celerystalksme

Being new to cycling, the only componentry I have had extended experience with are SRAM Rival that came on my road bike. Well...my cx bike came with a Ultegra/105 mix. The brifters are 105...and they just seem so big!!! I feel like my hands can't get low enough on the brake levers to squeeze them right.

Are the other Shimano brifters the same size? Will I have to switch derailleurs and brifters over to SRAM?

Any other small handed people?

BarracksSi

I've got a friend with small hands, and I'm sure that she'd like smaller brifters than her 105s. I picked up some short-reach shims at my LBS, and eventually we'll get them on her bike to try them out.

And, yes, Shimano brifters tend to be the same size.

I'd try to find some shims first (Shimano makes some, as does Specialized), but they'll only really decrease the distance you'd have to reach for the levers for braking -- they don't affect how far you'd swing them to shift.

Thanks for posting your experience, though, as it sounds like SRAM would be the way to go if she really got into cycling and wanted some new swag.

celerystalksme

i have women size hands...and SRAM Rival brifters are PERFECT. the shimano 105's are ludicrous!!!!!! LUDICROUS!!!!!! they're trying to kill me!!!!!!

i'm thinking of converting the cx entirely over to SRAM...sigh...

crocodilefundy

they make short reach shimano shifters. I believe they reduced the angle you have to press to shift.

celerystalksme

it's not so much the shifting...it's reaching for and pulling the brake levers from the hoods. very very far reach for my small hands compared to sram rival...

BarracksSi

Is that for sure? The tech documentation for the ST-R700, for example, shows the reach adjustment to be through the use of differently-sized shims. They may have a shorter action for shifting, too, but I'm not seeing anything confirming it.

Shimano does say that the R700s are designed for people with smaller hands, so maybe there's more difference than just the reach. I still can't find any dimension charts, though.

sstorkel

I have small hands for a guy and don't seem to have any problems with the Ultegra levers. In fact, it's difficult for me to imagine anyone having difficulty with the reach when operating the brakes from the hoods; there's only about a 3" span that my fingers need to cross.

Two potential hints: 1) I generally only have two fingers on the brake levers and they touch at the middle of the lever, right below the pivot point, and 2) if you have small hands it helps to take most/all of the "play" out of the brake cables. I have my brakes adjusted so I only have to move the lever a small amount before I start to get a good bite from the brakes.

DrPete 

Pick up a pair of Specialized Slim Shims. About 5 minutes to install, and they do a great job reducing the reach on the Shimano levers.

Or just go Campy.

celerystalksme

awesome! i will look into these slim shims! tanks!

celerystalksme

not a lot of play at all in the cables.

from the hoods, i also only use my index middle finger. they naturally slide down about a third of the way down the 105 brake lever. with my sram, my fingers slide down to around the middle of the shifter. with the 105, given where my fingers slide down to, it takes a monumental effort to engage the levers...or i have to slide them down further...which seems difficult. i can engage my sram brakes with minimal effort.

rizz

I don't have big hands and for me the issue tends to be pulling in to brake or shifting from deep in the drops during races. It's not an issue with SRAM. Well, it's not really an issue with Shimano either, just that more of my hand tends to stay planted on the bars which inspires more confidence, especially when diving into corners during crits or zooming out the back side.

BarracksSi

Yup, those are the ones I mentioned earlier:
https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=30994

Like I said, I just asked my LBS if they had any, and he gave me a drawer full of 'em to dig through. Of course, they're pretty friendly with me -- more of the employees know my name than I know theirs.

ultraman6970

[QUOTE=Any other small handed people?[/QUOTE]

Yes CAMPAGNOLO!!!!!!

celerystalksme

if i change components, i'll probably go sram...because i'm so familiar with them. i have never really lusted after campy at all. i've beena sram guy...and i've wanted some da stuff in the past, but not really anymore...

Val23708

i got rival on my most recent bike b/c ultegra10 shifters were too large and didnt feel as solid as the sram ones...

2009 rival should be adjustable like sram red if the rumors are true

umd

My wife had Ultegra that was shimmed with the specialized thing, but she still complained about it (constantly). I switched her over to Rival and it has been much better, although she is looking forward to next year's that has adjustable reach.

umd

Not a rumor.