squishy654

Hey fellow trike enthusiasts,

I own a TerraTrike Gran Tourismo x18, a fantastic recumbent trike of the tadpole variety. While I love the comfort and power of my Bosch mid-drive up front, I've been longing for smoother and crisper shifting in the rear. Currently, I'm running a 9-Speed Cassette, and I'd prefer to stick with it as I look to upgrade my Shimano Alivio Trigger and derailleur.

The issue I'm facing is that I have to push the shifter quite far to get it to downshift, and the whole shifting experience feels a bit cheap compared to the overall quality of my trike.

So, here are my questions:

1. What's the best shifting upgrade option that's compatible with my 9-speed cassette?
   
2. I'm also curious about the possibility of upgrading to an 11-speed cassette. Are there any options available for that?
   

I appreciate your insights and recommendations. Let's make the trike riding experience even better!

VegasTriker

The TT model I owned a long time ago came with Shimano bar end shifters. I haven't owned a trike with anything but bar end shifters. The Shimano bar ends are over $100 for the 9 speed version. You can buy Shimano compatible Microshift 9 speed bar end shifters on Amazon for $70. They have a good reputation. The Shimano bar ends are Dura-Ace so although expensive, they work flawlessly.
If you go with an 11 speed cassette you will also have to buy a compatible 11 speed derailleur and perhaps an 11 speed chain to match.