road style brakes. This definitely should be nice as the flat bars on a, mostly, road bike seemed a bit off. The wind resistance sitting upright just didn't cut it for me.

Bought some Salsa Woodchippers for my conversion project and these just fit in perfect. As with all projects conversion and others things need adjusting to be made function. There is enough adjustability built-in to get everything just clicking along.

My STI lever went out and one new STI lever alone was 2 times more expensive than both the Bar End Levers. The Bar End Levers installed quickly and were easy to adjust. They are a breeze to use, and I love being able to reach down and tell which gear I'm in by touch. Next time I take a trip I'll be able to use a handlebar bag, which would not fit when I had STI shifters.

Put them on a touring bike with a set of Paul Thumbies. Perform flawlessley.