Anybody tried the Performance STI's

rparedes said:

9 speed or 10 speed. Interested in hearing feedback.

Save 20% for 12 Hours on Exclusive Brands - Forté 10-speed Carbon Dual Control Levers

thanks

I don't see what advantage they'd have over name brand shifters built for the appropriate system.

Those appear to be shifters made by Microshift and sold through Nashbar for some time. Search Bikeforums.net as some of their members have used them. I don't recall reading any negative reviews - appears they work as intended, although lack some finesse. I seem to recall that they're comparably lightweight...

I was thinking about getting some myself when they were $200 brand new at Nashbar...didn't pull the trigger though...

alienator said:

I don't see what advantage they'd have over name brand shifters built for the appropriate system.

well, I was just trying to relate them to a level, like Durace or Ultegra or 105 'cause price wise they look pretty good... especially if they are Ultegra level?
Just curious...

rparedes said:

well, I was just trying to relate them to a level, like Durace or Ultegra or 105 'cause price wise they look pretty good... especially if they are Ultegra level?
Just curious...

They look pretty good, i'm also interested in reviews of them.

+1. They look slick in the photo, and the $200 price seems to be a bargain, but of course the function and durability are the big question marks. Thought Shimano had the patent rights sewn up for their STI levers though; perhaps the patent expired, or this Forte has found a way around the proprietary design.

Hope they prove to be good levers. Even for us devoted Shimano users, some competition in the marketplace might help keep the big guy's prices more honest.

steve said:

They look pretty good, i'm also interested in reviews of them.

My guess is the Micro Shift mech is slightly different than the Shimano kit. Look at the tiny upshift lever. In terms of how the Micro Shift gruppo performs, the reviews I've read say it does alright. I can't remember specifics of the reviews.

tonyzackery said:

Those appear to be shifters made by Microshift and sold through Nashbar for some time. Search Bikeforums.net as some of their members have used them. I don't recall reading any negative reviews - appears they work as intended, although lack some finesse. I seem to recall that they're comparably lightweight...

I was thinking about getting some myself when they were $200 brand new at Nashbar...didn't pull the trigger though...

oops, mea culpa, that was supposed to say "$120 brand new"...some time early last summer I was thinking about getting 'em - they didn't have the carbon look then...$200 w/ good looks and even lighter weight is making them look tempting again...

tonyzackery said:

oops, mea culpa, that was supposed to say "$120 brand new"...some time early last summer I was thinking about getting 'em - they didn't have the carbon look then...$200 w/ good looks and even lighter weight is making them look tempting again...

If they work as well as they look, they're fantastic value. Dura ace shifters cost about $500 over here :eek:

check it out, 10-spd "STI" shifters from... Nashbar! - RoadBikeReview Forums

Just found this excellent thread on them. I'll be getting Ultegra 6700 shifters...😉

tonyzackery said:

check it out, 10-spd "STI" shifters from... Nashbar! - RoadBikeReview Forums

Just found this excellent thread on them. I'll be getting Ultegra 6700 shifters...😉

Same shifters branded by Sampson. They work 'ok' but I'd stay with the 'big 2' IMHO. (Campagnolo or shimano).

Peter@vecchios said:

Same shifters branded by Sampson. They work 'ok' but I'd stay with the 'big 2' IMHO. (Campagnolo or shimano).

What about SRAM?

BluesDawg said:

What about SRAM?

Not impressed with shifter function(particularly LH shifter), BB bearing quality, even the ceramic, chainring longevity, cogset/chain reliability. They have deep pockets, spread their low dollar groups everywhere, so they are perceived as 'top notch', particularl;y in cyclocross. But IMO, lots of hype, lots of low dollar groups(I've seen 'industry guys get a Red group for $800), lots of big name 'crioss riders getting sponsored so it's seen as the 'best' stuff. It's interesting that Rival is seen to be acceptable on a race rig but shimano 105 or Campagnolo Veloce isn't.

Actually riding it..yep, it moves the chain around but in terms of function, reliability, I'd pick Campagnolo or shimano, IMHO, of course...YOUR opinion may vary.

alienator said:

I don't see what advantage they'd have over name brand shifters built for the appropriate system.

They're cheaper, man.

I've looked into these too. We have some Fujis with Microshift 8-speed shifters and they achieve a whole new level of suckiness. But maybe the 9s and 10s are better.

oldbobcat said:

They're cheaper, man.

I've looked into these too. We have some Fujis with Microshift 8-speed shifters and they achieve a whole new level of suckiness. But maybe the 9s and 10s are better.

Really? Who would have thought that?