Safer Cycling Calgary News Blog

Grip shifters are very common on bikes, both meant for kids and adults. In theory, they are easy to use and maintain, but in practice there's numerous reasons why I recommend better shifters. 

Drawbacks of grip shifters: 

• when not shifting, the bulky shift mechanism rests under the hand, in the tender part between thumb and index finger;
• requires significant wrist strength and flexibility to operate effectively;
• difficult to operate brake while shifting (for example, on a downhill);
• a bump or crash can cause the shifter to move, potentially damaging the chain or other parts of your bike;
• only possible to change one gear at a time.

So why are these so common? I'm not entirely sure, as there doesn't seem to be really compelling reason. Perhaps they're less expensive for manufacturers, or saves time in building a bike. 

Is it a deal breaker? Not for me. If I was considering 2 nearly identical bikes and one had grip shifters while the other had click shifters, I would buy the bike with click shifters, if all else was the same, but I'm not going to walk away from an otherwise good bike because it has grip shifters. 

Why change to click shifters?
Even the most basic click shifter has some advantages over the grip shifters. Higher cost shifters have more advantages (and features). For a child's bike, or adult that isn't very experienced, this small change can result in:

• more comfort on the hand grips;
• less strength required to shift gears;
• can keep wrist in neutral position at all times;
  
• ability to brake and change gears simultaneously;
• less likely for a bump or crash to change gears.

Not to make click shifters sound perfect, though, as there are some drawbacks:

• the lever may protrude, which can get caught on fingers or break off in a crash;
• operation may not be intuitive, more practice needed to learn;
• if wearing gloves, may be more difficult to operate.

Overall, I believe the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, and all the bikes I've bought that had grip shifters were changed out for click shifters. You, too, can learn how to change grip shifters into click shifters, with a small investment in time and money, to significantly improve your biking enjoyment.

Changing the grip shifters on your bike may not be something that you had ever considered doing, but once it's done, you'll likely wonder why you didn't do it sooner. 

Making the shifting easier to use on your bike may lead you to realize that you don't know what the purpose of gears is or want to ride in more places where you actually need to use gears: it's the perfect excuse to explore course offerings. Whether you don't know how to ride at all, are just starting out or want to expand where you ride in Calgary, we have a course for you! 

I hope to see you, and your new shifters, in a course soon. 

- Melissa Malejko, Owner of Safer Cycling Calgary

The Norco Detonator in these pictures was the first bike my daughter fit for more than a single year. The time & cost investment of changing the grip shifters to the thumb shifters allowed her to effectively and easily use the gears on the bike, so she was never frustrated with the operation of the gears. 

This bike had so many adventures: the Hiawatha Train Trail (and it's 1.66 mile / 2.67 km tunnel), 20 km Goat Creek mountain bike trail to Banff, mountain bike camps at Winsport, and literally hundreds of kilometers of pathway riding including the entire circuit of the Rotary-Mattamy Greenway (145km) around Calgary, in addition to rides around the community, campgrounds, and so much more.