Microshift - my (limited!) review

johngti

A bit of background first. I bought a Giant Defy 4 through cycle to work last October/November and have properly got the bug. The only thing I didn't really like about the bike was the Shimano 2300 shifters so I've been looking at ways of getting rid of them. I seriously considered swapping the whole drivetrain out for a Tiagra set up but finances stopped that so when I saw a set of 3x8 Microshift shifters on eBay going cheap,I went for them. It took a bit of research to figure out how to make the front triple work on my compact double, but thanks to Google, I got the required info and swapped them over last night.

My first impressions after cycling to work this morning - wow, what a difference! The shape of the hoods is very different to the 2300 shifters, much more comfortable and a nicer shape. The indexing is significantly better - precise and positive. I found that the front 2300 was good for the first few miles after adjusting the cable tension but within 3 or 4 miles, I could never count on it shifting back to the big ring from the small. No such worries with the microshift setup this morning! I contacted microshift to find out how they recommended setting it up; their advice was to go with the inner and middle settings on the shifter. Good advice I think as I get trimming on both chainrings which makes me very happy indeed!

I did manage to send the chain off the outside if I hit the upshift hard while pedalling quickly on the turbo last night (in spite of the limit screws being set) but that happened with the shimano setup too so I'm not too worried. At my age, I won't be doing anything too violent while out on the road!

So, summary. If you don't like Shimano 2300, look at Microshift. They seem better built than 2300 shifters and in my so far limited experience, they work better too. Overall a great upgrade for the princely sum of £38!

Of course, I've now jinxed it and they'll play up like a spoiled teenager on the way home tonight!

goonz

Pictures please or its all in your head...

johngti

Later then!

goonz

Joking, but I am interested in seeing the profile of your bars with these new shifters...

Grill

So Microshift is superior to 2300? Looks like they've finally found their target market...

Let me know how they shift in the dead of winter with thick gloves on

lawrences

get a chain catcher to stop the chain dropping down the inside.

zx6man

Bizarrely I have not had one issue with 2300 setup (front or rear) or not needed to adjust in 1200 miles.

Good you have found something more comfy for yourself for such little money.

richard_farrant

zx6man wrote:

Bizarrely I have not had one issue with 2300 setup (front or rear) or not needed to adjust in 1200 miles.

I had no issues either until the slot the cable locks into inside the rh shifter broke, that was game over for my 2300, got replaced with tiagra

kingofthetailwind

How do you find braking power from the hoods on the Microshifts? Better or worse than the 2300s?

johngti

goonz wrote:

Joking, but I am interested in seeing the profile of your bars with these new shifters...

I'll pop a couple up for you later

I think they're ever so slightly misaligned so I might even cheat a little and try to fettle it by a few mm!

johngti

Grill wrote:

So Microshift is superior to 2300? Looks like they've finally found their target market...

Let me know how they shift in the dead of winter with thick gloves on

I can't see it being any worse than the thumb shifter on the old ones. And to be fair, I haven't seen a bad review of their components either - my initial impressions are positive enough that when I do have the money to upgrade the whole lot, I might just go down the Microshift route just for value for money reasons.

johngti

lawrences wrote:

get a chain catcher to stop the chain dropping down the inside.

Thanks for the tip - I'll add it to the shopping list

johngti

zx6man wrote:

Bizarrely I have not had one issue with 2300 setup (front or rear) or not needed to adjust in 1200 miles.

Good you have found something more comfy for yourself for such little money.

I don't have a clue why but I rarely had a ride where I wasn't worried about the chain jumping off. I always worried at the way the tension released through the thumb button, it always seemed a bit harsh. But yes, a very lucky find I think!

johngti

KingOfTheTailwind wrote:

How do you find braking power from the hoods on the Microshifts? Better or worse than the 2300s?

Better for me. The slightly higher hoods give me a bit more leverage I think.

johngti

goonz wrote:

Joking, but I am interested in seeing the profile of your bars with these new shifters...

Lets see if this works...



Of course, I can't tell straight away because I'm behind a work firewall!

Jon_1976

Are the barrel adjusters fitted properly? The looked a bit angled (saggy). I had those on a Tiagra setup and they existed the shifter body at 90 degrees. Position of the shifters on the bars looks right imo.

johngti

Yeah. I think it'd be better with inline adjusters as the cable outlet is angled slightly downwards. I suspect the idea is to just send cables straight out. I can live with it until the cables need replacing then I'll pretty it up a little more. I'm already wishing I'd gone with red bar tape

Mikey23

I have a defy 4 with 2300 and also had that difficulty of changing into big ring from small ring. Thought it was just me ...

Grill

Those hoods are even bigger than the SRAM hydraulic shifters. Smaller the better as far as I'm concerned.

johngti

Mikey23 wrote:

I have a defy 4 with 2300 and also had that difficulty of changing into big ring from small ring. Thought it was just me ...

It's strange isn't it? Just seems to be ridiculously sensitive.

johngti

Popped into decathlon today and looked at the updated version of the triban 3 with microshift 3x8 shifters. The internals look quite different to my older ones and I'm not sure that's better! Mine look much more substantial. Maybe their more expensive stuff is better...

Anyhow, I'm still happy with mine!

letap73

Thank you very much for your review on Microshift shifters - interesting to see if they will develop further to challenge the top three.

johngti

letap73 wrote:

Thank you very much for your review on Microshift shifters - interesting to see if they will develop further to challenge the top three.

No worries - not that I really know what on earth I'm on about!!

Remarkable

I have the 10 speed version. It works flawlessly.

cyberknight

i had the same shifters on an early carrera TDF and i liked them , a more positive feel to the shift lever compared to shimano 2300 which although works fine i have always felt them a bit too light for my taste .