$3 DIY Paul Thumbies (handlebar mount for bar-end shifters)
 

I give you the $3 Paul Thumbie.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376335

I use my bike for commuting and delivery daily. I have a 1x10 setup and this winter I cracked my right SRAM Apex brifter (split right at the mounting bolt) in a crash. I couldn’t afford a $150 SRAM Apex replacement brifter. So I bid on and won an auction for a lovely right SRAM Red TT R2C shifter.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376336

I’ve had it mounted as a bar-end shifter on my compact drops and it’s been amazing. Today I wiped out… luckily on my left side. But the rest of the ride home I was thinking what a vulnerable location the bar-end of the drops is in a crash and how easily I could’ve trashed it. I decided I wanted to mount it to my handlebars to protect it and make it more accessible.

Paul Thumbies are the best solution on the market, but they cost $55 on eBay. Velo Orange has some pretty polished ones… for $60.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376337http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376338

So I decided to come up with my own solution, at least until I can splurge on Paul Thumbies in the future.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376340http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=376341

As you can imagine, there’s a variety of mounting positions it since hose clamps come in many sizes =). It’s a clunky solution, but it is functional and cheap. The ¾” copper coupler was 1” long, but it turns out that only 2/3rds of it are filled up by the shifter mount, so I’m going to cut it to size with a hacksaw later. I’ll also get 1” wide hose clamps instead of these ¾” for more stability. I’m gonna cover the hose clamp in electrical tape to protect from water and so it doesn’t stand out. I’ve been riding with it for days now, shifting more than usual on purpose to test it. It’s been working flawlessly. It’s a temporary solution at 10% the cost that will keep my shifter safe and places it at a very convenient location =)

Great DIY !! , it work that the importance part .

That's genius! Though I can't see a reason I'd put a bar-end shifter anywhere but on the end of the bar (when using drops) I might end up using this elsewhere, maybe with bullhorns? Maybe flat bars too.

Two hose clamps! Man! That's going to make hanging things sooooo much easier! This is a great idea.

Great idea - I might see if the missus might want to try this on her 1996(ish) Dawes Galaxy that she is currently using as an urban attack bike.

Her bike has downtube mounted (but still indexed), levers with a friction front shifter (all Shimano RSX IIRC). It now has flat (well, slightly "bullhorn") bars on it - I only very recently converted it over from its original drop-bar config.

(Ha! Maybe I can come up with some bodged-up "brifters" made from the original drop brake levers and her shifter levers combined somehow for when/if I convert the bike back to its drop config). ;)