Dropper lever position
wavey1000
Posts: 59
in MTB general
I am awaiting my new dropper post and wondered how it works when you have already have a gear shifter and brake on each end of the bar.
Is it cramped, and advice or piccies
Is it cramped, and advice or piccies
0
Posts
Or get a lever that can be connected to the brake lever clamp such as Wolftooth, PNW Components or Bontrager.
And it all promised so so much”
Giant Trance 2 27.5 2016 ¦ Sonder Broken Road 2021¦ Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019 ¦ Giant Toughtroad SLR 1 2019 ¦ Giant Anthem 3 2015 ¦ Specialized Myka Comp FSR 2009
Otherwise it's a tricky thing to set up for convenience and ease of use.
Other remotes have a lever that only pivots up and down, like some of the Brand-X ones or by Kind Shock. They can go either side of the bar and only press down. Although I guess you could mount them so that they only press up, but that seems counter-intuitive to me.
For cable operated droppers, you can buy remotes of different design to replace the one you have that you don't like (Wolftooth for ex). You don't have to get them from the dropper manufacturer.
In terms of being cramped... If you are happy to remove your hand from the grip to operate your remote then you can put them anywhere on the bar you like. But if you prefer to leave your hand on the grip and operate the remote with your thumb, then yes you will have to compromise on where the remote goes so that it fits in with your other levers. The exception is if you have Sram brakes and shifters and buy a Reverb, in which case their Matchmaker mounts make easy work of the whole thing. Shimano may do something similar, but their I-spec mount is a poor design in comparison and I've never had a Shimano dropper (not even sure they make one), so I can't comment.
One of the great benefits of going 1x is that mounting the remote becomes a non-problem. It goes on the left! That way, it evens out the work the hands have to do, ie each hand has only two levers to operate. If the remote goes on the right and you go 1x, you have one lever on the left and three on the right!
So, I would strongly advise fitting your remote on the left to start with, because once you go 1x (and you will sooner or later), you don't have to get used to operating the remote from the left instead of the right.
PS: When it comes to finding the correct position, consider swapping the sequence of clamps on the bar. Most bikes come fitted with brake clamp next to the grip, then shifter clamp. Because I use just my index finger for braking, I have the brake clamp a good way from the grip. This leaves room for the shifter to move inboard. In addition to horizontal spacing you need to get the rotational spacing right so that you can push/pull the shifter levers far enough and still be comfortable. Adding in a third lever can make compromise a necessity.
And yes I would love a 1x but this covid has be spending loads of my bike, I could have nearly bought a new one at this rate
Ignore the gadget inboard of the brake lever, it's a mode shifter for my emtb.
The one thing I found is the clamp younger is pants. It does not grip tight enough, hence the shifter moves about.
I have used a bit of tape to help, but has anyone else thought this and what was your solution?
Any other clamp recommendations?