# Grip shifters and brake levers



## hastabnasta (Dec 24, 2006)

I was hoping someone may have some experience and advice on the following:

I am thinking of changing out my trigger shifters to grip shifters due to problems with thumb pain.

I had done this before on another bike and was somewhat disappointed in the results. The thumb pain was gone, but the reach to the brake lever became very awkard and uncomfortable. Is there a long-reach lever out there to accomodate this? (or perhaps a short grip shifter?) 

The first grip I changed out to were the Attacks, but I do plan on going with the X-Os this time around.

Thanks.


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

You have thumb pain from RapidFire shifters? How can that be? It is only a quick flick & so much better than SRAM stuff IMO.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

venus1 said:


> You have thumb pain from RapidFire shifters? How can that be? It is only a quick flick & so much better than SRAM stuff IMO.


My thumbs have felt better lately (I had some ligament issues from falling a few years ago) but I couldn't get Rapid Fire shifters to work with my thumbs at all for a few years. I'd have to take my hand off the bar and use the heel of my palm (base of my thumb) to shift. Not so good for handling! So anyway - Venus - I have really strong hands and arms, but with some ligament problems, RapidFire can not only be painful but nearly impossible to use.

I LOVE gripshift, but every time I get a new bike it comes with shimano on it and it's a hassle to buy more SRAM and swap it out... I didn't respond earlier because I'm not sure what the problem is. I've never noticed the brake levers feeling any different with gripshift than I did with trigger shifters. I don't know what brand of brakes you have, but almost all of them have a set screw that lets you adjust the reach (how far they are away from the bars).


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## 23mjm (Oct 22, 2005)

hastabnasta

I guess it also depends on how you ride with grip shift--I have grip shifters on some bikes and Sram triggers on others and I love them both!!! They are great. But---to the lever reach problem--I ride with my thumb and pointer finger around the grip on the shifter and my other fingers wrapped around the grip on the bar. So when I grab the brake lever I grab the end. Do not use the short brake levers (I use Pauls Love lever) and I have to run the reach adjuster in so I can get my fingers on the lever (there is like 1/4in gap between the lever and body) but it works great and have never had a problem!

I don't know what type of brakes you have (Disc or rim) But like I said stay away from the short levers my Pauls are about 4 in long about 1/4in longer than my Shimano disc levers and they both work just fine for me with grip shift. 

hope this helps

ps I have short fingers


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## deanna (Jan 15, 2004)

venus1 said:


> You have thumb pain from RapidFire shifters? How can that be? It is only a quick flick & so much better than SRAM stuff IMO.


I paid for a large portion of my college tuition by working in a factory over the summers. I now have arthritis/bursitis issues in my thumbs and fingers due to repetitive stress injury... the "repetitive" nature of RF shifters aggravates things, and by the end of a ride, my fingers are quite painful and hard to move. SRAM products do not do this... shifting also seems faster with the XO products compared with the RF shifters I've demoed.

As for the OP's lever question... I too use a longer lever like 23mjm does (I have disc brakes) as I typically use my middle/end fingers for stopping--hard to grip the shorter levers that way.


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## Faybie77 (May 6, 2007)

*Grip Shifts*

I know some people who SWEAR by them, but they are not for me. My first bike had them. Granted it was a crappy bike, but I couldn't stand the grip shifts. They would shift on me anytime I was gripping the handlebars too hard. I have very small hands, so that could have something to do with it, or I just wasn't riding properly (probably still don't LOL).

In any event, I hated them.


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

hastabnasta said:


> I was hoping someone may have some experience and advice on the following:
> 
> I am thinking of changing out my trigger shifters to grip shifters due to problems with thumb pain.
> 
> ...


i've also had thumb pain from trigger shifters - not sure if it was arthritus or tendonitus but whatever it was it hurt! 
personally, i'm not a big fan of grip shift but haven't used it for years so it might be the answer to your problem.

i, on the other hand (ha ha...punny ), went with an XTR STI shifter (the integrated shifter/brake lever system) and i LOVE it. no pain/problems at all with shifting or reach/length of brake lever (and i've got relatively small hands).

rt


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

For those who haven't used grip shift in years or have only used the low end versions - there's a pretty big difference in quality levels. If you're having thumb pain with whatever else you're using, it might be worth considering again. With the cheapo stuff that came on my first bike - I hated it and got a lot of accidental shifting and whatnot, but with the X-9's and XO's I've had in the past several years, it's never been an issue.


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## adimiro (Jan 11, 2006)

Another thumbs up (pun intended) for Grip Shifters. Had them for years and just recently got talked into Rapidfires on a bike. They're OK, but would go back to the Grips next go around. Also like the cleaner, sleaker look. Women (much more than men) can get an arthritis at the base of the thumbs where it meets up with the wrist which can lead to pain and swelling. Not sure whether this is an issue with you, but it has been with me.


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## heythorp (Aug 12, 2005)

Have you considered Duel control?


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## G-Live (Jan 14, 2004)

If you are using cable disc brakes or V-brakes, I would recommend finding (ebay?) some sram brake levers that they no longer make. They are pretty light and have a very good feel when using with their grip shifters. 

G


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## daisy (Jun 23, 2006)

*love grip shifts*

I've used grip shifts most of the past 13 years with many different brake levers. Currently I have XT disk levers and X9 grip shifts. My thumbs still get sore, but Ergon grips have helped a great deal.


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## TurnerConvert (Dec 1, 2004)

*When I upgraded my wife's bike...*

My wife refused to invest the money in disk brakes when she bought her bike. Then one day she compared the brakes between our two bikes and her perspective changed completely. Plus, she tried the X0 grip shifts on my bike at the same time and was sold. When we upgraded her bike, I put on Magura Martas, along with X9 shifters and ODI lock on grips (in the 90mm length). She has found this to be a great setup. The Martas have reach adjustment on the brake lever so you can bring the lever in closer to the handlebar, and she has never complained about her shifting since we put on the SRAM drivetrain.

The only minor problem I found is that the grip shifters take up a little more real estate on the handlebar. I had cut down the width of the handlebars on her bike previously, and between the narrower width of the handlebars, and the location of the bends in the riser bar, the shifters wouldn't fit. So you might find that you need a new handlebar too.


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## Crankypants (Feb 4, 2004)

Just another data point - I had twist shifters for years, but I eventually had to switch over to trigger shifter because the twisties put my hands too far out on the brake levers to get the leverage I needed, even with longer (Paul's) lever. I found myself riding with my hands over the ends of the shifters, which made them sore and caused me to shift accidentally sometimes. I think the twisties worked a lot better, but I couldn't find a solution to the hand issues.

You might want to try a bike with the SRAM trigger shifters. I have these on my fully (as compared to Shimano XT on the hardtail), and I think they require a lot less effort to engage.


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## pixy (Nov 8, 2005)

sounds like a candidate for SINGLESPEED !  .

But, if you are looking to keep those gears, you may want to try new cables and housing first. When I ran Shimano, I had my husband change my cables and housing atleast once a year. Many women's hands are not strong enough for the thumb motion of the trigger, throw in an injury and dirty gummed up cables and it is worse. It was a broken thumb that got me riding Singlespeed and eventually back to sram gripshift. I am so happy with the change. As Connie says, the new stuff is very good.

I did notice a slight discomfort with the twist part, which I have answered with a wider oury grip. I never noticed a reach problem with the brake lever. I run magura martas and love them. Perhaps it is just an angle adjustment. I know when I ship my bike and rebuild it, if the handle bar angle is off a tad, it feels like I can't barke. You should be able to drop the wrists and relax the arms. Any good bike shop should be able to help set you up if you are not sure what is a good brake hand fit.

Hope you get comfortable and get out and ride!

pixy


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

venus1 said:


> You have thumb pain from RapidFire shifters? How can that be? It is only a quick flick & so much better than SRAM stuff IMO.


when you ride a lot it can be an issue.

I was is in a 3 day mtn bike stage race - Hill Climb, Crit and XC. The XC portion starting altitude was 9k and going up to 11.5k Also it was a 25mile course w/4k elevation gain. This particular year is was muddy and gunky. I can tell you i did sprain my thumbs shifting(there was no way in those conditions your drivetrain was gonna shift smoothly) and switched to grip shifts for a few months while my thumbs healed.

nowadays i don't worry about shifting as i'm exclusively riding my rigid SS. whoo-woo - heading to fruita and moab this weekend! :thumbsup:


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## jckid (Dec 13, 2006)

I highly recommend going to gripshift, but do stay away from the lower end ones as someone mentioned above. I am currently running SRAM X.O shorty's combined with Avid Speed Dial SL brake levers. This setup works great for me. I have fairly small hands (wear size 4.5 wedding ring and size 5 right hand ring), and it's very comfortable. I also have carpal tunnel, and this setup doesn't seem to aggrevate it at all.


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## daisy (Jun 23, 2006)

*about handlebars being too short*

To make more room, chop off the grips. Most women's hands aren't that wide. I cut about 1/2 - 3/4 inch off each side before I got the Ergons.


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