Road Cycling - Gear Indicator for road bike?

i was checking out the Six13 at the shop with 10-speed duraace and noticed that they had this nifty Gear Indicator like on a MTB. It was pretty simple, too: The shifter housing/jacket near the right hand shift hood is replaced by a clear tube with evenly spaced gear markers on it... the shifter cable inside has a red mark on it. so the cable moves along the clear tube and indicates what gear you're in.

seems neat, and simple. are there something like this available for something other than 10 speed duraace? would be nifty to have

I have them on 3 bikes - all with Ultegra 9 speed. Love 'em. Got them at the local LBS for $4 each. Ask for the Shimano in-line gear indicator.

55/Rad

seems neat, and simple. are there something like this available for something other than 10 speed duraace? would be nifty to have

Yes. It's been available for a couple of years now. They're normally sold with shifters but you might be able to order them seperately. Also, ask your LBS. Sometimes customers don't want them installed either because they think they're dorky or they use a FlightDeck computer. They come as part of the standard package with Dura-Ace (both 7700-series 9 and 7800-series 10 speed) and XTR (M960-series). I've seen them on lower level groups too.

are they gear# specific? im not sure if all shimano sti actuate the cable the same distance per shift

No, it's a lined grid. Mine were designed for the Dura-Ace 9 speed shifters but are very accurate on the Ultegra shifters.

55/Rad

I got mine on ebay. Look around there's bound to be a couple more of them. I believe its called an "optical gear display" :rolleyes: Whatever it keeps me from looking downward inbetween my legs to see what cog I'm in. I found one here...

Optical Gear Display (http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36140&item=3690269960&rd=1)

G'day,

I guess my question is 'why do you care'?.........the gear I want to be in is the highest that i can push & maintain the cadence i want (training).....or , the lowest I can push & stay with the pack (racing).....I don't care whether thats 39/23 or 53/11,

cheers,

Hitchy

I guess my question is 'why do you care'?.........

A guess a rebuttal is why do you care why redfooj cares? :D Maybe it's just curiosity. For me, it's about chainline management. That's why I like the OGD on my FlightDeck. I have found that if I'm in extreme combos especially in a big-big situation then I'm more likely to throw the chain when I try and bail out to the inner ring. To avoid this, I like to be able to quickly glance at the OGD and know if I have to momentarily upshift the rear a few cogs to straighten out the chainline so I can safely drop to the inner ring. Afterwards, I can downshift the rear to what feels comfortable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36140&item=3690938431&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Just a personal thing but I wish my mountain shifters didn't come with those large built-in indicators. They all seem to now. My old XT shifters were clean, simple, and very functional without the OGD.
Now when I had my tandem I had trouble determining where my chain was at times.....I couldn't simply look down to see......in that case OGD's would have been good to have.

For me, it's about chainline management.
word. i could just glance down.. but why would i have to? its not at all intrusive, and barely weighs anything. its definately not as dorky as reflectors, spoke protectors, sissy brake levers, etc

Just a personal thing but I wish my mountain shifters didn't come with those large built-in indicators. They all seem to now. My old XT shifters were clean, simple, and very functional without the OGD.

I thought you could just remove them. I had to remove them to install my FlightDeck's shifter interface.

I guess my question is 'why do you care'?.........the gear I want to be in is the highest that i can push & maintain the cadence i want (training).....or , the lowest I can push & stay with the pack (racing).....I don't care whether thats 39/23 or 53/11,

Do you care if you're pushing 53/25,24,23 or 39/12,13,14? I do and I got tired of looking down to check. The indicator solved it completely.

55/Rad

I use my FlightDeck, and IMO I don't know what I'd do without it. I agree not only the Gear you are in but the overall ratio to me is important. I like being able to tell at a glance w/o looking down how much more I can upshift, etc.

I have them on 3 bikes - all with Ultegra 9 speed. Love 'em. Got them at the local LBS for $4 each. Ask for the Shimano in-line gear indicator.

55/Rad
You got a good deal! LBS had to order two of them. I paid around $10.00 each, but as you know, they are still worth it; best thing since sliced bread. Mine were Dura-Ace 9 speed.