# Grip Shift or Trigger? NOOB Help



## mtngoat13 (Jul 9, 2012)

OK so I have been riding my Wally World special for long enough to know I want to upgrade. 

My bike has Grip shifters on it and they work well, I will be getting a Revel 1 next month (but I will be upgrading the fork thru Suntour) it has trigger shifters. I do not have much experience with them, all my bike in the past have just had the levers you move up and down.

I plan to try it stock for a while but are Grip Shifters as good Trigger shifters?

I do not see to many bike at the bike shops with Grip Shifters, but just about all the bikes at the big box stores have them.

Thanks


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

In my honest assessment - BETTER. Where else can you go from the 34t cassette cog to 11t in ONE TWIST? Comparatively, with triggers....pushing that "button" 8-9 times makes it 3x slower. Plus, grip shift is much lighter and simpler. Ever have a trigger jam up on you? If you ever took a trigger shifter apart - you basically rendered it USELESS. 

Ok, I will STOP HERE....


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

I like triggers, others like chocolate. Most likely they'll shift a kazillion times better then the crappy wally world ones, give them a few months and make your own judgements.


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## TheMaz14 (Jul 17, 2013)

I like trigger myself. Trigger I feel like is instant. Push, then it's on the next cog. Grip shift, there are some higher end ones, like the XO. Which would probably be overkill for the Revel (in my opinion, it's still a good bike for the price!). So yes, I'm sure some grip shifters are better than trigger, or the same, but I just like the feel of trigger.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

J.B. Weld said:


> I like triggers, others like chocolate.


I like trigger shifters and chocolate, the dark stuff. I've never liked grip shifters. In my experience, which is limited, I found them to jam easier as dirt and sweat creep into the grip mechanism easier than the triggers. I've also found that I shifted sometimes when clearing a log or landing from a small drop. Certainly, grips have a cleaner look and will probably survive a crash better. I just found it works better for me to have the shifters and grip separate.


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## jjaguar (Oct 6, 2011)

Zachariah said:


> Ever have a trigger jam up on you?


No, I havent.



> If you ever took a trigger shifter apart - you basically rendered it USELESS.


Why would you need to take a shifter apart?

Now I haven't had experience with a quality grip shifter (just the cheap ones that come on dept. store bikes), so I can't really make a fair comparison. But, you'll probably get used to whatever you end up with.


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## natevanw (Jul 4, 2013)

I have xo grip shifters on my epic and I absolutely love them! I can dump every gear with one turn on the front or back and have had zero problems out of them. Plus if the front deraileur is dragging the chain it can be fine tuned with a slight twist. I will never go back to trigger shifters.


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## IslandCrow (May 6, 2013)

I like trigger shifters, and I'm not a big fan of chocolate. I mean, I'll eat the stuff; it just doesn't get me all excited. . .

But anyway, I'd definitely give trigger shifters a try before you decide. I've only used grip shifters once, and although being able to shift through that many gears that quickly was really cool, I feel like I have more control of my shifting with triggers, and I also had the tendency to shift with the grips when I really didn't want to. . .but like I said, I only used them once.


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

I have several iterations of both, and I'm probably a little partial to the grip shifters. I have XXL hands, and the ergonomics of triggers, with respect to where I have to have them rotated to accommodate my brake lever position, are not a great fit because I find myself pushing down on the triggers rather than forward/backward as I believe they are designed to be for people that don't have oversized meat hooks for hands. That said, once I get them placed on the handlebar in a position that works best for me, I easily ride using either one.

You get used to the little nuances of how to use them so they shift precisely and then just go ride.


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## Vespasianus (Apr 9, 2008)

They both work fine. I used to hate grip shift but started using it about 10 years ago and actually started to like it. Solid shifts with no real issues. Light as well. I also liked the fact that I could really get a fine level of control over my front derailleur. Only think about grip shift is that cable condition and quality is important. Grip shift with full length housing and Gore-Tex cables is like butter. Just really nice. 

With that said, grip shift does not play well with dropper post controls and the like, so I am actually thinking of going back to triggers!


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

In my experience, I prefer Trigger shift over Grip shift because it is easier to accidentally shif down or up with a grip shift by moving the position of your hand than by trigger shift. Because the shifter is integrated into where you rest your hand, you might slip and shift up accidentally and then have to push the bike up the rest of the hill. Also, in my mind, Grip Shift reminds me of Junky Kmart bike more than anything, even if the grip shift is on a $13,000 XC racing Carbon Fiber bike.


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## TheMaz14 (Jul 17, 2013)

CannondaleF9 said:


> Also, in my mind, Grip Shift reminds me of Junky Kmart bike more than anything, even if the grip shift is on a $13,000 XC racing Carbon Fiber bike.


Yep. Trigger shifters just look cooler too.


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## pnelson112 (Jul 22, 2013)

Screw shifters get a fixie!!! I have both and I am partial to both. I have triggers on my race bike and grip shift on my leisure bike. The triggers are a lot better when you are racing or in muddy terrain in my opinion. If your hands are muddy and slipping forward and back on bars your gears are going to be everywhere. But when I take out my Jamis Explorer 2 cruiser with the wife I don't mind the grip twist.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

pnelson112 said:


> Screw shifters get a fixie!!!


Do you really mean fixie or do you mean SS? There are some that can pull it off, but they are certainly more bada$$ than me. I wouldn't ride fixie outside of the velodrome, much less offroad.


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## BlueWhyte (Aug 2, 2010)

Personal preference. The only way to know is to try both. 

I currently have XT 10spd shifters which are my favorites. I've also had X0 grip shift, and they would be second place.


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## Max24 (Jan 31, 2013)

J.B. Weld said:


> I like triggers, others like chocolate. Most likely they'll shift a kazillion times better then the crappy wally world ones, give them a few months and make your own judgements.


Triggers FTW!!


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## duggus (May 11, 2007)

Personal preference, but I just switched over to the SRAM XO 10 speed grip shift and wouldn't go back to trigger. Shifting is so much faster and you can grab 5 gears quickly if you need to. The whole "accidental shift" BS that always gets brought up is just that... BS. It's a dated excuse from 10 years ago when grip shifts werent great. I have them on my fat bike and now on my full suspension 29 and have never had one single mis-shift.


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## canker (Jul 26, 2007)

I just upgraded my old 9 speed drivetrain to new 9 speed and switched from shimano triggers to SRAM gripshifts about 2 months ago. I mainly switched because X0 gripshifts were $60 and I just wanted to try them. They work just fine and I've never ghost shifted. I think that is just a way overblown or ancient cheap gripshit history. Being able to trim the front derailleur is the best feature imo. Are they better than triggers? Think it just comes down the personal preference. Me I don't really care.

One of my friends is like CannondaleF9 and can't get over that the cheap department store bikes have gripshifts even though just as many have trigger shifters.


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## Rick G. (Oct 24, 2011)

Personally I prefer triggers. I have grip shifters on my old raleigh and I don't like them. They seem slow to me. I would like to put Triggers on my bike. I just haven't done it yet. 
I have never had a problem with "ghost" shifting. They seem to work fine I just prefer the trigger type.


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## ianyuk (Apr 11, 2014)

So i got a grip shifter last night for my front mech, seems to work ok on my recent move from 3 to 2 front rings, gives me some movement to use all the gears and move the mech to stop chaffing.... at least while on the stand in the garage it does anyway...

ill ride it later, see how it is, will be weird with a grip on the left and an X9 SRAM trigger on the right!!!


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Zachariah said:


> Ever have a trigger jam up on you?


Actually, no. Of course they can fail I guess, every mechanical system can, but in my experience they are very, very reliable.

Twist-shifters can also fail. I've seen a few of those get crunchy or fail to hold in position.

Which is better? Look at it this way. Where in the marketplace do you see grip-shifters? Do you see _any_ grip-shifters on medium to high-end bikes?


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Mr Pig said:


> Actually, no. Of course they can fail I guess, every mechanical system can, but in my experience they are very, very reliable.
> 
> Twist-shifters can also fail. I've seen a few of those get crunchy or fail to hold in position.
> 
> Which is better? Look at it this way. Where in the marketplace do you see grip-shifters? Do you see _any_ grip-shifters on medium to high-end bikes?


I'm not pushing Gripshift on anybody. But, my experience with them has been more than stellar: lightweight and able to send the chain from one cog extreme to the other, on a single twist....is about perfect, for the rapid gradient changes I experience often.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Zachariah said:


> I'm not pushing Gripshift on anybody. But, my experience with them has been more than stellar


More than stellar? ;0) Well that's pretty good eh!

A lot of trigger-shifters allow you to shift multiple gears at a time. I'm not saying that grip-shift is no good, if you're happy then fine. Personally, I have used both and I much prefer triggers but both work. It's a personal thing and the only way you'll know which you like best is to try both. I could live with either but I like the crisp indexed shifting of triggers.


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## ianyuk (Apr 11, 2014)

Mr Pig said:


> Actually, no. Of course they can fail I guess, every mechanical system can, but in my experience they are very, very reliable.
> 
> Twist-shifters can also fail. I've seen a few of those get crunchy or fail to hold in position.
> 
> Which is better? Look at it this way. Where in the marketplace do you see grip-shifters? Do you see _any_ grip-shifters on medium to high-end bikes?


SRAM grip shifters in X01 cost more than any other shifter i can see on the market, i think most bikes avoid fitting them as standard as they don't seem to be everyones idea of the right thing, so may hinder sales.

I tried mine with the front mech today and love it, so much so i've ordered an X00 9 speed grip shifter for the rear...

i guess they're a bit like marmite, i don't mind marmite and i love bovril on toast , chocolate i can take or leave


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## kyle242gt (Nov 12, 2012)

Bet it's not as easy to brake and shift at the same time with a gripshift


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## ianyuk (Apr 11, 2014)

ask me again tomorrow when i've had chance to try


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

kyle242gt said:


> Bet it's not as easy to brake and shift at the same time with a gripshift


Trust me, it's just as easy. I prefer Gripshift because of weight, ability to micro-trim the front derailleur position and the lightning-fast shifts. It's all about preference...


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Zachariah said:


> I prefer Gripshift because of weight, ability to micro-trim the front derailleur position


You know that some triggers can do that as well?


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## Shakester (Jun 26, 2012)

I use to love Gripshifts back in the mid 90s. I use to get a set and cut them down so they were a little big wider than my fingers. But as time went on, its tough when you have to shift on the fly and have to change your hand position on the grip. I'm back to triggers and prefer them over grip shifts.


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## DethWshBkr (Nov 25, 2010)

kyle242gt said:


> Bet it's not as easy to brake and shift at the same time with a gripshift


Tell that to any motorcycle racer. Twisting a throttle and using the brake at the same time.....quite easy.


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## canker (Jul 26, 2007)

Well I'm still happy with my x0 9 speed gripshifters. Shifts are still lightning fast and no gost shifter. My other beater bike has trigger on the left and an old dual controll brake/shifter on the right and I'm happy enough with that setup as well. They all work fine. 

One of my riding buddys just bought a highend fatbike, think it is a trek, and it came with gripshifters. They aren't common on highend bike due to their lowend stigma and good 10/11 speed gripshifters cost alot. At least when I bought my x0 9speed gripshifts they were way WAY cheaper than the tiggers.


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## DethWshBkr (Nov 25, 2010)

canker said:


> Well I'm still happy with my x0 9 speed gripshifters. Shifts are still lightning fast and no gost shifter. My other beater bike has trigger on the left and an old dual controll brake/shifter on the right and I'm happy enough with that setup as well. They all work fine.
> 
> One of my riding buddys just bought a highend fatbike, think it is a trek, and it came with gripshifters. They aren't common on highend bike due to their lowend stigma and good 10/11 speed gripshifters cost alot. At least when I bought my x0 9speed gripshifts they were way WAY cheaper than the tiggers.


it was funny when I rode with a mountain bike group down in Virginia a couple months ago, I asked someone if they wanted to try my bike out. They all then noticed that I had XO grip shift on the bike and they were all astonished. they said they had never seen a high end bicycle with grip shift before. They did not even know gripshift made high quality shifters. And yet people try the bike with the grip shifts and they tend to like them very very much. It might not be their preference but they like the shifters.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

I recently -and grudgingly I might add- gave up on my grip shifters. I ran them on every bike since the 90s.
The one thing I got sick of was that even though all shifters are pretry much disposable, grip shift is totally. With most triggers, if you bend or break a paddle, it can often be replaced, Crack a body, it can be replaced. With grip shift, it's one shot-one kill. Crack anything in a crash, the PAIR is probably done. Hard to find replacements that are single.

For me the final straw was when I managed to wear out the rubber 'grip' portion of a pair of SRAM X7 twist shifters in under a year. I was looking at a lifespan of about 10 months per pair. Like the rest of the shifter, those are not replaceable. I glued the thing, I melted rubber onto it, I tried every trick I could. In then end all I could do was pony up for another pair despite them still working flawlessly, other then the grip falling apart.

This time I sacked up, bought X9 triggers and some ODI lock-ons. 


I still love my twist shift, but the lifespan is just not there for me.


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## ianyuk (Apr 11, 2014)

i've gone from a 2x9 using SRAM X9 triggers to a 1X9 with a SRAM X0 grip shift, i love it, but i'm keeping the triggers now you've said this as it sounds like i might need them for spares when the grip breaks!!


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