Steve0000

I have used grip shifters for many years of touring and found them fine (mtn bike handlebars). Now I use bar end shifters since buying a Surly. You get used to what you have at the time.

staehpj1

I alway liked thumb shufters at least until my arthritis got too bad in my thumbs. I never found the knuckle thing to be the case. Your comment almost makes me want to ride my old 1990 MTB that had deore xt thumb shifters and try that. The problem is that it currently has drop bars and brifters on it.

IceTee2

Looks like a ground swell of support for 'real' thumb shifters! I went on a hunt this afternoon and cannot find any 3 x 9 shifters (the 520 has a 9 speed in 2005) with the exception of MicroShift SL-T09s. I looked at the microShift website and the specs say compatible with Shimano 9 speed rear derailleurs...."road" models. So for now it looks like Rapid-Fire shifters are the best choice.

Tourist in MSN

If my memory is correct, the 520 of that era was using a road crankset and front derailleur. If so, is that compatible with the shifter you are considering?

Tourist in MSN

That would be a very good way to deal with someone that needed all controls for one handed operation. Reminds me of when I bought a used motorcycle several decades ago, a previous owner only had one leg, so the bike had been modified to route the rear brake lever to the other side. When I bought it, the controls were normal again, but the modification to the engine mount brackets for that remained which caused my questions when I bought it.

I went on a bike trip in Europe for a week, bike was provided (along with food, lodging, guide, luggage service, etc.) and they provided a bike that had Shimano Rapid something, not exactly sure the name. But the cable pulled backwards so the shifter worked the opposite of my 1994 errand bike that is my only flat bar derailleur bike. Drove me nuts. Thus, I do not favor the Shimano Rapid <whatever it is called> shifters, but that is a personal thing. I thought it was called Rapid Rise, not Rapid Fire.

ClydeClydeson

Many have had good luck with both. My previous life working in LBSs, however, convinced me that grip shifters are crap. The all-plastic construction makes them likely to break. The only advantage they have is that they are cheap, but Shimano has perfected the manufacture of inexpensive shift levers such that there is no reason to futz around with grip shifters.

NB most of my experience is with Sram gripshifters - the company that popularized the style in the early 90s. The SHimano compatible 'MRX' shifters they made were the worst of the worst. It is possible Micro-shift/soft are better than the old Sram ones. The European company Sachs was making better grip shifters up to the mid 90s, but Sram bought them out and crappified the design. Shimano also made grip-style shifters for certain drivetrains - they were very low cost but IME generally more reliable than the Sram ones.

thumpism 

Rapid Rise was a derailleur-and-cable operation thing, with normal Low (largest cog) on the rear instead of normal High (smallest cog), as I recall. This arrived after my exit from the industry and after my magazine subscriptions lapsed so I know little else about it. Rapid Fire was the trigger-type shifters. None of my bikes have this stuff so I'm not much help on it beyond knowing some of the nomenclature.

robow

They were marketed to the public as having fewer moving parts than thumb shifters and therefore less likely to break. But of course I had a right twist grip shifter break for no obvious reason such as a crash or what not. Meanwhile my wife's 2005 Shimano thumb trigger shifters continue to keep plugging along.

ClydeClydeson

robow Shimano started using non-serviceable ratcheting shifters in the late 80s, and the first couple generations did have some long-term reliability issues, but nothing as bad as Gripshifts. And through subsequent generations and redesigns, Shimano shifters are now super reliable for decades. The only regular failures are the lubrication inside getting hard over years of use, and occasional cables breaking resulting in loose bits fouling in the mechanism. Gripshifts came around about the same time, but Sram moved in large part to their own version od ratcheting shifters by the late 90s.

Tourist in MSN

Thanks for correcting me, I did not realize that there were two different Shimano systems that shared the word "Rapid" in their name with different meanings. But when my newest flat bar shifter system is from 1994, I think I can be forgiven for some ignorance. I mostly use drop bars, but even then I am using eight speed Shimano bar ends or Campy 10 speed brifters, or on one bike a Rohloff twist grip mounted on a Hubbub adapter. Not buying into the latest from marketing depts.

xroadcharlie

When I went looking for a new bike in 2018 I wanted the thumb shifters, But the bike I liked best came with twist grip shifters. A little research on the SRAM Twist Grip Max shifters didn't reveal any glaring issues so i ordered the bike. After 2 1/2 years of recreational riding about 4,300 km on roads or easy trails I must say I'm quite happy with them.

I was concerned it would constantly be shifting as my wrist moves, But I've found it not to be a problem. Probably not best for mountain bikes as it has inadvertently shifted occasionally on more challenging trails with hills.

It does take considerable movement shifting between the 3 front chainrings though, But for most folks without wrist problems it's still works well.

Digger Goreman

Grip shifters become gluey over time and I always got unwanted shifts when grabbing the handlebars. Love the thumb shifters: small and no need to dial in the rear der

IceTee2

The 'only' thumb shifters that I can find are Microshift (T-09) for $92 a set on all the usual online sources or $80 on eBay. I don't know if it's worth the extra $40 to $50 for the 'thumbs'.

2wheels4ever

My Tour Easy recumbent came with SRAM grip shifters. I actually don't mind them; the only issue I have had is trying to shift with sweaty hands. Sometimes hard to get a good grip. I do prefer the Rapid Fires on my Verve and will probably change the Tour Easy to thumbies in the future.

Tourist in MSN

My Rohloff shifter is a twist grip and it is hard to turn when my hands are sweaty or when I am not wearing gloves. I have the second generation, which is quite close to round. I put three beads of black color Shoe Goo on the shifter and get a much better grip. Each bead is a couple layers.

2wheels4ever

Wow! That's not much to grab onto. Is that the standard shifter for Rohloff?

Tourist in MSN

For a short time it was the standard, the one before it and the one after were much better. It was my bad luck that they changed shifters shortly before I bought mine eight years ago but they did not keep that design for long. The rubber also abrades quite easily, so the beads that stick out reduce how much it abrades over time.