Bicycle Mechanics - How the heck do you down-shift with these twist shifters??

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Raleigh71
01-03-10, 09:05 PM
I hope this doesn't sound like a....really......stupid question, but this is my first time rebuilding a bike with these Shimano shifters.

See jpeg

I can twist the grip to #1 but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get it back to 7.

Am I missing something obvious?

(It's OK to laugh, or rather, smirk if you want to)

X-LinkedRider
01-03-10, 09:07 PM
Twist opposite direction. ;) Also make sure that your springs and cables are ok. If there is no return it cannot shift.

Also note. Shift while turning crank.
thompsonpost
01-03-10, 09:20 PM
Make sure you have them twisted to the highest gear (relaxed) when you mount the cable to the derailler.

Raleigh71
01-03-10, 09:26 PM
I'll give it a try...

Thanks for not laughing.
Jeff Wills
01-03-10, 10:17 PM
I hope this doesn't sound like a....really......stupid question, but this is my first time rebuilding a bike with these Shimano shifters.

See jpeg

I can twist the grip to #1 but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get it back to 7.

Am I missing something obvious?

(It's OK to laugh, or rather, smirk if you want to)

Actually, those are old "Grip Shift" shifters, back before the company morphed into SRAM. There's something non-obvious about the cable routing in the shifter: the cable end is held stationary and the cable make a complete loop around the rotating shifter barrel. At least that was the trick with my old Grip Shift shifters.

I tried finding an old manual, but I wasn't successful.