Why so big love for thumbie, and little for gripshift.

[retroyetirigid]

Being a bike spanner monkey for a living I get to try/use all of them in varying states of (dis)repair and to be honest any poorly set up system is going to seem worse than a properly set up one no matter what the shifter is.
I've used all three main types of gear change on my own bikes over the years (thumbies, rapidfire and gripshift), all for reasonable lengths of time (6 months + not just one ride) and got on with all of them.
Of my current rides/steeds 4 have thumbies, 3 have rapidfire and I have a brand new set of Sram Attack's sitting in a box waiting for a 9 speed rear end build (that I'd only thought about as a result of this thread )

 

[AMPrider]

I haven't used Gripshift, but I have used SACHS twist shifters on various builds and found them to be better than thumbshifters. I think the twist shift design is the right concept, regardless of how successful the specific products might be.

 

[Agency_Scum]

For me they're the 2 best shifters in the world and I alternate between them just for sh1ts and giggles.
Both: simple
Thumbie: best index click ever and friction mode.
Gripshift: weightweenie's dream
Thumbie: change by feel, excellent for night riding.
Gripshift: tidy, spacious handlebar
Thumbie: nice to look at and icon of retro.

 

[Dead Rats]

I occasionally consider them, and was looking at some 9 speed Plasma on eBay recently... don't think they would work with my favourite grips tho, poor reason I know but hey - most of us like our controls to be quite reassuringly familiar I guess?

 

[gtRTSdh]

I used 8sp sachs waveys for a while, they were far superior to anything shimano of the equivalent value and never stopped working, they did however blister my hands quite badly because the grips were sharp due to the need for two hands on the old grip shifts.

 

[cce]

everyone i knew back in the day called them shitgrift.....

some of us rolled with thumbies, some with rapidfire+

one guy even rocked push-push rapidfire and refused to countenance anything else

but nary a twistgrip to be seen.

 

[MADJEZ]

Yes gripshift is 'effortless' unfortunately I like to change gear WHEN I WANT TO not when you go around a corner or pull on the bars.

OK I haven't been near a set in 10 years but just couldn't get on with them.

 

[Dead Rats]

I had them on a commuter, to be fair they were ideal

 

[Maxipedia]

I used to hate GripShift because my only experience with it was on low end bikes. Then my beloved Chameleon got stolen and the next bike I got was a pretty good deal and had SRAM Attack with a M900 derailleur that worked flawless. That's when I realized I should give up the prejudice about GripShift.

I find twist shifters excellent for girls and beginners because they are so intuitive. Those people wouldn't ride in foul weather anyway. Sachs' versions, the Power Grip Extreme and the Power Grip Wavey were good too. In the end, it's a matter of personal preference that you can't quite argue about, as many things are. Shimano have their own Revo Shifters for lower end bikes, by the way.

I use triggers on most bikes, because they are pretty much anywhere these days. As a long time SRAM fan I still have to acknowledge that Shimano's 2 Way Release is maybe the best thing since sliced bread. And get this! It comes in a Deore version, that works great, is superaffordable and doesn't have any real fault except the cheapo finish and the nondetachable gear indicator windows that will break at some point.

Thumbies are a thing of the past. If they were so good, racers would still use them widely. But they're not. Riding has changed a lot in the last 20 years and those hands need to stay as close to the bars as possible. Oh, and speaking of GripShift and reputation, how would a thumbie-lover feel if his beloved XT units were judged by the performance of some Tourney level shifter of the mid 90's? At least in injustice, let me assure you!

Oh, and let's not talk Shimano and how they tried at several moments in the recent history to force feed us various questionable crap! No open mind can't like such a behaviour and this has been a great key to SRAM's success.

I'd say let's be grateful that there IS a real competition on the componentry market, just like Canon and Nikon are battling it in the photo department. The biggest benefits are for us, the customers. We all miss the good old Suntour days, don't we?

Not a single shifter was harmed by this post,
Mx

 

[poweredbypies]

I was always sold on rapidfire plus, but started to ride retro again and got some thumbies again. I had forgotten how easy they are to use and how silent you get the shifts. Love them all over again. Just simple elegant design.