9 speed thumbies - best option?

[bold stelvis]

choices seem to be:

1. dura-ace bar-cons mounted to Pauls thumb brackets (or rivendel/VO cheaper alternatives)
2. dura-ace DT shifters mounted to Pauls thumb brackets (or rivendel/VO cheaper alternatives)
3. sunrace M96 new thumb shifters (which seem to be pretty much equivalent to the above in terms of ergonomics - they are essentially bar-cons mounted to brackets)
4. microshift A90s new thumb shifters (if I can still find a set - they seem to be hard to come by now, whereas 10s can be obtained easily. Kinda similar to the sunrace option in that they are bar-cons on brackets but are a lot more spendy and probably a bit nicer in terms of snickety click feel, but have heard some negative reviews regarding their ability to stay torqued down properly)

sunrace are definitely the most economical option, probably followed by the dura-ace route (HIGHLY dependant on finding brackets at a decent price - Paul's ones are of course, ludicrously expensive), with the microshift ones ironically ending up as the likely most expensive option

any thoughts - or ideally actual experience using any of these - to share?

 

[bold stelvis]

10 speed is also possible with simialr options, bar the sunrace (and would make the microshift route easier to obtain for sure)
but prefer 9 - using an older derailleur and am not sure I want to have even less cable pull

 

[Betsy]

See below.. on D-A mounts

Dura-9s

Dura-10s

 

[Gunk]

3x9 speed on my sons touring bike

 

[bold stelvis]

thanks for the links (and the pics!)

I know where to purchase, just more looking for any thoughts on pros, cons, how are they to actually use etc

 

[bold stelvis]

eg - the jtek brackets that SJS do those dura-ace bar con deals with don't actually look especially ergonomic to me - like the shifters need more offset from the bars? (the Pauls and the VO/Riv copies seem to have a lot more offset)

but I'm just guessing - haven't got any actual experience to go from here

 

[grantoury]

like the shifters need more offset from the bars?

I was thinking the same thing. I have DA 9 speed bar cons on VO brackets and like them a lot. I think they are better than downtube shifters, which are longer so they have a wider radius your thumb needs to adjust. The barcons are much easier to handle. This is not the most affordable option and I think much the same result can be had with Microshift or Sunrace options. The Sunrace apparently are not the most precise shifting and need some readjustment with every shift, I don't know if the Microshift are better, but I suspect they are.

 

[bikeworkshop]

9 speed Thumbies is so awkward or expensive that you dont see them often.
Riders either use barends, rf+ or STI.

You can mount bar end shifters in the end of one of those auxiliary handlebar thingies

 

[doctor-bond]

Having similar thoughts here for an upcoming build. I’ve used Microshift 8s and they are v nice and crisp (v light so maybe not the last word in survivability). For the price, taking a punt on the Sunrace then reassessing seems a good way to go.

Alternative left field option I will try is ditching indexing and hooking up some Suntour friction shifters (have this on my bike transport and it works: your hands soon learn to index for themselves)

 

[Betsy]

The DA mounts work fine.. i only swapped them for Paul's because i won a set of Paul's for very little dosh from a Japanese auction site and sold the DA mounts on here for a similar price... plus, i'm an insatiable bike tart.

Ok.. pros/cons

The index changes up/down the cassette are not at all fast but they are insanely positive with a reassuring clunk, first time every time with no rubbing... just faultless!

The friction changes of the chainrings can be a struggle tho.. every change but one works perfectly up or down, apart from lifting the chain from the middle ring into the top ring.. this is partly due to my missmatched set up and partly due to the fact (as you noted the offset) the lever (when maxed out) is too far away from the bars, my thumb isn't long enough to push the mech over to the big ring without taking my hand away from the grip.. maybe because i have girls hands

Worth noting.. the Paul's thumbies have three different mounting styles for your shifter.. positive square + recess thread for Shimano, recess square for Sram or poss square +post for micro so make sure you get the right mount for your shifter.

My set up..