What !!!!!??????? !!!

[utahdog2003]

I don't know about riding style, but certainly location.
All that click-click stuff is fine at a trail centre. When you are 80 miles from the nearest paved road, with camping kit and a couple of mountain passes in the way, thumbies and their reliability suddenly look a bit more appealing, even if you do need to rotate your thumb above the bar. :shock:

I've seen several generations of rapidfire fail, it's always catastrophic with a small cloud of flying springs and pawls.

Horses for courses. Thumbies are as simple as a knife and fork.

that was true 12yrs ago maybe.. not anymore

It's been along timefor me since I've seen aRF shifter take a poo in an explosive manner...BUT.

What if you are away for a weekend of camping and riding with friends, in an area of western North Carolina where the bike shops maybe aren't so hot. You prang your derailleur hanger enough so that you don't want to cold set the thing by hand for fear of shearing it off entirely. With STI, you are hosed, probably looking for a single speed to set the bike in to maybe salvage some of your weekend. With a thumbshifter, just switch it to friction. Done.

I didn't mean to turn this into a thumbshifter vs thread, but I just feel the need to jump in when I see unnecessary abuse of the poor things. They have their place, and if they didn't, then Pauls components wouldn't be making $50 adaptors to turn $120 Dura Ace bar end shifters into thumbies! (with friction option also, I might add!) Compared to that expense, XT thumbies aren't too bad...well, except for the crazy auction that started this thread!

 

[scant]

I carry spare mech hangers with me. If I bend 1 I will (& have) fit a new 1 inside 5mins & then keep on riding.

non replaceable r.mech hangers are yet another outdated retro feature

 

[perry]

oh i dont know ive aligned countless steel hangers after little james lent his bike to tom who dropped it on its arse and left the mech rubbing the spokes . i had them out of the shop within the day

the sheared alloy replaceable one which took the mech with it to geared hell required a few weeks wait to come in , and when it did i got sent the wrong one . but if someone wants to spend £15 on something "replaceable" go for it

if i was planning a trip into the wilderness or a jaunt around the world id want the most basic of bits and thumb shiters would be one of them . but i wouldnt be paying over £80

in my opinion ( which no doubt someone will take offense to ) its another case of "well mines better than yours " like the amount of gears you have in the first place . sure if you are racing being able to slot another gear in with lightning quickness by only flexing your fingernail would be useful but what was so wrong with looking ahead , seeing an incline and readying yourself for a downshift by moving your hand ?

dont people enjoy being on a bicycle anymore ? do people want to get through the ordeal that rapidly

 

[scant]

oh i dont know ive aligned countless steel hangers after little james lent his bike to tom who dropped it on its arse and left the mech rubbing the spokes . i had them out of the shop within the day

the sheared alloy replaceable one which took the mech with it to geared hell required a few weeks wait to come in , and when it did i got sent the wrong one . but if someone wants to spend £15 on something "replaceable" go for it

if i was planning a trip into the wilderness or a jaunt around the world id want the most basic of bits and thumb shiters would be one of them . but i wouldnt be paying over £80

in my opinion ( which no doubt someone will take offense to ) its another case of "well mines better than yours " like the amount of gears you have in the first place . sure if you are racing being able to slot another gear in with lightning quickness by only flexing your fingernail would be useful but what was so wrong with looking ahead , seeing an incline and readying yourself for a downshift by moving your hand ?

dont people enjoy being on a bicycle anymore ? do people want to get through the ordeal that rapidly

bend a fixed frame hanger once & it'll be a weak point forever. my mate marks old marin team issue just became a joke after a while. BETD have most mech hangers in stock & despatch mega quick..
£15? dude, dont mention RRP to me, offends my ears

I love mtb, 6.5hrs yesterday... & yeh going as fast as possible the whole time IS a bonus

 

[RockiMtn]

*ouch* that's a high price to pay for thumbies! :roll:

i sold off two sets, in probably equal if not better condition than those for less than half that price. one set i even threw in a set of matching xt brake levers at no extra cost.

having gone from thumbs, to rapid fire, and finally grip/twist shift, i'd never go back to thumbies. hence why i sold them off to people who want and like using them.

3 of my four rigs (which includes the missus) are all geared with grip/twist shifters. only the one rig i have a set of m900 shifters on. i'd go all rapid fire before ever putting a single set of thumbies back on any of my rigs.

 

[perry]

3 of my four rigs (which includes the missus) are all geared with grip/twist shifters

too

funny

for

words

 

[utahdog2003]

I carry spare mech hangers with me. If I bend 1 I will (& have) fit a new 1 inside 5mins & then keep on riding.

non replaceable r.mech hangers are yet another outdated retro feature

My modern bike is steel, and has no such replaceable hanger. Most steel bikes still don't...and I refuse to allow you to classify steel as a "retro feature"

 

[scant]

I carry spare mech hangers with me. If I bend 1 I will (& have) fit a new 1 inside 5mins & then keep on riding.

non replaceable r.mech hangers are yet another outdated retro feature

My modern bike is steel, and has no such replaceable hanger. Most steel bikes still don't...and I refuse to allow you to classify steel as a "retro feature"

send pics next time you bend your mech hanger

 

[RockiMtn]

3 of my four rigs (which includes the missus) are all geared with grip/twist shifters

too

funny

for

words

alright, u got me. that does sound WRONG! which wasn't my attention!

 

[utahdog2003]

I carry spare mech hangers with me. If I bend 1 I will (& have) fit a new 1 inside 5mins & then keep on riding.

non replaceable r.mech hangers are yet another outdated retro feature

My modern bike is steel, and has no such replaceable hanger. Most steel bikes still don't...and I refuse to allow you to classify steel as a "retro feature"

send pics next time you bend your mech hanger

I know you've racked up 8300 posts, but surely you aren't THAT bored!