Shifter ideas...

Hi all,

I have a couple thoughts around shifters after putting up with them for many years I have big hands with long fingers, and generally shifters are a 1 stop fit.

Why can't a manufacturer produce a shifter that you can adjust where the actual shifter levers sits. Hope this makes sense... Bascially you could unscrew the bottom of the shifter and move the 2 shifters levers back and forth to any position that suited you. I'm sure this wouldn't be too hard.

Also I use 2 way release shifters on my modern bike and tend to ride with my thumb sitting between the 2 shifting levers. I have the latest Deore shifters. Hope this makes sense as well. Imagine if you could rest your thumb in between the 2 shifter levers, you press your thumb down (forward) and the gears shift to the larger sproket on the back and the larger sproket on the front, you then flick your thumb back and the derailuers move the opposite way.

I hope this makes sense? Perhaps if Shimano and SRAM are reading this more adjustability for people that are bigger and smaller then the average.

Aye your ideas are valid and what you said i reckon the manufacturers could easily do.

For the time being, SRAM shifters have 2 different mount poisitions so were getting there!

My old sram sx4 (i think) shifters had thumb finger configuration in which you could sit your thumb between the paddle as it was one piece.

why don't you look at modding your shifter clamp to get it in the right place for you?

it shouldn't really be too difficult, failing that strip down the shifters, remove levers then send them to a local engineer / machinist to knock up some custom shifter levers that are offset to the place you want them.

option 1 would be a damn site cheaper but to answer the question of why there isn't one on the market is simple. design, development, patenting, equipment & manufacturing costs would probably outweigh the demand for an adjustable shifter.