Why are thumb shifters so prized in the retrobike community?

[The History Man]

We don't need to sing the praise of GripShift, they're just better. But this is thread about the naff thumb shifter hence we're not in here.

FIGHT!

 

[DrmZ]

On early 90s bikes I prefer thumbies for authenticity. My favorites are Suntour XC Pro.
For mid/late 90s I like Grip Shift SRT-800, too.
I agree that STI are too limiting for brake choices. I never had a problem with the later models like 737, 950. But I would only use them if I wanted to do a catalog build.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

For me, the best thing about grip shift is that I can steal their brake levers when I switch from integrated pods to thumbies. But I agree about rapidfire for the proper application, my "modern" bike (2007 ) will keep its trigger shifting

 

[retrobiker273891]

We don't need to sing the praise of GripShift, they're just better. But this is thread about the naff thumb shifter hence we're not in here.

I have gripshifts on current bike. I realized they are also friction too. I am not able to imagine indexed shifting again. Gripshift, I was reminded recently when caught in a downpour, that they have the terrible drawback of losing the grip when wet and thus not being able to shift.

 

[retrobiker273891]

I used to covert Mavic's under the bar thumbshifter which promised the best of both worlds - and had some ancient suntours set up that way for a while.

Can you explain this please?

I was thinking that the only benefit I can think of with trigger ones is being able to maintain your grip and thought that trigger shifting doesn't necessarily have to be indexed so wondered if there are indeed friction trigger shifters which give the benefits of the maintained grip with all the usual benefits of friction shifting.

 

[retrobiker273891]

Beyond the basic "still works after all these years" vs "unnecessary complexity" is a bit of nuance. I prefer the look of a thumb shifter, but there's a place for both on my rides.
Rapidfire shifting is great for really rough riding. When you are bouncing around at high speed, it's tough to tell if you've found the gear accurately without it. When properly tuned, bang the button and get the appropriate gear. I use it on my more "modern" aluminum bike (2007). The older steel steeds get classic thumbies. Thumb shifters are great for obsessive fiddling on quiet rides where you can hear the ticking and make proper adjustments to get it straight.

Potentially getting a bike with trigger ones has me weighing up pros and cons of each and asking whether I will get used to triggers or to get thumbies right away.

I did use triggers back in the day and from memory did not like that it was only one click to drop, but iirc you could 'sweep' the up trigger, for lower gears, multiple shifts in one go. Is that right and still the case/the normal operation of most trigger shifters?

As someone else aptly put it in the thread I like how you can 'dump the whole cassette in one sweep' if you want to though that alone is probably not much of a benefit in practice in that I am more likely to want to sweep multiple shifts up than down, when reaching a sudden incline. The other way round, when going downhill, as I am not in a hurry, there is plenty of time to click through down one by one.

I am more someone who just likes ambling cycles on small roads or light off-road gravel or such, so the benefit of shifting on rough ground would be moot to me. I was thinking the trigger ones (or gripshift) might be marginally safer since you don't have to take your palm off the grip for those. I was thinking in some cases that might be a safety feature if some hazard suddenly came across your path mid-shift on roads for instance. Could that be considered a viable risk?

Probably the time when you are moving the hand highest off the bars is when you are going slow, uphill, anyway as the lower gears for the back relate to farthest pushes on the right thumbie. Most of the time, in the middle of the cassette changes, you would be able to flick with the crotch of the hand while still gripping the bars.

As for the front, if you did use the biggest ring often that might be a factor as you would be moving fast then by virtue of using the big one but I do not remember the last time I used the big chainring, except last ride just to check the chain still shifted to it and summarily put it back to the middle.

As mentioned in previous reply, friction trigger style would offer best of both worlds. So do they not exist or so uncommon as to be unattainable aside from some DIY solution?

 

[bikeworkshop]

For me, the best thing about grip shift is that I can steal their brake levers when I switch from integrated pods to thumbies.

TaDaaaa!

 

[retrobiker273891]

These are my favourite style thumb shifters I remember from the old days.

I remember there were the bigger ones, which in hindsight I guess were the Shimanos, and a stubbier kind, which I found cuter, which it looks like were these.

I notice there are a few different Suntour thumb shifters named Accushift but with different designs. What is the name of the triangular shaped ones in the pictures. Other ones seem straighter in shape and yet others somewhat curved.

Are these a similar going rate to Shimanos generally or more rare? Just going to look on ebay now.

Hmm the Accushifts seem to go for cheaper than Deore with a couple of sets sold in the low 20s.

Looks like they are even older, in mid 80s. Would they still work for all speed of gears in friction mode?

 

[Aech]

Potentially getting a bike with trigger ones has me weighing up pros and cons of each and asking whether I will get used to triggers or to get thumbies right away.

I did use triggers back in the day and from memory did not like that it was only one click to drop, but iirc you could 'sweep' the up trigger, for lower gears, multiple shifts in one go. Is that right and still the case/the normal operation of most trigger shifters?

I'd try to get used to them first since that is the cheapest option, if you don't like them then change...

As far as I know it's only ever been 1 click down but several is possible when going up the cassette.

As someone else aptly put it in the thread I like how you can 'dump the whole cassette in one sweep' if you want to though that alone is probably not much of a benefit in practice in that I am more likely to want to sweep multiple shifts up than down, when reaching a sudden incline. The other way round, when going downhill, as I am not in a hurry, there is plenty of time to click through down one by one.

Actually it kinda makes sense that it only moves 1 click at a time going down as it gives the rear mech spring time to do the change, multiple gear changes going up is easier as you apply the force required to force the chain up the cassette.

 

[bikeworkshop]

The tension release ratchet has to go step by step, otherwise the spring would pull it all the way to top gear in one go.
The other direction, pulling, can be step by step or multiple.




That's how it is.

(broken shifters can do this!)