Quantcast

grip shift for dh?

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,193
media blackout
So i know a few people who still run grip shift as opposed to a rapidfire style shifter. This has gotten me curious, and I'm sorta half tempted to give it a try. For those of you who are running this style of shifter, what do you consider the pros and cons of it? Do you have problems with accidental shifts? Overshifts?
 

John P.

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,170
0
Golden, CO
I just posted on this in another thread, but the ability to dump/add a ton of gears in a hurry is probably the biggest plus for twisters. The other big advantage is the durability - it's such a simple mechanism that I have numerous 5-6 year old shifters still performing flawlessly on my bikes.

--JP
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
JOhn speaks the truth. I had XO twist shifters that lasted about a season each. They didn't stop working, but i had smashed the little display ports on all of them and dirt got in and make it all grindy.

I now have XO triggers. I found that I shift much more with them, and am often in a better gear than i would have been with my twist shifters.
 

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
Agree with JohnP.

Also, bumping gears isn't a big deal anymore, at least if you're using SRAM dérailleurs. Could still be a problem with Shimano, due to the 2-1 ratio.

But basically the current shifters have a certain amount of "give" before they actually snap to the next gear. The older ones where much more sensitive and it didn't help that they were making them gawd awful half pipe grips.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,193
media blackout
in terms of the actual motion of the shift, does anyone find it difficult / annoying to have to reposition your hand on the grip after a shift? or is that just something you get used to?
 

NY_Star

Turbo Monkey
I ran them last year and like everything you get used to it. It was an older SRAM model. It worked fin but i like my XO rapid fire better. I find that it is a lot faster going into gear and you don't have to worry about shifting when you just want to move your hand. The only disadvantage is that you must take your thumb off the bars to shift but that is a little nitpicky
 

Mc.Dub

Monkey
Feb 28, 2007
115
0
Montreal
I never really liked a twist shift. Bought a bike used that had twist shift, and rode with it for a year. Switched back to triggers and I'm much happier now.
 

FlyinPolack

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
371
0
I agree with johnP & have used sram twisties for years. Only negative to a twister is lack of braking while shifting. which don't bother me, but some people don't like it. They shift great for years though. my shifter is from 98' & still works great!
 

DHRracer

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
371
0
I agree with johnP & have used sram twisties for years. Only negative to a twister is lack of braking while shifting. which don't bother me, but some people don't like it. They shift great for years though. my shifter is from 98' & still works great!
I have been using GripShift on all my bikes since 99'.For me its more of a comfort thing they just feel more natual to me.I actually might prefer the older ones,mine are stiffer to turn but more positive.I allways here people mention you can't brake and shift at the same time.I wonder how many people acually shift,pedal and brake at the same time.I can see people trying to shift but pedal and brake?This is what I think will be the best thing about Gear Boxxes,the ability to shift whithout pedaling.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
in terms of the actual motion of the shift, does anyone find it difficult / annoying to have to reposition your hand on the grip after a shift? or is that just something you get used to?
I feel like it's less intensive than triggers. I don't let go of the grip and move my hand over.......more like a little nudge with the first bone of my thumb which is already there anyway.

It's a hell of a lot less motion than taking a thumb off and reaching for a paddle.


I've got grips on two bikes and triggers on my xc bike. I have noticed that when I'm drooling, seeing double, blood sugar crash exhausted, it seems like the triggers are more work.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,032
5,924
borcester rhymes
I have them on my brooklyn...never liked them. I feel like i have to reposition my hand in order to shift...which prevents me from shifting much. Yes, they aren't extremely sensitive, and I feel like accidental shifting is a thing of the past, but that also makes them harder to actually shift, requiring you to consciously move your hand to make the shift. I'm anxious to go to triggers this year, but I don't like the Srams and I don't want to shell out for the full shimano setup. Maybe I'll give it a day or two this year, maybe I'll just sell the bike
 

FlipFantasia

Turbo Monkey
Oct 4, 2001
1,659
492
Sea to Sky BC
my xo twisters have been on my dh bike, and my xc combined for 4+ years...they're smashed to hell, and still shift without a flinch.....seems in my experience, people either really love 'em, or really hate 'em.....I fall in the first category.....I very very rarely misshift, and love being able to dump or grab all my gears in one go if needed, or not......duribilty is huge for me, and triggers just never seem to last.....
 
they do work very well, but it depends on your taste... i ran grip shifters on my bike until they got too easy to shift and my hands had a tendency to upshift them when going through the rough...

i really like them for many uses, but if you have a firm grip on the bars, you may tend to shift while bunny hopping or getting bucked...
one way i beleive to fix this is: get a shifter with a ton of big grip points on the handle and the flange and just cut it to where you get maybe your index finger and half your middle finger worth of grip, and when shifting- just pressure the flange with the top of your hand between your thumb and index finger....
that would have been a fix to keep me going on grip shifters, but i destroyed one of mine in a bad tree hugging demonstration and my new derailleur came with a trigger anyways...
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
I still use them on some bikes. I have also been thinking about trying them for DH again. One thing that I really like is to use full length grips. If you are using a newer longer bar, space isn't an issue. This eliminates the chance of a accidental shift.
 

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
though i previously had a non-substantiated bias against them, the twister that came with my rohloff has made me a believer. i run a long grip so my thumb & index finger is adjacent to or on the shifter as required. works great. especially love the ability to dump gears when coasting (ie, coming into a corner & preselecting the appropriate gear for the exit) but that's another issue...
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
I found there are more pro's to triggers than cons over the grip shift.

-more room on the bars
-better grip choices
-better hand to bar contact
-more ergonomic/rider adjustability
-easier to service

these are just a few findings and key items we have found over time. we still have one guy who uses grip shifts religiously because thats all he has used and what works for him.

the only real dissapointment I have had with triggers, is last year I lost a first place podium at sugar mountain, I caught the racer infront of me and while trying to pass on the inside of a turn he crashed and my bars went through his rear wheel and broke on of my triggers off. as I result I was spinning my ass off through the flat sprint finish and missed the top of the podium by 2 seconds due to a broken piece. If I was running grip shifts it wouldnt have been a problem.

thats the only time I thought about it. my triggers have lasted longer than the derailuers they have controlled
 

DeafTrance

Chimp
Nov 1, 2007
51
0
Seattle, WA
Sorry to change the topic a little, but does anyone use the shimano dual control levers for DH at all? Seems like they'd be miss shift prone...Probably a really stupid question.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Love them on the Lahar(Rohloff)and have concidered giving Srams a go on my other bikes,but never got around to it.
With a near full grip,and the shifter just being touched,you never mis shift. I bump triggers with knees more often.and I find I have more room than with triggers in the way. twit shifters are great for dumping a heap of gears as mentioned.If you're going to give it a go,give it a long go,so your sub conscious can adapt and give them a fair trial.
They are only shifters though,I think people get a bit to hung up about it.
 

Threepointtwo

Monkey
Jun 21, 2002
632
0
SLC, UT
I ran Grip Shift since they first came out until last season. After a season on triggers, I prefer the twist shift myself. I find that I often bump the trigger twice when I only want one gear and I really miss being able to grab a whole handful of gears when I need it most.

The reason I switched was for 4X where you can leave the gate with the trigger pulled and then let go and shift after a couple of crank revolutions. I still like that part a lot.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Cons - you can accidentialy shift down on a landing. This + some kickback and you are -1 derailleur. Did this 3 times until sb told me how stupid I was. No more grip shift on dh bikes.

You can have a long bar and hold it far away from the shifter but that kinda kills the idea of a shifter in your grip...
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
I run a grip shifter for my front derailleur on my dual-ring trail bike. I like that it gives me an "in-between" shift to keep the chain from rubbing the front derailleur. I have it set so that I can run the 9 through 3 cogs with out rubbing or with one click up I can get the 6 through 1 cogs with no rubbing.

I also run a full size grip so I don't trip over it and accidentally shift. The brake lever is on the inside in a perfect spot for 1 finger braking.

As for longevity, I pulled this particular shifter out of my old parts box. It was originally on a '96 trek Y-bike. So for 12 yo shifter, it's seen maybe about 6+ years of good use?

I run a standard x.7 shifter for the rear. I never liked all the twisting of my wrist with a gripshift since I change gears in the rear far more often.
 

CarlE

Monkey
Jan 7, 2008
109
0
Long Island, NY
I ditched the gripshifters after a nasty crash. If you're like me you leave you brake levers slightly loose so you're not snapping an expensive pair of levers in a crash. Well, since you can't do this with a gripshifter for obvious reasons, the brake lever came down and snapped the adjusting barrel off the shifter and that was the last time I ran gripshift.
 

MDJ

Monkey
Dec 15, 2005
669
0
San Jose, CA
I find that I often bump the trigger twice when I only want one gear and I really miss being able to grab a whole handful of gears when I need it most.
After switching to XO two years ago, I still seem to occasionally keep my finger on the trigger too long and get two shifts. That is my only dislike with XO triggers.

I ran grips shift for years and loved it. Never had trouble with misshifts or somehow managed to brake and shift at the same time without a problem. Dumping or grabbing a bunch of gears at once is the best feature.

I've been thinking about trying it out again but didn't want to get crucified by the Monkey crew, but I guess I'm not the only one.
 

time-bomb

Monkey
May 2, 2008
957
21
right here -> .
Sorry for resurrecting such an old thread but I thought there was some good insight in here so it didn't make sense to start a new one. My question is slight different than the OP's but still relevant. I need a new drive train this year: new rear cassette, shifter, chain, derailleur.....the works. Anyway, I have been running X-9 on my trail bike and DH bike and love them. I have used Gripshift in the past and really liked it too but that was a while ago. I currently have 3 good pairs gripshift laying around so I figured I would go back to it and have at least one component covered in my new drive train. So, the two questions I have are:

1) after using triggers exclusively for the last 3 years will it be easy to switch back? (anyone recently made the switch?)
2) what grips do you recommend using?

Just for a little more background on question 2, back in the day I just used the slightly shorter grips that you slide on the bar. Now a days, like most people, I only run lock on grips. Are there any good lock-on grips that don't have a metal lock between the grip and the shifter that you feel when holding onto the grip?

Thanks in advance.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
I rode with trigger shifters for about 2-2 1/2 years myself (maybe even longer seeing that I had triggers on my hardtail long before I even got a downhill bike), and then last winter I switched over to trigger shifters. They work great, and it won't be too difficult. After a few rides you will get what you have to do. Initially I shifted down when I should have shifted up, but the benefits to me are well worth the trouble.

And for #2. I run ODI Ruffian Grips. I can't really tell that the metal ring is there if the ring has the screw facing down.

http://elitecycling.com/product/odi-ruffian-grip-shift-lock-on-grips-black-sku-ht3685-qc99.htm
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
2) what grips do you recommend using?

Just for a little more background on question 2, back in the day I just used the slightly shorter grips that you slide on the bar. Now a days, like most people, I only run lock on grips. Are there any good lock-on grips that don't have a metal lock between the grip and the shifter that you feel when holding onto the grip?

Thanks in advance.
i use gripshift on all of my bikes and use the ODI Ruffian grip. i dont feel the clamp at all....you just need to rotate the clamp to avoid the screw.

i primarily use the X0 shifters because the grip is great
 

time-bomb

Monkey
May 2, 2008
957
21
right here -> .
Thanks guys. I am currently using ODI Ruffian grips too. Are you using the standard/130mm length grips or the short/90mm grips? I currently have 130mm w/triggers. I also run my brake lever a little further out since I tend to only use my index finger for breaking.

BTW, the XOs do look much nicer than the X9 or X7. I have the old 9.0 SL ESP and they look very similar to the XO. I also have some newer ones that shift much easier but I think I would prefer my older ESPs for a couple reasons: better grip, shorter twister, and less chance or accidental shift due to the fact that they take a tad more effort to turn.

If I fall back in love w/this set up an upgrade to the XOs may be in line in the not to distant future.
 
Last edited:

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,032
5,924
borcester rhymes
There are some specialized etc. grips that have only one locking collar- on the outside. You could theoretrically cut down the grip to appropriate size but not lose functionality.

To update my previous post, not that anyone cares, but moving from gripshift to triggers was like heaven on earth. Better contact with the bar, quicker shifting, more shifts. Not a huge fan of the thumbies, but whatever.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
im using the short grips but i keep my hand on the end of the bars usually with only a small part of my hand on the shifter. ive used the X7, X9 and X0 shifters and found in combination of a better grip and firmer clicks, the X0 is obviously the best.
the old 9.0SL ESP's were nice, but still not as nice as the newer X9's or X0's.
you can get a X0 grip for the X9 shifters too.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
im using the short grips but i keep my hand on the end of the bars usually with only a small part of my hand on the shifter. ive used the X7, X9 and X0 shifters and found in combination of a better grip and firmer clicks, the X0 is obviously the best.
the old 9.0SL ESP's were nice, but still not as nice as the newer X9's or X0's.
you can get a X0 grip for the X9 shifters too.
Ya, I run x.9 with X.0 grip shift. Good combo there.

Does shimano make anything gripshift that would work with saint derailleurs?
 

time-bomb

Monkey
May 2, 2008
957
21
right here -> .
Ya, I run x.9 with X.0 grip shift. Good combo there.

Does shimano make anything gripshift that would work with saint derailleurs?
good idea. it would be nice to run a lower profile rear derailleur like the shadow if possible. however, i have always had pretty good luck w/sram rear derailleurs anyway and they tend to be a little more reasonably priced.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
So... is there such a thing as a twist shifter then for saint? I looked on shimano's sight and to my surprise saw they don't have twist/grip shifters?
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
I dont believe there is 9sp Shimano Twisters, but I am occaisonally wrong (!)

Besides, using gripshift obligates your soul to the devil, and causes horribley foul smelling chronic flatulence.

Who wants to tell us how great Suntour Friction shifters are?
 

Al C. Oholic

Monkey
Feb 11, 2010
407
0
FoCo
i'm runnin an xt trigger shifter with a shimano tiagra road derailleur. i like how low profile and quick the road derailleurs are. but I rode gripshift for about five years and just couldn't always find the right gear. i thought gripshift would interupt my bar grip less but really you have to loosen your whole hand, especially to crank way up or down. if you've got features really close together, you can't take the time to doddle finding the perfect gear.
i went back to triggers and never looked back
 

dsb18292

Chimp
Mar 24, 2009
68
0
Biggest issue with GS is the limited grip length. I usually cut my grips to length because of this. I prefer about 4.5in of grip with the twisters. Another grip issue, if you use smaller diameter grips like ODI Ruffian it will not mate up to the diameter of the GS. ODI Rogue matches XO twisters about perfect though.

If you can work around the grip issue, then GS isn't a bad thing. I am with Kidwoo, when tired or in hairy conditions the twisters seem more intuitive to me so I use them more. My hand is always in the right spot, where I find often I am reaching for the paddle on triggers.