Customer Reviews

Shimano SL-BS77 Dura Ace Double/Triple Bar End Shifters (9-Speed)

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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These are super shifters. They feel solid and they stay in place well. At first I put them together wrong and was only getting 5 clicks instead of the 8 you would expect from 9 speed indexing shifters, but after trying again they indexed flawlessly. They come with cables and special SIS compressionless housing. It seems touring bicyclist prefer these to integrated brakes/gear shifters I assume because they are more reliable and easier to adjust. The location on the drop bars is certainly as convenient as having the shifters integrated with the brakes.

I just completed a 2,000 mile tour of the Pacific coast using these shifters. Within the first few hundred miles, the plastic lever cover on the right side fell off. Admittedly, this is primarily due to the exact geometry of my bike -- when the bars swing all the way to the right, it's possible for the brake cable on the frame to interfere with the right-side shift lever -- but they certainly could have used a better quality adhesive. I also found it a bit tricky to install, as the behavior of the indexing system changes depending on how you put the middle spacer/indexer in. Finally, I've had a bit of issue with the screws backing out, so I recommend that you use thread locker (e.g. Loctite blue) once you have them installed to your satisfaction.

After about the first 1,000 miles, I switched from index to friction shifting (you rotate a dial on the right shifter). With cable stretch, the indexing had become inaccurate. A pleasant side effect is that friction shifting is far lower resistance. When you're riding all day, every day, shifting hundreds of times per day, friction-mode shifters are much easier on your hands and fingers.

These replaced my 3rd pair of broken STI shifters (Ultegra and Dura Ace). I could talk for a while about how Shimano builds STI shifter levers that only last 3 years of recreational use, AND can't be repaired, and have no parts available to refurbish, but suffice it to say that this is my LAST Shimano purchase. EVER. READ THIS SHIMANO EVER EVER EVER.

Having said all that - these got me back on the road for $100 and they work perfectly well - they are even sort of elegant. WITH a pair of Cane Creek brake levers they weigh within a gram of what the Dura Ace 7700 STI levers weighed. Take some getting used to taking my hands off the hoods to shift - but that's life - I don't have another $500 for STI levers. Next set up gonna be Campy Record... that's for SURE. If your a bar end lever person, these get it done and they come with everything you need to install properly.