Shimano Dura-Ace SL-7700

Price Paid:  $40.00 at Ebay

Favorite Ride:
Tucson desert

Bike Setup:
Lemond Buenos Aires with 9-speed SRAM cassette, Ultegra derailleur, Kelly Take-Off shifter mounts, Cane Creek levers

Summary:
Versatile, these can be used in index or friction mode. In friction mode, these can be used with any 9,8/7/6/or 5 speed cassette/freewheel,Campy, Shimano, Suntour, SRAM, Mavic, etc. Mounted on my Kelly Take-Offs, you don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift, you can shift from the tops, hoods, or drops. You can use your favorite brake levers, aero or non-aero.

Strengths:
versatility, weight, price

Weaknesses:
Not as ergo as ergo or sti

Similar Products Used:
Campy Record and Chorus Ergos.

Price Paid:  $35.00 at Nashbar

Favorite Ride:
California Coast, hills

Bike Setup:
Old SR bike with new inexpensive rear wheel with Shimano 105 hub and 11-34 9-sp cassette. 39-52 crankset. The only other modern things on this one are Syntace aerobars, Look pedals, and computer.

Summary:
I broke the frame of my nice road bike, pushing it too hard in the local hills I guess. To keep riding, I fixed up another old bike I had munched the freehub on. I wanted to spend as little as possible so I could afford another good bike sooner. That's where the down-tube shifters came in.

Unfortunately these don't come with the band that clamps onto the down tube of a bike that doesn't have the braze-ons, and the old band I had on the bike was not compatible. The LBS found one in a junk box for me. One problem solved.

The next problem was that the instructions said these shifters "cannot be used with any rear derailleur other than the Dura-Ace." I had gotten a big cassette because of the steep (10-20% grade) roads we ride, and I don't think there's a DA rear derailleur that can handle a 34T cog. Darn! I tried it anyway with the Deore LX. It works perfectly!

If you race, down tube shifters will be a bit of a disadvantage. Otherwise, if you're on a tight budget or just want to keep things simple, these shifters fit the ticket.

Strengths:
Easy, foolproof, instant, indexed shifting, even wth the Deore LX. Inexpensve. Less cabling in the handlebar area makes for a neater set-up.

Weaknesses:
Needs to come with the band to clamp onto a frame that does not have the down tube shifter bosses already on it. This lack is the only reason I won't give it a perfect score of 5/5.

Similar Products Used:
Various down-tube friction shifters.
Our tandem has STI.

Price Paid:  $39.00 at Performance Bike

Favorite Ride:
Route 88 Falmouth, Maine

Bike Setup:
Gardin cro-moly frame, ultegra brakes, Cinelli bar and stem, Mavic Open Pro CD rims with Ultegra hubs and Ultegra crankset.

Summary:
I Have these shifters mated to a Dura Ace Rear and Ultegra front derailleur, they shift great.

Strengths:
Light, high quality finish, cool retro look, inexpensive.

Weaknesses:
As mentioned in other review, must move hand off bar to shift.

Price Paid:  $39.00 at Performance Bike

Favorite Ride:
Sullivan County, NY Covered Bridge Loop

Bike Setup:
De Bernardi Thron -

Summary:
I bought these because I wanted to keep the price on my new build low. I also was a little hesitant to pay $169.00 for Ultegra STI that would be trashed after a year. These work great, crisp smooth shifts. Simple design with few parts to break.

Strengths:
They're Dura-Ace.
Inexpensive-$39.99
Quality, fool-proof shifting for your bike.
Lightweight.
Retro-Chic-esp. mounted on a lugged steel frameb

Weaknesses:
You have take your hand off the bar to shift.
On this note - You probably wanna go STI if you're doing any kind of racingc

Similar Products Used:
Ultegra Bar Ends, Shimano 600 downtube shifters.