Small hands - STI / Ergo levers

TLI-Cycling

My wife has small hands and finds the big "swing" to the right when changing up from small ring to big ring very difficult and recently I realised my small grandson also has the same problem, has anyone else noticed this and is there an easy answer. I am currently trying to adapt a travelator(?) originally intended for using V brakes with road levers to take up more cable but would welcome advice and / or a solution.

ugo.santalucia

No easy answer, Shimano makes some shims for small hands to fit its range of STI but they don't make much of an improvement... With campagnolo you can insert a screw in the body of the handrest near the release button of the brake lever to push the lever a little closer (Campagnolo advises against and does not take responsability if you do), but again, not much of an improvement... by feel, it seems to me SRAM makes the levers which are most "small hand friendly", but I don't have first hand experience on this, can't really tell

ChrisBush1

We come accross this problem all the time when doing bike fits. Most shimano levers can be shimmed to put the lever blade closer to the bar. Bar shape and rach is a big factor too and chan change where the hand sits relative to the lever. Compact bars or bars like the Cinelli Little Wing are worth a look. Pro PLT compact are also very short reach for instance. Sram levers offer the most adjustability and also need less throw per shift than shimano so they can make a good choice assuming the bike is 10 speed. the neweer shimano levers are a big improvement over the older and more basic models but this is an expensive upgrade, as are the shimano non series short reach levers. Shims and bar shape is a cheap upgrade and can make a huge difference.

g00se

I think the OP is talking about the amount of movement needed on the mech lever to get the front up from the small ring to the large ring.

I'm not sure about the modern 'power shift' Campag levers, but the 'ultra shift' levers have a few clicks to get the mech across, so you can 'pump'it one click at a time to change ring if you don't want to move the lever across multiple clicks at once.

TLI-Cycling

"gOOse" is correct, it is the amount of movement required to get the chain from the small ring to the larger one that causes the problem. The previous answers miss the point as there is no reach problem and changing from your preferred shape of bar not really an option many people would take. I am experimenting using a cam pulley on the frame lever mounting on one bike to take up some extra cable but "gOOse" has reminded me that I have an older type Campag Ergo lever in my junk box which has a ratcheted action and this could well be the easier option.

chrisw12

I think you are missing the point, the amount of movement needed is a problem because of the bar shape you are using and the problem with sti levers. The reach does effect how easily you can 'swing' the lever.

For example I couldn't change gear from the drops with sti because of the reach not allowing me to get my hand into the right position. I've changed to SRAM and now I can easily change gear from the drops.

I also tried the little wing bars and this offered a solution as well, I just didn't like the bar shape.

leedsmjh

+1 for recommending SRAM for smaller hands or Cinelli Little Wing with STIs

migrantwing

All posters have given great advice, but, ChrisBush1 and chrisw12 are also correct in their answers. The amount of pressure applied to the shifter for them to actually shift more easily IS down to the angle/position of the shifters, not just the size of them. Shims can be placed inside the shifters to change the angle of the shifters, as mentioned, in relation to the distance from bar to shifter. Also, the placement of the shifters on the drops will have a lot to do with it. No matter how small the shifters, it won't make a difference if the reach of the hand from bar to shifter is not within reach. I recently had a similar problem with a new bike and the Shimano 105 shifters that came with it. The shifter for the front mech was very hard to change up. I messed around with cable tension and positioning of the front mech which helped, but still the shift was a little tough on the 'up', and 'clunky' on the downshift. I then changed the position of the shifters on the drops and the shifting became a lot easier as I had more reach and a different hand angle, therefore, more power in my fingers/hands.

dawebbo

di2 ftw