Upsidedown thumb shifters?

[Hotwheels.]

…or Suntour Accushift wishbone shifters are worth a look, £30 on eBay.

Suntour Accushift Wishbone under bar thumb shifters 3 x 7 Retro Vintage (3480) | eBay

This is a used pair of Sunntour Accushift Wishbone under bar thumb shifters from the early 1990s. The clamp of the right hand shifter has a little corrosion and the bolts are tarnished. Perfect for a retro build.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Deerhead thumbs are made to be reversible. The cable run goes in both directions, with a repositionable plug to block off whichever side is not in use. You can see it at the top of this image
Move it to the other side and cable pull is reversed, so you can flip the unit over and still have regular shifting.

 

[Tootyred]

If you want to really confuse yourself swap your shifters to the opposite sides when turning them over.....

 

[miss money penny]

Suntour was always a good option.

 

[raidan73]

I used to run my XT's upside down and the wrong way round for quite a while. Me and my mates turned our noses up at those newfangled STI units

 

[Tootyred]

Me and my mates turned our noses up at those newfangled STI units

And i still am over 30 years later!

 

[raidan73]

And i still am over 30 years later!

Same!

 

[hookooekoo]

In my opinion the standard thumbshifter mounting position was always a bit of a weird choice. When gripping a handlebar the human thumb doesn't naturally and easily move a lever that is on top of the handlebars. Maybe the marketing department decided that the cap with the Shimano branding on it had to be visible on top of the handlebars. Certainly it doesn't seem to make sense from a human engineering and ergonomic perspective.

 

[tintin40]

In my opinion the standard thumbshifter mounting position was always a bit of a weird choice. When gripping a handlebar the human thumb doesn't naturally and easily move a lever that is on top of the handlebars. Maybe the marketing department decided that the cap with the Shimano branding on it had to be visible on top of the handlebars. Certainly it doesn't seem to make sense from a human engineering and ergonomic perspective.

i don't grip the bars most of the time. Ride with my palms. Then my thumb is in contact with the lever. Now using wireless gearing means i've had to change my grip.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Now using wireless

How have you found that? Care to share your experiences and opinions? Are you using it on a retro bike, or one of your more modern bikes?