Shifter (bicycle part)

A bicycle shifter or gear control or gear levers is a component used to control the gearing mechanisms and select the desired gear ratio. Typically, they operate either a derailleur mechanism or an internal hub gear mechanism. In either case, the control is operated by moving a cable that connects the shifter to the gear mechanism.

A twist-style seven-speed indexed shifter made by SRAM

Location

Example of downtube shifters.

Traditionally shifters were mounted on the down tube of the frame or stem. For ergonomic reasons, they tend to be located somewhere on the handlebars on modern bicycles.

Mechanisms

Example of road bike "brifter".

There are various types of shifter:[1]

  • Grip shifter - a wheel with click stops surrounding the handlebar is turned until the desired gear is reached, though typically one gear at a time
  • Trigger shifter - a lever is pulled or pushed to change gears one at a time
  • Thumb shifter
  • Road bike shifter - integrated with brake levers, sometimes known as a "brifter".[2]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.