Scooby214

In my quest to improve my Schwinn Sierra, I am hoping to add trigger shifters. It currently has Sram X3 grip shifters, operating a Sram X3 rear derailleur and a Shimano Tourney front derailleur. I have found a set of new Sram X3 trigger shifters on ebay.

Should the trigger shifters be a simple swap in place of the grip shifters? Do I need to stick with X3 trigger shifters, or is it possible to add better trigger shifters? The bike has a 7-speed freewheel, which is probably my limiting factor in upgrading to fancier trigger shifters.

Thanks!
Brian

bradtx

Brian, You're probably best off using the SRAM shifters. I think that not all SRAM RDs are compatable with Shimano shifters, I'm sure someone can comment whether the X3s are, or not.

Brad

dsbrantjr

Brian: I made the same swap for a friend on a Schwinn Cimarron and it worked like a champ. The X3 shifters worked great and I just had to adjust the cable tension after installing the new shifters, didn't have to touch the limit screws or anything else. I couldn't see how "fancier" shifters would buy you anything over the X3s; they were crisp, quiet and precise.

Retro Grouch 

Yup. An X-3 rear derailleur needs a SRAM shifter.

What do your brake levers look like? Do they share a clamp with your existing shifters? Hopefully not. Brand new shifters normally come with new cables so the only other thing you'll have to buy will be new longer grips.

Scooby214

This is just what I wanted to hear! I just purchased a new set for $22.95 shipped. These should compliment the flat bar and road bike quill stem that I've added to the bike. Now to find a good set of grips that work with the trigger shifters. Needless to say I won't be using the grips that go with the old grip shifters.

Scooby214

Thankfully, my brake levers have separate clamps and are not the kind that are combined with the shifters.

dsbrantjr

Brian: There are dozens of grips out there but I have found that these work great for me, YMMV:
https://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Comfy-G...3119545&sr=8-1
I've standardized on them for all of my flat bar bikes; they also make a shorter version which works with grip shifters.

BCRider

If your present left hand grip shifter is the sort with multiple clicks instead of just three positions then you may want to consider keeping it. The ones with many click stops work out superbly for being able to trim the front derailleur and avoid cage scuffing in some gear combos. I actually scrounge for such things now so I can set it up that way on more of my bikes.

I mount the grip shifter inwards more than on most grip shift setups. Typically I use a regular grip that I cut down only about 1/2 to 3/4 inch. For me that's fine since I also like my brake levers mounted well in on the bars so my one finger is at the tip hook of the lever for maximum leverage and minimum required finger pressure.

If you think that this is how you like to set things up give it a try for a while and see if you like it.

Scooby214

My left grip shifter has only three distinct clicks. I wish it was one that had the many click stops. The grip shifters are Sram X3, just like the new trigger shifters, so I am hoping the change will be fairly straightforward.

I have decided to take my flat bars and road stem down to bare steel and repaint them. They were originally black, pretty scratched when I bought them from the used bin at my LBS. I figure the new paint will go well with the new trigger shifters and grips. (The LBS also had the Avenir grips shown in an earlier post, so I scored on that one.)

Brian