Over engineered front shifter...?
felix.london
Posts: 4,067
When will Shimano or SRAM re-design the front shifter?
It seems the 2x10 setup for AM (& XC) bikes is becoming more and more popular so what I want is a shifter with just one lever; thumb push for big ring, forefinger release for granny ring
A 2x10 front shifter seems way over engineered (and overpriced) at the moment for something which should be as simple as the pop-lock on a fork i.e on or off, big or small, up or down.
Seems crazy to me that the design is exactly the same for the 10 sprockets at the back as it is for the 'on/off' of the 2 rings at the front these days.
..just a thought
It seems the 2x10 setup for AM (& XC) bikes is becoming more and more popular so what I want is a shifter with just one lever; thumb push for big ring, forefinger release for granny ring
A 2x10 front shifter seems way over engineered (and overpriced) at the moment for something which should be as simple as the pop-lock on a fork i.e on or off, big or small, up or down.
Seems crazy to me that the design is exactly the same for the 10 sprockets at the back as it is for the 'on/off' of the 2 rings at the front these days.
..just a thought
"Why have that extra tooth if you're not using it?" - Brian Lopes
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 8
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 8
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Comments
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they have its called
hammerscmidt0 -
If I think a £20 shifter is overpriced and over engineered I'm not sure hammerscmidt's for me
"Why have that extra tooth if you're not using it?" - Brian Lopes
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 80 -
I guess the problem is that to move from one position to the other a catch/ratchet has to be released, which would effectively seem to naturally be a second lever. A good, old-fashioned thumb-shifter would be as close as you could get, so that the shifter itself was also bound to two positions.
Either that or the derailleur needs redesigning to incorporate something like a ratchet system.0 -
Yeah right - forgot the pop-lock has a lever to lock it out and a button to release..never use the thing so forgot :oops:"Why have that extra tooth if you're not using it?" - Brian Lopes
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 80 -
A Gripshift does just about what you're asking, apply force to overcome cable load and move to a new detent, apply force other way to release, you could put a good old fashioned thumb shifter UNDER the bars, push one way with thumb, pull back with finger (although it would pull cable with fingers and drop it with thumb).
Yes the manufacturers like SRAM and Shimano could do something like that, packaged inside a matching body to the right hand lever, in fact there is a cheap shifter (SRAM or Shimano? can't recall) which looks like it has a thumb and finger shifter but the two levers are actually one piece, cheap piece for a BSO though.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
Years ago Shimano made a shifter just like this mainstream too - but the masses wanted two levers.0
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That is essentially what you already have. You have a thumb push to change up, but the lever is spring loaded. And the fore finger releases the catch and the cable.felix.london wrote:what I want is a shifter with just one lever; thumb push for big ring, forefinger release for granny ring
It just doesn't look like it.0 -
YeehaaMcgee wrote:
That is essentially what you already have. You have a thumb push to change up, but the lever is spring loaded. And the fore finger releases the catch and the cable.felix.london wrote:what I want is a shifter with just one lever; thumb push for big ring, forefinger release for granny ring
It just doesn't look like it.
True..I guess. Just seems a bit strange to still have the front and rear the same when the rear is now up to 10 cogs and the front is moving the other way and down to 2. On an old 3x6 I can see the point of the design but on a modern 2x10 set-up surely there's a simpler solution"Why have that extra tooth if you're not using it?" - Brian Lopes
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 80 -
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Meh. It works, that's all that matters.
Front mechs themselves though are another matter. Not over engineered, just long forgotten and overdue a redesign. Too troublesome and clunky.
Rear mechs have been refined to be smooth and easy shifting. Front mechs are clunky and with 2x10 systems there may be a large step up from small to big ring and that involves a large amount of force and friction between the chain and mech cage (certainly the case with mine, jumping from 26t to 39t). Dropping down is more a case of slamming the chain off the big ring in one almighty clunk.
Cages are often rubbing at one or the other extreme, again more so with 2x10 where cross chaining is deemed okay, and then 2x10 cages are narrow so even when the chain is clear the slightest vibration and the chain clunks against the cage.
Bring on 1x11.0 -
Didn't you basically admit somewhere, that you can't set up your mech?
If you get it spannered by someone competent then your issues will go away.0 -
Nope. You or someone else said I can't set it up. I can set it up just fine, and they're perfect in the stand (as good as you can get front mechs at least). Just they're crap on the trail, especially the SRAM 2x10.
Never have problems with the rear mech and that's supposedly more complex.
I've tried the competent mechanic also, not to mention as set up by the shops without me fiddling with them. Same problems with front mechs, both the general problem that front mechs are crap full stop and that they need constant fiddling over short periods of time to keep them aligned. Both SRAM X0 and Shimano Deore.0 -
Not true.0
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Don't think i've adjusted my front mech in 2 years and it still shifts crisp as ever...0
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I dont even use my front mech...should take it off really and go for 1x10...0
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Yes you do, all the time.0
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Wouldn't a thumbshifter fit that bill? Up for one way down for the other?0
