Upgrading kids 7 spd from gripshift to trigger shifters?
 

I want to change out my sons gripshift shifters to trigger shifters on his 7 speed 24" mountain bike.

- The rear derailleur is a 7 speed Shimano Acera.
- I'm looking at these Sram X.3 shifters.
- They state they are compatible with Sram ESP (1:1 ratio) rear derailleurs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Is the Acera a 1:1 ratio derailleur?
Assuming I have a 1:1 ration, any problem with these trigger shifters and the Acera?

EDIT: GOOGLE SEARCH SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THE ACERA IS A 2:1 RATIO - CORRECT?
Seems there are Acera shifters that are not too much more.

Thanks,
Steve

I really like the Shimano Tourney 7 speed trigger shifters, for under $13 at Niagara Cycle. I have used a lot of them.

Those are different.
How hard is that button to push as opposed to a lever to push?
This is for a 10 yr old kid. At first he said he wants to keep the gripshift style but is open to triggers. I've always thought the gripshifts are a bit finicky...

+1 on the Tourney shifters. They are cheap, easy to use, and will work with your derailer.

I can't stand grip shifters, maybe due to lots of bad experiences with them on department store bikes. But get whatever the rider wants. If he wants to keep the grip shifters and they work, why not?

i actually like grip shifters better than triggers.. easier to dump gears

+1

Many times I've gone down hills with red lights at the bottom and have dropped 7 gears in 1/2 second. I don't think I could do that with triggers.

then you've got the wrong kind of trigger shifts. My triggers throw 3 gears down in one push so maybe it takes a second instead of a half second but it's pretty easy to do

Reason for change: The current grip shifts need to have the cables replaced and don't hold the rear derailleur in low gear.
I've never owned a bike with Grip Shifts; they just don't seem to be as precise as rapid / trigger shifters.

As mentioned this is my son's bike. I agree about letting riders choose their own setup but also in showing / encouraging other options...he's never used anything else.

I've read quite a few negative reviews on the MRX Grip Shifts units.
Opinions between Grip Shift style VS Trigger Shifter?

I swapped out the MRX shifter for a trigger shifter on my 7-year old's Specialized Hotrock about a month ago. He loves it and adapted pretty quickly. The Shimano Acera SL-M310 rapid fire shifters were less than $30 shipped from Amazon with cables and housing. I think you will find 7-speed options to be very limited.

Will his fingers be long enough to use the triggers with out contorting his hand? While riding? Grip shifters might be a safer option.

Perhaps the cable just needs to be adjusted at the derailleur end and/or the derailleur limit screws need to be adjusted?

Or a new cable. Easy, cheap fix once you know how to do it.