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gripshift for downhill?

clockworked

Chimp
Aug 31, 2007
49
2
AUS
I know it seems stupid, but out of interest - does anyone (pro or amateur) use grip shifters on their bikes?

Other than they guys running gearboxes?
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I know several people. I think it is a little old-skool, but it does the job and SRAM still makes X.0 quality gripshift.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
I bought a new part spec for my bike and I am going to be running gripshift. I break levers on shifters and sometimes accidently mis-shift in a rock garden when I am bouncing everywhere.

I was also on the lift at the us open with a syndicate (spelling?) rider and he loved the gripshift he said.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
I know it seems stupid, but out of interest - does anyone (pro or amateur) use grip shifters on their bikes?

Other than they guys running gearboxes?
i wont use anything else on my bikes...dh, freeride or xc
i guess since ive been using them for over 12 years, i cant ride triggers.


the X0 shifter has a nice aggressive grip on it and isnt that much more than a X9 grip shifter
 
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pinkshirtphotos

site moron
Jul 5, 2006
4,827
521
Vernon, NJ
i have wanted to try the grip shift for a while now. i know many people use the grip shift for their front chainrings and trigger for the rear (of course this is the xc world im talking about.)
 

trailhacker

Turbo Monkey
Jan 6, 2003
1,233
0
In the hills around Seattle
i know many people use the grip shift for their front chainrings and trigger for the rear
That is what I have been doing for quite some time.

I used to run the twist shifters for DH but went to the SRAM triggers after they got them dialed a few years after releasing them.
My big problem was I would go to down shift before corners and go too many gears. Then in a panic trying to find the right gear go too many the other way.
 

clockworked

Chimp
Aug 31, 2007
49
2
AUS
oh right.
I've just ordered a set for my xc bike and was interested to know if they're use extended to rad-core riders too!
 

in the trees

Turbo Monkey
May 19, 2003
1,210
1
NH
I've been riding twisters since the ealry to mid 90s. I prefer them. I gave the newer SRAM triggers a shot a few years back and it broke in a crash on my second ride. I immediately went back to twisters as the replacement because that's what I had at the time. Plus I stocked up on X-7 9spd shifters a few years ago for $5 a piece - you can't beat that! I do however sometimes wish for the ease of braking and shifting at the same time that triggers offer.

toby
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
I used gripshift for DH for a while. I find that I shift more and am in the right gear more often now that I switched to triggers. You do still have to move your hand around the grip in order to shift with those, and while they do work well, triggers are simply better IMO as you constantly have a firm grip on the bike.

I switched and am so happy I did.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
You have to watch if your hand is not on the shifting part on jumps as it may end in ripping your derail off (kickback on the landing + changing the gear because of gripping on the grip shift).
Loved GS and still use it in non dh stuff but for DH I think trigger is better. Not only because of the problem mentioned above but also I think it shifts faster.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
You have to watch if your hand is not on the shifting part on jumps as it may end in ripping your derail off (kickback on the landing + changing the gear because of gripping on the grip shift).
Loved GS and still use it in non dh stuff but for DH I think trigger is better. Not only because of the problem mentioned above but also I think it shifts faster.
if youre a spaz, then that can happen....if youve ridden gripshift long enough, then that doesnt happen.
and a gripshift can shift much faster with a twist of your wrist. you can go up and down 4-5 gears very easily
 
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Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
I rarely had a problem with accidentally shifting on jumps and such. After a while you learn to do it right. It's just more difficult to shift when you want to and maintain control...kind of like the dual control levers from shimano...they're great in theory, but really not so much on the trail.
 

neverwalk

Chimp
Sep 30, 2007
52
0
Yup.
I run it on my DH bike. I've found it much harder to break in a crash with your knee, plus its faster to dump or load the full cassette if you need to.
Plus its very simple and light.
I've never had a mis-shift due to terrain or jumping/landing.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
Wow, you guys are beggining to make me think twice about buying one... Hmmm, guess I will give it a try. I am just tired of breaking shifters, and double shifting in rock gardens.

I never over shift or undershift with triggers though, I am pretty good with that. Guess we'll see how this works out. You know what! I have ridden shifters for a few years, I will give a review on gripshifts after I go downhilling a few times with them!
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
Go for it, it might be worth trying if you've got nothing better to do. I broke mine in two ways on two not too horrible crashes and it still worked, but it was ugly as sin.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
You have to watch if your hand is not on the shifting part on jumps as it may end in ripping your derail off (kickback on the landing + changing the gear because of gripping on the grip shift).
Loved GS and still use it in non dh stuff but for DH I think trigger is better. Not only because of the problem mentioned above but also I think it shifts faster.
So you can't shift in the air with gripshifts? I always shift in the air with trigger shifters to get ready for the next jump, then pedal when I hit the face or a little after?

Also, gripshifters are oldschool, but I am bringing them back, I am 17... haha.
:imstupid:
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
I ran them for years from the original X-rays till the current batch. I switched them over a couple years ago to triggers to get all my bikes on the same shifter.

Worked great, never lost grip or shifted on accident with them.
 

NorthWest

Chimp
Feb 11, 2008
23
0
Bellingham, WA
I used to run gripshift when i was ten, and since i've run X.O triggers. I'm actually going to give grips a try in the near future. I'm tired of shifting with triggers. With the X.O, it requires a ton of force to shift up. So much so that after I crashed and damaged my thumb i couldn't shift at all. (its much harder when your cables are contaminated too, then its impossible). I imagine shimano would be considerably easier because of the 2:1 ratio, at least on the up shift. The wrist is much stronger, and could definitely work well in place of my weak thumb. I'm going to give it a shot.

Besides, moto throttles are essentially the whole grip and they rotate!

P.S. X.O grip shift are half the price of triggers, and lighter.
 

NorthWest

Chimp
Feb 11, 2008
23
0
Bellingham, WA
I saw a pro's bike on littermag a while back that had grip shift. he also had zip ties running all the way around it to increase traction. it was a 303...
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
I saw a pro's bike on littermag a while back that had grip shift. he also had zip ties running all the way around it to increase traction. it was a 303...
the zip tie trick is pretty actually annoying. i tried using it in muddy days, but the zip blocks on the ties hurt my hand after 1 run.
the X0 shifter has a pretty aggressive tread on it, so traction isnt usually a problem.
 

Rover Nick

Monkey
Oct 17, 2006
280
0
I saw a pro's bike on littermag a while back that had grip shift. he also had zip ties running all the way around it to increase traction. it was a 303...
I use one zip tie up near the collar and it never bothers me. But I do wear gloves, too.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
So you can't shift in the air with gripshifts? I always shift in the air with trigger shifters to get ready for the next jump, then pedal when I hit the face or a little after?

Also, gripshifters are oldschool, but I am bringing them back, I am 17... haha.
:imstupid:
Try to pedal back in the wrong gear with any gear and see what happens ;) Maybe your bike has less kickback than the one I've used when I was a GS fan.
 

al-irl

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
1,086
0
A, A
i used to run gripshift for years but i ran the half pipe ones. Unfortunatly Sram don't make them anymore well in anything other than the leisure component stuff. So i switched to a trigger and haven't really looked back. I was a big fan of the half pipe shifters. The only reason i swithced to the trigger was because the grip on the shifter had worn out, causing traction problems when trying to change gear. I never had any miss shifting problems caused by the gripshift I just didn't get on with the smaller shifter.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
i used to run gripshift for years but i ran the half pipe ones. Unfortunatly Sram don't make them anymore well in anything other than the leisure component stuff. So i switched to a trigger and haven't really looked back. I was a big fan of the half pipe shifters. The only reason i swithced to the trigger was because the grip on the shifter had worn out, causing traction problems when trying to change gear. I never had any miss shifting problems caused by the gripshift I just didn't get on with the smaller shifter.
if you need some half pipe shifters i have some and can get more. i bought a bunch a while backed and didnt use them all....i also used to cut the half pipes in half to make the a "shorty" because i liked the way they shifted compared to the real shortys.
 
Dec 11, 2007
140
0
Lawn Dart Training Center
I like triggers, some of my friends ride gripshift. They both work. I prefer the triggers because there are more options for lock on grips and I can put the trigger really far away from my thumb knuckle. It makes doing tables and whips, or anything you twist your hand around the bar for much easier. Plus the grips are even diameter on both hands. On a DH bike, there is normally only a rear shifter, so one grip is bigger around than the other. I like them the same.
I have rode DH bikes with gripshift, takes a minute to get the feel, but there isn't anything wrong with them (besides the above concerns). Just not my favorite.