Microshift: The bicycle tourist new best friend?
 

Both Shimano and Sram seem to have gone stupid lately...at least where bicycle touring is concerned. Sram has never been all that touring bike friendly...they don't make a triple shifter for their Double Tap shifters...but Shimano really seems to be going out of their way to make our touring lives complicated. The cross compatibility of their systems doesn't exist any more and they are even messing with the cable pull ratios for 11 speed and for brakes. Low gears also seem to be a thing of the past as far as the two big S's are concerned.

Adventure Cyclist magazine has an article on the drivetrain problem this month. One of the bright spots they mention is a little derailer/shifter parts company out of Taiwan called Microshift. I've been noticing them for a while but have thought of them as only a parts knockoff company that makes low quality parts. I haven't seen too many of their parts but I'm beginning to think that I have to reassess my thoughts on them.

The product manager from REI mentioned that they are making a bar end shifter that is compatible with the Dynasys system. I'm not a fan of Dynasys (because of the cross compatibility issue) nor of bar end shifters but I am impressed that Microshift has addressed a need for us bicycle tourists. Kudos! The rest of their line has 8, 9 and 10 speed shifters and derailers as well as variety of shifters including 10 speed thumb shifters.

They are worth a look and are undoubtedly going to get my business in the future

Old sun tour power ratchet bar end shifters have been reliable fot over 30 years

As the gadget mongers went nuts with all these I got more than you, 'speeds' Thing ..

they seem to show a Bar end/thumb shifter for Nexus 8 speed IGH which may be all thats left after all the others
Versus and such dropped out..

They may have been the subcontractor that made the Versus Brifter after all ..

anyone interested in the prices on these items "locally" can check the online/mailorder
prices on china's taoboa here:

microshift_ÌÔ±¦ËÑË÷

them bar-end shifters start at about $50........

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I've used a lower-end Microshift FD & RD for a few years and have not had the first problem with either. The only low end Shimano that I've had from recent history is Alivio stuff and I can't the low end Microshift performs every bit as well as the low end Shimano stuff.

NAshbar's house-brand deuraillers are made by Microshift. I've been using an MTB-style RD on a 'beater' workout bike for the last few years and haven't had any issues with it (I'm using it with a friction shifter). They only have one MTB style RD, one road style RD, and one FD, but they do work OK.

Gevenalle's shifters and RDs are based on Microshift, then upgraded. The quality of microshift's stuff is very good. My son is rolling a Forte brand RD (built by Microshift) that has my ultegra pulleys from an RD I blew out racing cyclocross.

My cyclocross rig has Gevenalle shifters and the BURD (Blatantly upgraded rear derailleur) and the setup has been flawless, even though it has been put through two full seasons of PNW cyclocross hell.

I bought microshift for my MTB, and barends for my 9 speed. I was sold when I discovered they made the Nashbar brifters, that routinely get good reviews.

This is good to know - thanks.

My Salsa Vaya came with microshift 9 sp bar ends, friction for the front , indexed the back. The front friction is flawless but have had unending problems with the rear indexed shifter. There is a bit of slop or play especially as I shift to the larger, easier rear cogs and leading to many missed shifts or noisy results that can be "trimmed" with the play in the shifter. The mechanic straightened the derailleur hanger and has adjusted and readjusted the derailleur but nothing changes the slop in the shifter itself. There is a screw that can tighten it up but that doesn't help. I've gotten used to "trimming" the rear but miss the flawless indexed rear shifting of my dedicated road bike.

Love my Microshift integrated 10-speed shifter
 

I loved my Nashbar-branded Microshift 10--speed integrated shifters. Now that I am converting to an Alfine 11 IGH, I managed to find a Versa integrated shifter set (said to be made by Microshift and modified by Versa). I am told they are now out of production, which is very sad, since other than the J-tek bar ends, they were about the only option for drop bar touring bikes running an Alfine 11, other than cobbling together an accessory bar to mount the Shimano thumb-shifter.

I tried to try Microshift but Amazon did me wrong

First Look: SRAM GX - The 11-Speed Wide Range Drivetrain for the People - Pinkbike
Stuart what about this new system from sram

Here is a link to the article from adventure cycling: http://www.adventurecycling.org/defa..._DAmbrosio.pdf

One thing the article pointed out is that while the touring market is too small for the S twins--shimano and sram--it is plenty big enough for a start up like microshift to find a useful niche.

I've been thinking of picking up microshift bar ends for a while.

micro shift is anotherv TW company Tring for Market share good luck to them in getting much OEM spec Business from the Huge contract Bike Manufacturers

that make the Many Brands we see today.

but goes on to say the Rohloff is what must be compared To, & does a reliable Job and

I note, is not playing in the Planned Obsolescence game that the Derailleur drive train makers all compete with each other in

the adding "speeds" Bells and whistles so when the next Industry trade show opens they can say New! Improved !



R'off is Marketing Boring by designing it right in the first place, then having nothing really much to do to make it different after that..

red was Powder coat , now anodized the Logo sticker replaced by Laser etching, the heavy Tandem riders got them to produce 36 hole Hub-shell

new grip shifter works with Carbon Fiber MTB bars ( cables are now, super easy to put in, BTW) pretty low key stuff ..



Most of the Product manager sniveling about the triple crank is complicated by the Push to 10 & it Goes to 11 cassettes

and the slap it, the crankset, out of the box needsa of the Asian Factory assembly Line Cost cutting.. and the Crank factories dont put the perfect combo in the Box.

They dont change them Nor want to open the Boxed Bike, because they dont want a pile of removed parts in the import warehouse .. But NB

at the retail end there is no one stopping you from taking off those 30T, 3rd rings and putting on something smaller ..

Once its in the dealer' shop You can do anything You want ..

Same guys Make what Sturmey Archer has for Bar ends and thumb shifters.. probably who Versus went to for the Alfine Brifter ..

The little Island dominates the Bike Biz Because they are eager to sell what you want them to Make as Long as the Credit line is there to pay For It.

Some of those 30t 3rd rings are 92 BCD, not 74 BCD and 30t is it for 92 BCD.

Just sayin'.

Retail Take Off swaps can always Be done .. the removed parts being New Have trade in Value.

I'm impressed.

It's about time the rear cassette was expanded beyond 34 tooth ring. Now that Sram came out with the 36, when can we see the 38?

How about a 42?

42T GC Cog for SRAM ? wolftoothcomponents.com

There are a couple of makers out there doing this... I nearly went this route on my Krampus - 1x10 with a 32 and a big cog... but went Rohloff instead.

thing i like about that set up from sram is no front mech, straigh through gearing should make for handy changing great range of gears.the way i look at these new gears if there tried and tested by the crazy mountainbikers then touring lads shouldn't give it much bother.

I'm not really all that impressed by the 2x systems. I'm really not impressed by the 1x systems. The article says that the SRAM has a 630% range. My gearing 46/34/20 with an 11-34 rear derailer has a 711% range. You can compare the two systems here. If you raise the cadence to 120 rpm, the 2x system is spun out at 34 mph but I don't spin out until 40 mph.

I do like speed but there is another aspect to the lower high end of the 2x system that I find problematic. You do end up coasting more on downhills. Here in Colorado, you can easily run across downhills that go for 8 or 10 miles. Coasting that far leaves can leave your leg muscles rigid and makes uphills at the end of the downhill harder. They hurt a lot after you've been locked in a coast position for a long time. Some resistance on the pedals that a higher gear gives you allows you to keep the muscles moving and they don't get locked up as much.

The shift pattern of wide range 2x systems is goofy too. Say you are riding in the 36x24 gear and you need to downshift in a hurry to the inner ring (24x24). You go from 40 gear inches to 27 gear inches. If you are riding at 90 rpm in the higher gear, you have to increase your cadence to over 150 rpm to keep up. It feels very unnatural.

You are getting caught up in some clever marketing. The article's charts are about 2x systems...that's how they get the "630% range"...but all the pictures are for 1x systems. A 2x system is still going to need a front derailer. And a 1x system doesn't have the range of a 2x system...not even close. With a 36 tooth cog and the 10-42 cassette, the range is 300%. The top speed is still the same but the low gear is significantly higher. You can compare the 1x system to my set up here

Now if the low end is important to you, you can achieve the same low gear I have by changing the chainring to a 24 but then your top speed is even more severely limited. At 120 rpm, you spin out at 23 mph. That's going to mean a whole lot of coasting. That gets frustrating very quickly.

By the way, that PinkBike article plays fast and loose with the Shimano set ups. Not many mountain bike riders are going to use a 42/32/24. If you use a more normal mountain bike crank with a 22 inner, the range increases to 591% and if you use a 44 outer, the range is 613%. Sram's advantage evaporates pretty quickly. Change to a 20 tooth inner and the triple set up has the advantage.

The 1x and 2x systems might work well on race courses where you know what is coming up and can plan your gearing around it. But once you start to analyze the numbers, they don't look as good. Out in the real world, they are very limited with funky shift patterns and limited ranges. I'll keep my triples.

Ok Stuart i wont argue with you to many numbers to get my little brain around :lol:.

I ran 2x10 on my Fargo and really enjoyed it. Moved to 3x to simply take off the outer ring. My Krampus came with 1x10 and I enjoyed that before going to Rohloff.

For me, once I get beyond about 28mph it's coasting time. I'm not racing. And we have gaps here that you can ride downhill for 6 miles. Even doing randonneuring events I wouldn't put the hammer down descending. It's just not worth it from an energy use perspective. The amount of effort you have to put out to overcome wind is exponential compared to overcome gravity. As someone far faster than me suggested - work the climbs, rest or recover on the rest.

What I like about the 2x10 on my IF randonneuring and touring setup is that I can quickly tune my gear range with a cassette swap. Nice and tight for a known course or with no load. Wide for a hilly course or for touring.

And, I hate derailers. Front especially. Anything I do to minimize shifting that is good in my book.

But, as discussed at length in another 1x10 thread - YMMV, RYOR, 'You can pry my triple from my cold dead hands.', fixed or it's broke, etc. Etc. Etc.

So do you carry a spare cassette every where you go? That seems like it is rather inconvenient:rolleyes: If you range over a few hundred miles, you are going to run across nearly every type of terrain that the planet has to offer. You have hit upon how a 2x system might be useful...i.e. for a know course. But once you get into the unknown, which is what I consider "touring", having a wide range with a good high gear and a good low gear is far more useful.

I carry a wide range of gearing everywhere I go...wider than any 2x system is capable of attaining. I don't have to stop and change cassettes to have a good high gear or to get a good low gear.

I actually carry 2 bikes, 6 wheels, a mile of extra cable and housing. 2 tents a tarp and a hammock. Knobbies and slicks both skinny and fat. Never can have too many choices.

Sorry. I'm doing it wrong.

Never think about riding fixed or single speed or with and IGH.

not in response to the preceding post, but...

some people are just argumentative and will undermine their credibility in order to do it. occasionally they have valid points to make.