What type of shifters for road bike

The Barnett Bicycle Institute states that because twist grip shifters are integrated onto the bar, their maintenance may be more difficult and time consuming. The road bike combo brake and shift lever is the newest model in the evolution of bicycle shifters. On the curved road style handlebar, the brake lever and shifter are integrated into one streamlined piece that reduces overall weight and shifting time. The shift lever sits directly behind the brake lever, while both levers move independent from each other and will not interfere with each other's functioning.

The Park Tool website states that each brand of combo shifters must be fitted to their exact corresponding derailleurs and gear sets. One of the drawbacks to this style of shifter is that it uses complex and highly specific parts that are not interchangeable with other brands or even past models.

If one part of the shifter brakes, the whole component must be replaced. Other models are mounted on the stem, downtube and bar ends. Stem shifters are often found on older road bikes, are made of simple metal parts and use the friction system rather than indexing. With a near encyclopaedic knowledge of cycling tech, ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit, Jack takes pride in his ability to seek out stories that would otherwise go unreported.

He is also particularly fond of tan-wall tyres, dynamo lights, cup and cone bearings, and skids. Jack has been writing about and testing bikes for more than five years now, has a background working in bike shops for years before that, and is regularly found riding a mix of weird and wonderful machines. Jack can also often be seen zooming about with his partner aboard their beloved tandem, Cecil.

Related reading Road bike groupsets: everything you need to know Mountain bike groupsets: everything you need to know What is a road bike? Russell Burton. STI shifters integrate shifting and braking into one unit. DoubleTap levers use a single paddle. Campagnolo shifters have a small thumb lever on the inboard edge of the lever body. Down-tube shifters were the norm for decades.

Pedalling in the highest gear would move you three times as far forward per pedal stroke as in the lowest gear. For external drivetrains, the gear range can be calculated by taking the ratio of the largest and smallest chainring teeth at the chainset multiplied by the ratio of the largest and smallest sprocket on the cassette. The cassette specs will typically be identified by the smallest and largest sprocket.

Thus a t cassette would denote a cassette with a smallest tooth and largest tooth sprocket. Cranks come in a number of forms for road bikes, including standard, compact, super compact and triple. A triple has three chainrings. While this was once the most widely used type of crankset, now it is found mainly on touring bikes or for hilly terrain where you require a very wide range of gears. Much more usual nowadays are two chainrings. These will come either on a standard or compact crankset, generally with t or t respectively.

The standard is more suited to high speeds with the larger chainrings. The compact provides a larger range and slightly easier gearing that is well suited for most riders for riding both at speed and climbing steep inclines.

On occasion, you may also find a super-compact chainset , which uses even lower ratios than the compact chainset, making the bike more suited to climbing.

Mountain bike chainsets tend to use even smaller chainrings to deal with steep and off-road terrain. This is usually paired with a wide range cassette at the rear. This arrangement is referred to as a 1x one by setup. To figure out the number of gears you have, simply multiply the number of chainrings at the front by the number of cogs on your cassette at the back. Likewise, it may be inadvisable to use certain gear combinations because they can put the chain at an extreme angle.

For gear hubs and gearboxes, manufacturers will typically specify the range. For example, a speed Rohloff hub has a per cent range, while a Pinion P1. Imagine trying to pedal up a steep hill in a high gear. You would have to push incredibly hard on the pedals and grind your way up the hill. Instead, in a lower gear your force input at the pedals is lower, but as a result you can spin faster. Your energy input in each case is roughly the same.

The part about knee injury really is a key one. Conversely, there also comes a point where spinning any faster becomes inefficient and can even unbalance you. It makes sense to shift into a higher gear again in order to reduce your cadence. The ideal cadence will be very personal but is often considered to be in the 70 to rpm range. Bar-end shifters have a special mount which slides into the open ends of drop-bars and when tightened down, holds them securely in place.

These shifters can be either indexed or friction and were made for 3-speed through speed systems. Flat-Bar Shifters Trigger shifters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all use a small spring to rebound their lever after the rider compresses it to shift. Some have two levers, some only have one- the trigger shifters in the photo are at the very bottom. All trigger shifters are indexed. Thumb-shifters are a diverse type of shifters.

Some are indexed, some are friction, and they are available for everything from 5-speed to speed systems. Grip shifters use rotational force, rather than a pushing motion. Grip shifters fit around handlebars and are held in place by a small bolt. They are always indexed and were made for 5-speed through speed systems.

Stay tuned for our next shop tip: how to adjust a front derailleur.