Shifter ideas to overcome partial thumb amputation
 

I have a partial amputation of the left thumb. My road bike has brifters and I am confident with my control of the bike. My touring bike has bar ends and I am okay on paved roads but unpaved roads and trails have made me a bit nervous at times. The issue is when I have to make an adjustment with the rear derailleur and the right hand is relocated from the top of the bar. I've been startled several times by surprise bumps, dips, soft spots, etc... The bike is equpped with TRP HY/RD brakes and levers, along with 3x10 Deore derailleurs. Brifters would be okay but I don't think Shimano offered any 3x10 brifters in the MTB line and I've read that the road brifter will not play well with the MTB front derailleur. A thumb-shifted front derailleur mounted next to a brifter on the right side seems like a decent solution but I have not been able to find anthing like that. I don't know if Shimano even offered a 3x MTB thumb-shifter. I've looked at the Gevenalle but the front shifter looks like it may a challenge for me to operate. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciate.

Are you looking for something for drop bars or flat bars? If drop bar, maybe both a brifter and bar end shifter on the right side, both operated with the right hand with the bar end controlling the front derailleur?

I'd use flat bars and Grip Shift. Some people hate them, but a number of us prefer them to the alternatives.

I assume the problem is when using the right hand (left thumb can’t fully grip bars) so maybe what you say but on the left side?

What about a SunRace 3sp thumb shifter? They work very well. As to 10sp, I shift over them with an 11sp Sram, just not using the extra stop.

Someone asked earlier if I wanted dop bars. Yes, I do. I hadn't run across the SunRace before. Thank you, I'll take a look at them.

Shimano offered 3x10 in the road line but the rear plays nice with 9 speed mountain bike rear derailers. I run an XTR 9 speed rear derailer with a Shimano 10 speed STI on my fast road bike. I use a Shimano road bike front derailer on the bike as well. I have other bikes where I’m using Shimano road fronts with a mountain bike triple crank (44/32/20 in some cases) without issue. The lower end Shimano fronts are a bit more forgiving when it comes to that kind of pairing.

I have left thumb issues (pain) when shifting on a flat bar mtb with triggers. I went with an old Suntour XCD 6000. It is so enormous I can shift with my palm. It is friction and you'll have to modify the clamp for road bars, but it has eliminated using my thumb for shifting. FYI, Grip Shift didn't work.

https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.a...df184&Enum=104

John

@Jwhite_00
Is there a reason you aren't looking at electronic shifting? Lots of options there including extra shift buttons in different locations on the bars.

Check out this blogpost from a friend with a similar issue:

https://ccorlew.blogspot.com/2017/08...ranks-and.html

Gonna echo DiabloScott, the sram rival axs is great for this kind of thing. Get the xplr version which uses the standard shifters but a wider range cassette and in a 2x12 system will match your 3x10 system. What's nice with them is you can pair in 2 sets of wireless blips, I do dislike that they're 100.00 a set and the batteries aren't replaceable though I'm hopeful a workaround develops for that, but it lets you have two extra sets of shifters anywhere on the bar you want. My 8yo can effortlessly shift his bike with an easy press of a finger without removing his hands from the brake levers which is just a sweet setup. The rival shifters come with disc brakes which in my experience work better than the hy/rd, actually hoping to change my single speed's hy/rd to hylex brakes since the calipers have not survived the abuse of cyclocross very well and have seized up twice this year while training and racing.

If you don't want to change over you can look at Microshift levers. They offer a 3x10 set of brifters, make sure you get the ones that say they're tiagra 4600 series compatible, those will be compatible with your mtb rear der not certain how well the front der will mesh.

I would do a brifter and bar ends on the right side. We've done some custom things for some folks with similar issues.

Bar end on the right side would also mean lifting the wrong hand off the bars wouldn’t it? Shouldn’t those both be on the left?

That is exactly what I was thinking. I wasn't sure what was available given that the Deore is a MTB group. Someone suggested earlier a brifter that would work
and I just stumbled across the Paul Components Thumbies that would work with the Microshift shifters that I already have.
Thanks to all.

I was going to suggest e-shifting. So I will second that suggestion. If ever there was a perfect excuse for an upgrade.

Maybe, depends on the specific situation. My preference would be to keep the hand with the functional thumb on the bar, and figure out how to and what is required to shift with the other, but everyone knows their capabilities and preferences.

Yeah exactly - I think that's what he said he wanted to do

This was my thought. Di2 offers additional shifter buttons. You could configure a button near the R hand on top of the bars, allows a rear shift while gripping the bar. Not a cheap solution and requires a system change out as you would likely need to move to 11 spd. As well, the buttons and levers are an easy press, so not much effort to get your shifts.

I also thought the same, but be aware: Grip shifts have lower leverage ratio, as the radius of wire wrap inside them is not far below the grip surface. On my bike, I added a front derailleur, and the one I bought has a hugely stiff spring, and it was just a bear to shift with gripshift. I swapped that out for a trigger shifter on the left, and still need to use my right thumb to push it to upshift, thumb straight and in-line, rather than strain my left thumb from pushing sideways, if this makes sense. Which brings me to this, may help:

I picked up used, a Shimano road 11 front derailleur, the spring is softer, and, the lever on the derailleur is 1.5-2 times as long a leverage ratio but then needing a longer wire pull. Why the bike shop said, "Only works for shimano road 11." But here is what I want to do: Mount it for my double crank, driven by a grip shift, shifting from 1-3, twice the wire pull. Only hiccup in trying this is, the linkage on that derailleur (double-shear, more durable), interferes with my front derailleur mounting adaptor. They make newer adaptors that may work. My current (high force) derailleur, the linkage is not double-shear, but a more compact cantilever arrangement, fits the current adaptor.

I like the elec shifting option - know of one guy that recently purchased a bike with elec shifting due to significant issues with use of his hands and fingers - he has been very satisfied

also feel grip shift option has merit - was not a grip shift fan back-in-the-day but acquired a few old MTBs with grip shift and I was pleasantly surprised when riding them and have no immediate plans to change them

the one issue I had / have with grip shift was remembering which way to twist the grip … for me it was sorta / kinda counter intuitive

I installed electronic on my my bikes due to issues using my damaged thumbs trying to push levers on trigger shifters. My thumbs were too weak to get into bigger cogs and rings (when I ran triples). Di2 and AXS are easy button pushes

Are you ignoring the electronic shifting ideas on purpose? SRAM, shimano, or Archer all have exactly what you’re looking for.

I prefer simple manual stuff, but someday I might need electrics. Have they come down in price yet?

Funny you mention; Dahon folders used to come with their "compact" rear derailleur, mounted forward of the axle, worked poorly, especially onto the large cog with terrible ramps on the cog, nothing like hyperspaceglide. But ALSO, it was setup like "Rapid-Rise", the cable pulled to upshift, so the grip shift worked backwards from 99.999% of the bikes on the road. Fortunately, when I changed the derailleur to a conventional style, mounted aft and pulls to downshift, I was able to use the same gripshift, they are the same, just labeled different. So shifter now works like it should, but says 7 when on 1, and vice-versa.

Ritchey Beacon Handlebar with the brifters angled inward. I have 2 bikes set up like this. It has taken my badly arthritic thumbs almost out of the equation. They are short reach and shallow drop with 36 degree flare. I bought the first one on sale, liked it so much I acquired another. At first, I thought the flare was going to be too much, but, for me, it is not. I actually made the change to help alleviate spine and shoulder issues, the relief on the thumbs was a very pleasant surprise.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c31d2d7d47.jpg