c4p

Hi All

So I have a pretty crappy bike...it's one of those infamous $80 walmart 18 speed roadmaster granite peak bikes.

I've had it for 3 years or so and surprisingly, it has held up incredibly well even though cosmetically it looks like it's just been picked out of an abandoned dumpster.

Anyway, the biggest issue at the moment is both gear shifter covers have broken off a while ago and the bike has been stuck in the toughest gear, which is how I like to ride during the summer. I can get around on it fine however I recently took a job as a bike courier and with the winter winds and whatnot, I need to change gears and can't, since the cover is gone.

I'm just trying to find out if it's possible to get a simple and cheap cover so I can change gears? I've looked online but all I can seem to find are kits with cables, etc. I just need new grip covers to change gears, the ribbed plasticy piece that slides onto the handle bar area....everything else is in working shape.

canklecat

If it's a Shimano RevoShift you can only buy the entire shifter mechanism, which usually includes a new cable. The entry level SRAMs appear to work the same way -- entire shifters or kits only. I have one disassembled Shimano RevoShift -- right side only, for the 7 speed. The housing is cracked and not repairable, but the rubber grip cover is intact. If you're in Fort Worth you can have it, but it's not worth the cost of postage. It's really not even worth the cost of driving across town, considering the price of gas or even bus fare. You can replace the entire thing very inexpensively.

I replaced the RevoShift right shifter last spring for $12. But last week I bought an entire kit of both left and right RevoShifts, cables and housings for a mere $10.50 from Nashbar, just to have a spare kit for my bike or to refurbish another. The 3x6 RevoShift kit is available from Amazon for around $25, still affordable although getting closer to the price of a trigger shifter kit.

The RevoShifts work well (my bike with RevoShift was eight years old before anything broke) but they're 99.99% plastic with no practical serviceable parts. They seem to break or wear out in a way that makes it impractical to replace just one part. And they're so inexpensive it's not worth the time and trouble to disassemble and reassemble to repair.

An alternative is the inexpensive Sunrace SLM10 friction shifter kit, only $9, which also includes the cables and housings. Very easy to install. I've used this kit to temporarily replace a malfunctioning Shimano Rapidfire thumb shifter. Works fine, so I'm not in a hurry to repair or replace the original shifter.

If your budget is really squeaky tight the Sunrace SLM10 may be the best bet. It's not quite as convenient as the clickstop grip shifters. But the derailer adjustments are much less critical with the friction shifters. And unlike the typical triple chain ring clickstop shifters, you can dial out chain rub with the friction shifter at all gears (although it's not a good idea to, for example, run the largest chain ring and largest rear cog, or vice versa -- too much strain on moving parts).

Regarding these Shimano RevoShift and Sunrace friction shifter kits -- the cable housings may be too short for some bikes. The cable housings are short and intended for bikes with exposed cables running along the frames. My bike that uses RevoShifts has internal cables and housings routed through the frame. The existing cable housings were better quality than the replacements, and were still in good shape, so I just routed the new cables through the existing housings.

Bike tinker man

I don't the bike so not certain on the gearing I would change out the whole brake lever shifter set for a cheap Shimano, I think index gearing starts at 7 speed, if you intend now to use the bike foe your income you need to upgrade a bit.

SkyDog75

SIS (Shimano Index System) started with 6-speed, and 6-speed parts are still readily available. c4p could replace one or both shifters and cables with new ones for a little more than ten bucks, which is probably the cheapest fix.