What shifters are out there?
 

Trek 850's in my sig. One came with grip shifters, the other came with rapid fire shifters and the LBS changed them out to grip when the first set quit working.

Here's the dealio: we're taking these on a trip throught UK and part of Europe. We both hate the grip shifters. What is out there to replace these? They are both 7 speed cassette and are currently Alivio equipped. I think the LBS showed me some 8 speed shifters (prolly cause I told them it was 8 speed). What would you do?

There are nice 7 speed shifters all over ebay, some are brand new, I'd look there if you plan to stay 7 speed

Good point. I guess my question should be, is it worth it to upgrade a little? I'm familiar with road bike parts, not MTB parts. I also forgot to mention I bought some specialized 26x1 road tires. We're gonna have to hang with road bikes so we gotta go quick. I plan to use this bike as a commuter when we get back.

7-speed Deore XT or DX thumbshirters are the way to go. If Shimano made 8-speed thumbies , that is what I would be using. Why not ride the tandem? If I ever meet a woman that's stupid enough to marry me , cycling through Europe on a tandem is my dream honeymoon.

Getting it over there is the problem with the tandem. It's our first choice but appears to be more of a PITA than it's worth. Shimano did not make 8 speed thumbies (I'm assuming thumbies == rapid fire shifters).

thumbshifters are kinda like downtube shifters , only they mount above the bars(one for each hand) . the best thing about thumbshifters is that the left one is just a friction shifter(no cliks) allowing you to keep the front deraileur from rubbing when using a narrow front deraileur .