Need your help with my shifting selection for Lake Placid. My Guru Trilite (78 deg seat tube) currently has a set of Easton Attack bars with bar end shifters. Should I leave it as is, or use of the following two options? 1. STI shifters on drops with a clip-on, or, 2. Bar end shifters on clip-ons mounted to drop bars w/ Campy brake levers (i.e. hoods for climbing). Last year at Placid I rode my Kestrel Talon with STI on drops and Syntace clip ons with a Thomson setback post placed forward. My only complaint was that I probably didn’t shift often enough on the flatter to rolling sections as I would have or should have with bar end shifters while in the aero position. That said, I hate climbing in the aero position. Once I hit sustained grades of 3% or higher, I usually sit up off my aero bars and grab the pursuit bar grips. On my road bike, I love to climb seated and gripping across the front of the drops, not on the hoods (unless out of the saddle). Also, with clip ons, some of the drop bar is obscurred by the clip-ons themselves, so it doesn’t offer quite the comfort and accessibility of my road bike, but still more options than my one piece Attack bar. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments.
Dude, you worry WAY, WAY, WAY too much. Who cares which of these two you use? Either is fine. I’ve done that race 3 times and prefer STI on anything other than a dead flat course, which LP ain’t. Truthfully, if it were me, I’d go with whatever was on my bike at the time.
I personally would go with the STI shifting, because it is easier to shift while climbing, standing out of the saddle, etc.
You’re slowing yourself down quite a bit if you’re getting out of the aero bars anywhere on that course other than maybe the hill out of Jay. There really are no other hills that are sustained or very steep on the course. I’d choose bar end shifters on the aerobars every time there.
That being the case. Bar end shifters on clip ons, mounted to drops with Campy hooded brake levers would make sense. And yes, I do sweat the details too much. My Guru currently has the Attack bars on it. Rode it last week for 5:15 and climbed 5400’. Wasn’t horrible, but not as pleasant as it would have been on my Scott roadie. Thanks for the info guys.
You’re slowing yourself down quite a bit if you’re getting out of the aero bars anywhere on that course other than maybe the hill out of Jay. There really are no other hills that are sustained or very steep on the course. I’d choose bar end shifters on the aerobars every time there.
It’s all about perspective…I would say for your MOP to BOP, there are significant hills. 
shit…so you’re telling me I could’ve gone even faster on the bike last year? damn…I knew I screwed something up besides the swim and run 
You’re slowing yourself down quite a bit if you’re getting out of the aero bars anywhere on that course other than maybe the hill out of Jay. There really are no other hills that are sustained or very steep on the course. I’d choose bar end shifters on the aerobars every time there.
It’s all about perspective…I would say for your MOP to BOP, there are significant hills.
Exactly - all the more reason to stay in the saddle and in the aero bars on all the hills except for maybe part of that steep climb out of Jay.
I did IMLP in '03 with clip-ons mounted on pursuit bars with STIs. Wish I had bar ends (and I was MOP). Will use bar ends next time I race at Placid.
Any thoughts on bar ends in my Syntace clip -ons mounted to road drop bars and Campy brake levers? Bar ends for aero shifting, but hoods for climbing???
Now this is getting crazy…
I wouldn’t change a bike for IMLP. Ride whatever you would ride anyways and/or what you train with.
The fastest set-up is whatever you are comfortable with. Just like a pair of shoes. SL did pretty well last year w/o bar end shifters, although most use em.