XT thumbshifters

[playahata]

Can I get a hell-yeah for XT thumbies!!! Switched out my rapidfires the other week for the thumbshifters, now my rides have become so much more enjoyable. No more dicking around with "indexing". Sweet sweet friction shifting....
Dear shimano; if you want a real freeride gruppo, you need to bring back your XT thumbies. Simple, indestructible, easy shifting. (and get rid of that goddam reverse spring on your saint rear derailleur- what were you thinking??)

[sanrensho]

Where'd you get your hands on those XT thumbshifters?

Thumbies were before my time, but the simplicity and apparent durability appeals to me.

[playahata]

I haddem from a long time ago.

But... if you go to a bike shop like the bike kitchen on main (i believe), they have boxes and boxes of old shifters, and you should be able to find a nice friction shifter for about 10 bux.
If shifting frustrates you, give it a try, you wont be sorry.

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by playahata
I haddem from a long time ago.

But... if you go to a bike shop like the bike kitchen on main (i believe), they have boxes and boxes of old shifters, and you should be able to find a nice friction shifter for about 10 bux.
If shifting frustrates you, give it a try, you wont be sorry.

Thanks for the tip. But the Bike Kitchen is in UBC according to the Web site. Are you referring to the shop on Main that rents out tools to do your own repairs? (Forgot the name).

[playahata]

Yeah, thats the one. Isnt it called the bike kitchen?
Anyhoo, lotsa neat stuff over there.

M

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by playahata
Yeah, thats the one. Isnt it called the bike kitchen?
Anyhoo, lotsa neat stuff over there.

M

Cool, sounds like I need to go on a scavenging mission.

Could somebody please post the correct name of the shop on Main?

[Edit] Now I remember. It's Our Community Bikes.

[BULLITBOY]

I still have my thumb shifters too. I'm hopefully gonna put them on XC bike if I ever get around to buying one. They rock but they are for a 7 speed cassette. Do you have one already or did you have to hunt for that too? If so was it hard to find one?

[Oysterboyz]

it's called OUr Community Bikes.

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by BULLITBOY
I still have my thumb shifters too. I'm hopefully gonna put them on XC bike if I ever get around to buying one. They rock but they are for a 7 speed cassette. Do you have one already or did you have to hunt for that too? If so was it hard to find one?

Does your thumbshifter have an extra 8-speed setting? I know that a lot of the later thumbshifters did.

If not, Nashbar has the IG60 7-speed cassette on sale for $17. It's pretty light, too.:)

[trout]

The old suntour thumb shifters were gorgeous works of non-indexed art.

[playahata]

Naw, the whole point of the thumbies is that you dont index them. I thought that this would lead to a lot of adjusting to try to seat the chain properly, but it aint the case. My shifting is waaaaaay more smooth and easy than with the indexed rapidfire stuff. Try it out, it will change your life (OK, that was a bit of hyperbole there...)

[Wes]

Hyperbole: the use of an extreme exageration for the purpose of description. For all of you people that are scratching your heads right now.




On another note, I used to have a set on my old GT. They were okay, but I can't say I felt such a huge difference.

Hasy anyone tried turning them upside-down on the handle bar? So they are underneath, not on top? That way they wouldn't stick out so bad.

[atari_]

I dunno, I like indexed shifters. It's peanuts to udjust and set up. But I agree with the reversed spring. That's a stupid choice in my opinion. I liked chaning 3 - 4 gears with one full thumb push, all the way to an easy gear for an uphill bridge.

[BULLITBOY]

Originally posted by sanrensho
Does your thumbshifter have an extra 8-speed setting? I know that a lot of the later thumbshifters did.

If not, Nashbar has the IG60 7-speed cassette on sale for $17. It's pretty light, too.:)

Thanks for the Nashbar info. I'll have to check but the last time I looked at the shifters the little printed stuff was all scratched off.

[Madparker]

Saw this thread posted on Google, while searching on XT thumbshifters.

I was cleaning out the garage today, and found these buried. Yes, these are brand new, in the package. Untouched by human hands (except when they were made in Japan, probably close to 10 years ago now).

I took these pictures in anticipating of putting them on ebay. I'd be willing to take realistic offers from those interested.

Ben

[enduramil]

Can I get a hell-yeah for XT thumbies!!! Switched out my rapidfires the other week for the thumbshifters, now my rides have become so much more enjoyable. No more dicking around with "indexing". Sweet sweet friction shifting....
Dear shimano; if you want a real freeride gruppo, you need to bring back your XT thumbies. Simple, indestructible, easy shifting. (and get rid of that goddam reverse spring on your saint rear derailleur- what were you thinking??)

Have been running thumshifters for over 10 years. Never fails.

[mudpuppy]

Hey madparker...I sent you a PM.

[djb]

yep. I run a thumb shifter on the front and it works like a charm. love it.

[Oldfart]

In their day, thumb shifters were the shit. Compared to the ergonomics of what is available today and an indexed system that is tuned properly, friction thumbshifters..are just shit. I have ridden off road for 23 years or so and have seen it all and ridden it all. That old argument that there was nothing wrong with the old stuff is weak. No there wasn't anything wrong with it, but that doesn't mean that there isn't something better. There was nothing wrong with cantilever brakes and full rigid bikes either. But full suspension and disc brakes are better.

[davel]

I would love to see a return to thumb shifters. Simple. Durable. Easily
serviced. Extremely reliable.

It would be especially nice is someone (not necessarily Shimano) made
ones with replacable index rings, that could be used with 7 speed, 8
speed, 9 speed, maybe even 10 speed if that every comes. And make
some sort interchangable pulley that allows for 1:1 shifter and 2:1
shifting. Make it tough, not light. And perhaps allow it to be mounted
below the bars as well as on top.

I think something like this would be popular with Freeriders.

Just my $0.02,
Dave

[Chuck D. Railer]

nothing beats the thumbs, especially for the front.
no more dragging the chain!!
i've never gotten rid of them.
check em on my chromag
http://homepage.mac.com/ronandmaria/PhotoAlbum20.html

[xy9ine]

Hasy anyone tried turning them upside-down on the handle bar? So they are underneath, not on top? That way they wouldn't stick out so bad.
yeah, i ran them upside down back in the day - better ergonomics; you could shift on downhills without your hand slipping off the bar. a simple, reliable solution, but i'll keep my modern triggers. for retro-grouches that want a modern set of thumbies:

http://www.paulcomp.com/thumbmtn.html

[shirk]

Suntour xc pro thumby be my shifter of choice. And none of this weak sauce running as a front shifter only. It's butter smooth as the rear shifter on my regular ride.

Oh and no need to run out and get a 7 or 8 speed cassette. It will shift a 9sp in the index mode just fine.

[Chuck D. Railer]

And none of this weak sauce running as a front shifter only. It's butter smooth as the rear shifter on my regular ride.


i don't need any sauce, i ride a chromag.
i ran the back too, but the shifting just wasn't as good as the trigger.
at least not with the nine speed cass and the seven shifter.
i never tried using butter, though

[LeeLau]

where do you live? $ 30 for the pair

[smoochy]

In their day, thumb shifters were the shit. Compared to the ergonomics of what is available today and an indexed system that is tuned properly, friction thumbshifters..are just shit. I have ridden off road for 23 years or so and have seen it all and ridden it all. That old argument that there was nothing wrong with the old stuff is weak. No there wasn't anything wrong with it, but that doesn't mean that there isn't something better. There was nothing wrong with cantilever brakes and full rigid bikes either. But full suspension and disc brakes are better.


it depends what you want.
thumbies' followers enjoy what no other shifter on the market can give - reliability. it's always there for you, no matter what time of day. and you can trim.
you can still get cantilevers, and you can still get rigid mountain bikes, but other than those Paul's retrofitting road to thumb shifters, you can't get this good stuff anymore. the technical engineering term for this sensation is called "bullshit."

[TheGiggler]

ill pass ... index triggers are more maintenance and cost for sure, but a properly running sram x.0 system would not even be a fair comparaison. depends what you are going for and how much willing to spend.

[mudpuppy]

heh, I offered him $100 for the pair...that was a day or so ago...no response. I think I am gonna look for some local options. I want a front one at least...its so much better.

I have also looked at these...but I would need just one for the front.
http://www.paulcomp.com/thumbmtn.html

[enduramil]

it depends what you want.
thumbies' followers enjoy what no other shifter on the market can give - reliability. it's always there for you, no matter what time of day. and you can trim.
you can still get cantilevers, and you can still get rigid mountain bikes, but other than those Paul's retrofitting road to thumb shifters, you can't get this good stuff anymore. the technical engineering term for this sensation is called "bullshit."

You can if you check EBay.

[beaver]

Shitmano thumb shifters sucked. The metal housing eventually bentand they stopped working. I've got a set of Suntour XC pro thumb shifters that are really nice, way better that shitmano.

[old_school_n00b]

IIRC, Bikeworks on Hastings, in addition to heaps of old thumbshifters, also sells brand new 8spd friction twist shifters for $8. Twisties don't stick up, get caught on things, and break, like thumbies do, and they let you wear mittens when it's cold out. I have no idea why they were superseded by gimmicky and overly complex triggers to begin with; there's what, four parts to a twist shifter? My old urban bike had an old GripShift semi-friction ratchet hooked up to a cheap old LX derailleur I had lying around. It got bent to hell and shifted terribly, but it still kinda worked, nonetheless, and would still get me up the hills faster than my friends on their BMX's.

Friction is all kinds of awesome. My road bike has Campy bits on it old enough to gamble in Vegas, and it's my daily driver. Fault-tolerance and reliability > all, even at the expense of "smooth" shifting, and it's a rewarding skill to acquire as well. You shift less, and soon realize how annoying plasticky tapclicktapclicktapclick shifting is.

[enduramil]

Shitmano thumb shifters sucked. The metal housing eventually bentand they stopped working. I've got a set of Suntour XC pro thumb shifters that are really nice, way better that shitmano.

Had mine for 10 years and still working. You must have got the factory defects.

[enduramil]

If you want the height of CNC geekness or really old school buy these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Paul-Thumbies-Mountain-Bike-Barcon-Shift-Lever-Mounts_W0QQitemZ290019549309QQihZ019QQcategoryZ423 30QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[mudpuppy]

see my post above Enduramil.....I have been thinkin of those for a while....

[enduramil]

see my post above Enduramil.....I have been thinkin of those for a while....

That's why I posted it.

[LeeLau]

Shitmano thumb shifters sucked. The metal housing eventually bentand they stopped working. I've got a set of Suntour XC pro thumb shifters that are really nice, way better that shitmano.

All the effluent drifting north from Trail does that to Shimano

[Oldfart]

I particularly liked how when you made the shift to low gear with your thumb that your wrist was bent about 90 degrees. So your comparing a top of the line (at the time) XC Pro with a low end Shimano thumb shifter. That's not realistic. XT thumb shifters had a similar construction to XC pro with a cast clamp. IIRC Shimano had a slightly shorter reach than Suntour and were a bit larger too. I never got more than a season or two from any thumb shifter before the indexing started to get vague. Routinely dismantled and cleaned them too. The Suntour indexing was just so poor though, I think that's partly what did in Suntour.

I see no attraction or advantage in friction shifting. People say friction always worked well even when the cable was sticky and dirty. Well it's more true that friction never really worked well in the first instance and there was little performance degradation when dirty.