I'm considering buying a Dawes Sardar for touring, and it's years since I was in this market.
The Sardar is offered with either a 'Dia Compe BL-287 for 'V' brakes/Dura-ace bar-end 9 speed' separates option, or a 'Shimano Tiagra triple for 9 speed' combination option.
I last used Shimano bar-end levers in pre-index days when they were the bees' knees, but have since grown very used to the straight-bars combination setup on my Scott MTB (as on nearly every other MTB these days). The new combined drop-handlebar levers seem to pack an awful lot into a small space.
Really boils down to:
1. Is it worth paying an extra £100 for the combined levers (in terms of ease-of-use)?
2. What's the reliability of the combined levers?
3. Is it a nuisance to use bar-end levers? (I started off using down-tube friction shifters.)
4. Any other advice?
Cheers.
The Sardar is offered with either a 'Dia Compe BL-287 for 'V' brakes/Dura-ace bar-end 9 speed' separates option, or a 'Shimano Tiagra triple for 9 speed' combination option.
I last used Shimano bar-end levers in pre-index days when they were the bees' knees, but have since grown very used to the straight-bars combination setup on my Scott MTB (as on nearly every other MTB these days). The new combined drop-handlebar levers seem to pack an awful lot into a small space.
Really boils down to:
1. Is it worth paying an extra £100 for the combined levers (in terms of ease-of-use)?
2. What's the reliability of the combined levers?
3. Is it a nuisance to use bar-end levers? (I started off using down-tube friction shifters.)
4. Any other advice?
Cheers.
