8 speed thumbies

[Elmo]

* speed thumbies

Hi,yep XT ultimate retroness wouldn`t use anything else.

Does anybody think thumbies would have been improved with indexed left hand/front shifting ?????

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

...only if you could somehow adjust the indexed front shifter.

I could never get any of my indexed shifters to shift the front mech perfectly without getting some frontmech noise.

 

[m1kesmith]

index front thumbies

shimano tried it in 88 i think with exage mountain, then dropped it til the rabidfires a couple of years later.
I hate front indexing... can never keep it quiet.
I have a sram 11-32 8 speed cassette.
trouble with 9 speed is the tolerance is too tight.
any mud in the system and the gears just jump.
i was about to convert my full susser to 8 speed with deore thumbies when it got stolen.

 

[Konaglider]

re: jez, chain noise
that always bugged me about 3 pos' index shifters, you cant beat friction shifting your front chainrings, i've always had one even with a 'modern' shifter on the right

 

[Agency_Scum]

Isn't that the beauty of the left friction-only shifter? You knew what gear you were in by feel* and you could easily trim.


*Which is why I went back to thumbies ( even on my disc-braked full susser! ). Excellent night-riding capability and a " keep staring ahead " mentality of gear shifting.