What determines shift index modes?
 

I've just ordered an Infinito Athena. The Athena group can shift up 3 cogs at a time and down 1 at a time. Is it the shifter itself that determines this? Can I use chorus shifters and have the ability to fly up and down the sprocket in both directions or is a chorus derailure also required?

If both are 11 probably you wont have any problem changing only the shifters. If the athena is 10 speed (i doubt it is) you might have a problem because the 10 sp rd and 11 sp rd are different from what I red, almost the same cable pull but not the same exactly. But at the same time I heard that 10 speed rd works fine too.

Is it the shifter itself that determines this? <-- yes, but 11 speed cogs are all the same spacing so change for another brifter shouldn't be a problem.

I believe the Athena name was brought back by Campy to cover its entry level 11-speed group so your cassette and derailleurs should be fine with Chorus 11-speed brifters. This is going to be an expensive change just to allow upshifting more than one cog at a time. Is that a big issue with you?

I have record and personally I dont use the feature because im not racing, even the centaur i have is ultrashift and i dont use the features either :)

It's the shifter.

Yes.

After riding regular ergo levers for the last 15 years I'd pay $240 to fix it (what Chorus shifters sourced from the UK cost), especially riding my compact crank where there's a lot of double shifting and moving off the big ring the next gear is five cogs away (it doesn't take much coordination to use both my thumbs at the same time).

OK, with huge gearing gaps like a compact crank produces, I suppose multiple shifts are a real conveneince. I have Chorus 10-speed brifters on one bike with a triple crank and a relatively close ratio casette so I don't find the need for very fast multiple shifts. My brifters allow them both ways but it's not a feature I use very often and I don't think I'd miss it.

I've ridden a lot of Shimano STI bikes and they don't allow more than one upshift per click and it's never been a problem. If you are in a rush push the lever twice or three times fast! :)

I love the feature going uphill... bam! 3 cogs uphil just like nothing! Do that shimano :P

Shimano does just that for downshifts (shifts to larger cogs). It is limited to one cog at a time only for upshifts.

Yes but mine goes up to 11.

http://tfparsons.files.wordpress.com...pg?w=240&h=240

http://cdn.crushable.com/files/2011/...11-461x700.jpg

Hey thanks for the replies. Is this a big issue for me? No not really. However it was always something that attracted me to campy and being rather stubborn I've always wanted Campy on an Italian bike. I just wanted to know if this was something I could upgrade to down the road.

I hope I didn't sound condecending. I have both Campy 10-speed and Shimano 9-speed brifters on my bikes and the multiple shifts Campy allows in both directions has never been a big selling point to me. Multiple downshifts, which both makes allow, is a real advantage but multiple upshifts are rarely needed, at least by me.

IMO Ergo's big selling point is its vastly simpler and superior design.

Overhauling them isn't a major achievement.

+1. If Shimano made their STI's rebuildable and incorportated the multiple trim positions for front shifting Campy does, there would be little to keep them from total market domination.

You just need to be able to double tap the shifter.

Shimano mtb groups offer a 3 cog change on a full pass of the shifter where bigger changes at speed are appreciated.

The Zeus shifter on my road bike will go from bottom to top in a single pass. :D

I'm fairly sure the basic design precludes that; having both levers moving in the same direction requires some pretty fiddly engineering. I wouldn't be surprised if it was possible to do a neater job, though...