[powderboy]

So Interbike was my first go at using the new shifting system from Shimano. The integrated "roadie-style" shifting sucked A$$!!!

Man, I love that style of shifting on my road bike because it's a natural motion, but on a MTB... give me a break!

Every time I hit the brakes, the lever slid down and wiggled away from me. I felt like I was squeezing a noodle! I don't know how anyone who seriously rides a mountain bike can stand their new integrated lever/shifter design!

Anyone beg to differ? I sure hope they still make the standard Rapidfire pods... if they don't they are basically shooting themselves in the foot and creating a black market for shifters .

 

[oldfart]

I love them. Maybe you need to adjust the reach and angle to suit your hands better? Then again it just might not be your cup of tea. I have never braked while shifting or shifted while braking unintentionally. For my small hands it makes shifting much better than anything else and I've tried just about all type of MTB shifters. Never tried the Mavic shifters or push push Shimano or the SRAM triggers.

And I've also come to love the way low normal derailleurs work too.

And I don't give a rats ass if they ever make rapid fire again. Its just so terrible. I don't know how any rider in their right mind could use that, let alone grip shift.

That last bit is sarcasm. maybe you could tone it down a bit? Your comments could be interpretted as insulting although I don't think that was your intention. It was the first thing that came to mind when I read it.

 

[powderboy]

That last bit is sarcasm. maybe you could tone it down a bit? Your comments could be interpretted as insulting although I don't think that was your intention. It was the first thing that came to mind when I read it.

I certainly hope that nobody is taking it personally that I don't like the new shifter/lever design, but I wanted to find out if any fellow Monkeys have had more experience with them.

I used them and didn't like them. But I've never liked the idea of a shifter/lever combo in the first place. I'd like to have Shimano shifters and Hayes brakes... I certainly hope that Shimano creates a product to service the majority of bike owners who don't want to switch to Shimano hubs just to run their brakes.

I'm sorry if I offended... that was not my intention.

I'm just not at all impressed with the new design. It works well for road bikes, but I don't like it for MTB.

My biggest complaint was that as I was braking on rough sections, the lever didn't feel solid as I began to compress them. I had ZERO confidence in the levers because they were wiggling in my hand as I compressed them.

I guess I need to learn how to compress levers in the perfect direction or something... Maybe Shimano is trying to teach "improper brakers" like myself a lesson in ergonomic braking. Whatever it is... I don't like them and guaranteed I'll be putting something up on the site about them and it won't be good press for Shimano (not that a billion-dollar juggernaut cares, but riders do).

 

[oldfart]

I figured you were just trying to get some discussion. But I have to laugh at the wiggly lever you did not like. It does move but you get used to it. It never posed a problem for me because I had Hayes before and those levers are just as wiggly. That's why I'm laughing. I just realized my Hayes moved almost as much but they wouldn't shift.

I did misshift once when I smoked a tree with the right shifter/lever.

Thing is for me anyway is it is so much easier to reach the shifters that I shift far more often than before. With rapidfire, it was a reach to the release trigger and to a lesser extent the thumb lever too. With grip shift, the brake lever was too far inboard. Partly due to Hayes levers actual shape and size. I need to use two fingers to brake. My second finger like most people I think is my longest finger. I tried one finger Razor Rock levers and they weren't bad but were completely incompatible with grip shift. If I used them I was braking with my hand around the shifter which was too large a diameter.

 

[speedbump]

I also rode an XTR equipped bike at Interbike and disliked it. The "paddle" on the rear shifter of the bike I tried had broken off, so I was reduced to lifting the brake lever with the back of my fingers to shift. All I can say is thank god they built them with the paddle. Having to lift up on the brake lever with your fingers eliminates the "brake/shift/and hold on to the handlebar at the same time" thing that Shimano made possible with rapidfire in the first place.

I got used to the lever movement while braking, but I never got used to the shifter housing knocking me in the side of the hand while braking. Moving the levers in on the bars might of helped, but I'm not sure the "paddle" would have been in the right spot then.

Brake lever shifting: awesome on the road, not for me in the dirt.

 

[oldfart]

I left the thumb paddle on for the first ride then ditched it. I didn't use it. There is more than one way to downshift. You can flick the fingers up like you describe but if you're on the brakes, simply pull the lever up. It feels very similar to downshifting road sti while on the brakes. If you use bar ends you can reach the lever from there too for up and down shifting. Might be a bit of a reach for short fingered folks like me.

It might be the bike you tried did not have the levers set up for your fingers. ie tilt and reach. I think if people aproach the new levers with an open mind and a few tools to adjust they'll find that they work quite well. But not every one will like them. There's still grip shift to be had.