Gear position indicator
 

I love the DA gear position indicator on my cable for my rear derailleur. But I have the older Ultegra 6603 groupset with exposed cables.

For the newer Ultegras, DA, and SRAM with hidden cables, what options are there for a good GPI?

Now I know many don't care for a GPI. But I love having that indicator to remind me what gear I'm in and wonder what my options are should I elect to put a new Ultegra/DA/SRAM on my bike.

Any thoughts?

I also like to use a gear indicator on all my bikes. Last year, I upgraded to a 6700 rear shifter on one of my bikes and faced this same dilemma. I wrote about it in a thread somewhere on BF, and the only useful response was from someone who had mounted the indicator along the handlebar, between the stem and where the cable exited the bar tape. I sometimes use clip-on aerobars, so this wouldn't work for me. I instead elected to put it just before the cable stop on the down tube. This functioned OK, but the location was far from ideal. After about 6-9 months, the plastic surround of the indicator broke where the cable housing entered it because when the bars turned, it put pressure on this plastic. I've now removed it and it is now the only bike I use without a gear indicator. I find that looking back at the cassette is equally as easy as was looking down at the gear indicator when mounted on the down-tube.

I'd still prefer to have a gear indicator in the traditional position, somewhere near the front of the shifter/brake lever, but this doesn't seem possible with the under-the-bar-tape levers. Near the stem might work for you, but I wouldn't bother if you have to put it near the down-tube.

Wow. I'm really surprised that the market has not produced a good solution for this since the advent of hidden cables. I haven't been using aerobars, so maybe I could make your suggestion work. I don't care for the routine of looking down and back to see where I am... especially if I'm in a paceline.

I agree that the ideal position is near the front of the shifter/brake lever as that allows for a forward view.

I found the thread that I started about this last year:
Where to put a gear indicator when using 6700 or 7900 brifters?

Thanks for the link.

It doesn't seem to matter what disclaimers you put in the OP, there always seems to be some people who just have to chime in with their 2 cents as to why they don't like what it is you want to do, etc., yada yada yada.

I guess if I wanted some of that abuse I'd post the same question over on the Roadie forum.

I'm not trying to be a PITA, but seriously why not just look at the rings/gears themselves? effective, simple, and free.

No offense taken TXBDan. But let me get this straight. You advocate looking at your cassette while in a paceline to know where you are in your gears?

When the GPI is up near the brifter, it is perfectly positioned so that you can know where you are in your gears without taking your eyes off the wheel in front of you. I can't even see where there would be a question as to the usefulness of a GPI... especially for a $10 indicator.

Regardless, I find the GPI almost indispensable as I try to utilize my gearing with a minimum of cross chaining. And it's even more important now that I've moved from a compact double back to a triple (and I much prefer the triple).