Wednesday, January 18, 2006

What am I going to use to shift the front Derailleur?



So ive been doing some more thinking about my cx bike build for 2006. And on my double ringed bike I was going to use STI for the RD and a barcon for the FD but now im thinking that

I might use a Kelly take off lever instead of the barcon. I havent heard of anyone ever actually using them on any of the CX forums, but im willing to throw down $25 and give them a try. The advantages would be that they are closer to the hoods (where i spend 99% of my time in a race and they are gunk/mud proof (like the barcons).

Here's a theorestical (because ive never used the Takeoffs) shootout between my other options:

STI for FD: Pros---easy to use, conventional, can shift from multiple hand postions. Cons---heavier, pricey, wont work well in mud.

Barcons: Pros---mudproof, crash proof, light, not very expensive
Cons---Hand must travel a distance to make the shift, cannot shift from the hoods

Take offs: Pros---mudproof, crash proof, (dont know weight but probably lighter than STI's), can shift from the hoods Cons----require some getting used to, shifts might be a little slower than with well working STI's.

I'm willing to give them a try though, could always sell them on ebay or at a cx race if i dont like the way the handle.

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