IceTee2

Sorry for taking up bandwidth on this but...My Granddaughter asked me to help her cleanup/tune-up her box store Schwinn. It is equipped with grip shifters which are a bear to operate. The drive train components are Shimano but there's nothing to indicate Tourney and I don't know if Shimano produced ultra low end components for that market. Before I spent time and money to resurrect the grip shifters, maintenance and cable replacement I'm considering swapping out the shifters for Shimano EZ Fire Plus trigger shifter/brake lever units, ST-EF41-6 and the matching front unit.Since the derailleurs have no markings (that I can see) I'm afraid of comparability issues. The unit are $29/pair and include new cables. Before making the change what issues am I missing, Thanks in advance for your input.

curbtender

Shimano would be compatible between twist and trigger in six speed.

Bill Kapaun

IF there were issues, a Tourney RDER is <$20.

maddog34

the chance that a low end bike uses anything other than a Shimano-compatible Derailleur is just about Zero...

and, for that matter... just swapping on a GearShift twist shifter will also improve her riding experience... but not as much as a nice trigger shifter.

and upgrading to a shimano Derailleur will help too!

choddo

I did this exact swap for my daughter. Night & day. Those grip shifters should be illegal.

Kontact

I like Gripshift. Simple, durable, works well with little force.

tkamd73 

I prefer the grip shifters to triggers, so what if they don’t last as long, they are cheaper and more comfortable, and your hands are already there!

maddog34

Grip Shift BRAND, not twist shifters in general... the no-name and falcon twist shifters are tragic.

Rick

I purchased a Burly Piccolo trailer cycle that had a shimano 7 speed grip shift on it. My son had a tough time shifting it. I was able to put a thumb shifter on it. I still have it and am waiting for my grand son to get a little bigger. He is currently 44" tall at almost 3 years old.

choddo

Don’t even know who made hers. Just that you could remove 6 layers of skin with them. Probably badly maintained, it was a used bike.

maddog34

most likely a Falcon or "Power" creation... they are terrible, right from the factory.
i've learned to just replace them with Grip Shift brand.. i no longer waste time trying to change the cable, and go straight to the swap...

https://www.jensonusa.com/SRAM-MRX-C...t=All+Products

MyRedTrek

I'm not familiar with your particular twist shifters and specifically why they're hard to operate but I worked on the twist shifters on a Walmart bike that weren't designed to be taken apart but came up with a way to take them apart non-destructively, lubed the ratchet and twist surfaces with Sil-Glyde, lubed the cable with Park Tool grease and they worked silky smoothly.

Taking them apart involved taking them off the handlebar, making wedges cutting pieces out of the tapered edge of a Bondo spreader maybe 1/4" wide, 1/2" or so long and carefully working them under the snap tines with careful use of a small flat blade screwdriver which allowed the halves to be taken apart. You need to pry them just enough to work the wedges in without breaking anything.

It might be less work just to upgrade the shifters but at least in my Walbike's case it was possible to improve the factory shifters.

Arrowana

Shimano grip shifters tend to need less force to get them to shift compared to most other brands, and could be a worthwhile upgrade. Keep in mind you will also need a new set of grips if you pick something other than a grip shifter.

The ST-EF41-6 shifters you are looking at are very cheap, plasticy and fragile, but it doesn't seem like anyone else makes a 6-speed trigger shifter that is any better. If you don't mind swapping the freewheel for 7-speed, Shimano Altus SL-M315 shifters are a big upgrade in durability and feel, and don't cost much more.

Another option would be a vintage set of Shimano Deore or Light Action 6-speed thumb shifters, might be roughly the same price if you can find them used at a bike shop or bike coop, but would be more expensive if bought online, and they wouldn't come with a set of cables and housing.

Perhaps you could show these options to your granddaughter and see if she has a preference.

curbtender

Used these on a cruiser and was impressed how well they worked...
https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...RoC2nYQAvD_BwE