JBAFromNY wrote:
> Andy M-S wrote:
> > JBAFromNY wrote:
> > > I just bought some Shimano bar-end shifters from Harris and am having
> > > trouble inserting them into the ends of my handlebars. The bar in
> > > question is an SR Sakae Custom Anatomic. The shifters are ultegra
> > > 8-speed. I can squeeze the shifter in a but, but don't seem to be able
> > > to get them in more than about 1/3 of the way. Is there a trick? Do I
> > > need to ream or file something? Should I just smack it with a mallet?
> > >
> > > TIA,
> > > John
> >
> > I had exactly the same problem with a Modolo bar some eight or nine
> > years ago. The tubing seemed to be just a bit too thick to allow
> > mounting the shifters--and believe me, it's not easy to remove material
> > from the expander--I tried.
> >
> > My procedure (not recommended, just for information) was as follows:
> >
> > I found a wood-boring drill bit that was "just" too big to fit into the
> > handlebar end. Very carefully, I used this to ream the end of the bar
> > to about 1" in depth. Once I had done this, I was able to fit the
> > Shimano bar-con into the bar.
> >
> > It worked well for a few thousand miles--I never had any troubles at
> > all. I think that's because (at least with my riding style) there
> > wasn't a whole lot of stress just above the bar-cons. Clearly, if you
> > ride with your hands on the ends a lot, it's not a good idea.
>
> I'm willing to try this. You wouldn't by chance remember what size
> drill bit this was? My handlebars are labeled "Modolo" as well as SR,
> and I'm thinking what worked for you would work for me. Barring that,
> what do you think of the idea of using a tapered hand reamer?
>
> John
Could well be the same bars...I *think* mine had a sleeve at the
center, with the Modolo script in black on one side and the model
number on the other. Been too long
Alas, I don't recall the size of the bit, but it was a standard
non-metric of the kind you get in a Sears Craftsman set. A little
experimentation should show you the one you need--maybe try drilling
into a 2x4 and see what is the smallest bit that would allow you to
(just) slide in the shifter (with the expander fully narrowed, of
course).
I think a *tapered* reamer would be a mistake, because by the time you
get enough *length* reamed, you'd be cutting too far into the bars by
the opening. What you need is a *cylindrical* reamer of some sort (a
hone?) rather than a tapered one. I'm sure these exist...it's just
that when I did this O So Long Ago, I was near-broke and had to use
what I had in the toolbox. Ask your LBS if they have anything like
this...I seem to recall that there's a special tool for widening seat
tubes, so they just might have something similar to that.
If you have the patience, I suppose careful wet-sanding might be a way
to remove just enough material...Hmm. Or a Dremel tool set up with a
grinding stone? Handlebar aluminum is pretty soft, IIRC.
