8-speed thumbshifters?

[mhespenheide]

Has anyone used the SunRace or MicroShift 8-speed thumbshifters? If so, any feedback?

Or should I just go with some old XT thumbies and use the "ghost shift" at the top?


(Or, if anyone has some old 8-speed bar-end shifters that I could put on the Paul shifter mounts, let me know...)

[Ken Robb]

You might like Suntour or Rivendell Silver power ratchet shifters.

[mhespenheide]

Ken, I've already got the XT thumbies, so would the Riv/SunTour be that much better?

[Ken Robb]

Ken, I've already got the XT thumbies, so would the Riv/SunTour be that much better?

I won't say "better" but they will be different. If you can get the XTs working fine indexed and you like it that way stick with it. OTOH if you're having trouble getting them to index you may not like the way they work in friction mode. Heck, the only friction shifters I like are those with power ratchet system which makes shifting delightfully slick and tactile.

[stien]

For my money it would be 8 speed ultegra bar ends!

[Gummee]

For my money it would be 8 speed ultegra bar ends!

I had thumb shifters on my mtn bike(s) from 7sp thru 9sp. Actually like em more than the STI I have now. If Shimano still made compatible shifters, I'd probably still have em.

M

[dddd]

Using 7s thumb shifters with an 8s cassette will not yield the best indexing performance.
You can some what correct the problem by using some 7s spacers and cogs, leaving the five joined cogs alone. That's what I did and it was good enough to race 'cross on though still not perfect.

Note that the 8s cogs themselves are a little thinner than 7s cogs.
And the 8s spacers are all 3.0mm while the 7s spacers use a 3.3mm spacer between the 2nd and 3rd-smallest cogs, with 3.1mm spacers in all of the other positions.

[oliver1850]

Did Shimano make 8 speed thumbshifters? I think the answer is no but honestly don't know. I always preferred them to Rapidfire. Cannondale put Rapidfire on a lot of bikes in the first year or two, but reverted to thumbshifters on several models later. My '93 Beast of the East is 7 speed LX with thumbshifters and it's been a great bike.

[mhespenheide]

Shimano did not.

The XT and Deore thumbshifters had seven official indexed positions, but you can also overshoot the last position, which is what I was referring to as the "ghost shift".

I'm a big fan of thumbshifters. I don't know if it's just because I imprinted on them early, or they're really better ergonomics. (I mean, I assume that the DI2 thumb buttons are even better, but I've never tried them.) I never got 100% comfortable with rapidfire.

I'm looking to update a town/campus bike but want to use a flat bar. I've got a nice XT rear derailleur waiting, and both a 8-speed and 9-speed cassette that would work. I know about the possibility of putting bar-end shifters on the Paul mounts, but if anyone's used the SunRace or MicroShift thumbshifters, I'd appreciate hearing your experiences.

[tanghy]

shimano made 7 speed thumbshifters with a 8th speed ghost shift

correct me if I'm wrong but I always loved them

[colker]

You say you have the xt thumbies... why not build the bike w/ it? Otoh you won´t have any problem selling them for 8 sp users.

[colker]

Shimano did not.

The XT and Deore thumbshifters had seven official indexed positions, but you can also overshoot the last position, which is what I was referring to as the "ghost shift".

I'm a big fan of thumbshifters. I don't know if it's just because I imprinted on them early, or they're really better ergonomics. (I mean, I assume that the DI2 thumb buttons are even better, but I've never tried them.) I never got 100% comfortable with rapidfire.

I'm looking to update a town/campus bike but want to use a flat bar. I've got a nice XT rear derailleur waiting, and both a 8-speed and 9-speed cassette that would work. I know about the possibility of putting bar-end shifters on the Paul mounts, but if anyone's used the SunRace or MicroShift thumbshifters, I'd appreciate hearing your experiences.

They also shift faster than rapid fire.

[Gummee]

They also shift faster than rapid fire.

IDK about that, but I do like having the ability to scoot your hand over and feel what gear you're in.

M

[charliedid]

Micro**** work as intended and are solid IMO

[hokoman]

I have the SunRace shifter on my Xtracycle - works fine for what it is, but since I have pedal assist, I don't shift that often. I bought it because it was cheap, and I needed something on top to work on top of my Jones bar, and it was cheap. Did I mention it was cheap? :)

[dddd]

shimano made 7 speed thumbshifters with a 8th speed ghost shift

correct me if I'm wrong but I always loved them

Just want to clarify that the extra click isn't a soft click, it's solid like the rest of the indexed positions.
Which makes it seem odd that it's there, as if they were expecting someone back in 1989 to take an 11s hub, put on a 7s cassette and with an added largest cog and spacer.
Only in this format would it ever index to Shimano's usual indexing standards.

As I mentioned earlier, I used XT 7s thumbies with an XTR 8s 12-32t cassette for CX racing, but I did use 7s cogs and spacers at the three smallest-cog positions. Added up, it still fit on an 8s hub though the indexing was still slightly-but-noticeably off for the narrower 8s cog spacing between the five largest cogs mounted on the alloy carrier.

The XT thumbies were an advantage off of the line because of the faster shift and larger ratio gaps versus using STI with any road cassette, so the holeshot was mine for the taking which was a huge plus in wet or dusty conditions. The thumbies still shift faster than all of today's road shifters save for perhaps Ergolevers. But today's CX bikes are (finally) using wider ratio gaps appropriate for hard accelerations from lower speeds, so my setup's advantage seems less than it was even five years ago.

The way I might do it today (or tomorrow) would be to use an 11s hub and source one of the newer/lighter 7s cassettes (still steel but with more in the way of perforations vs. typical heavy 7s-era cassettes), then add a lightweight largest cog with 7s spacer for a lower low gear. This would yield perfect indexing and full engagement with the freehub splines. Fiddling with the spool groove diameter for use with a standard-spaced 8s lightweight cassette is of course another option.

It's possible to cut down the spool diameter of the cable groove to make 7s XT thumbies index better with a proper 8s cassette, I did this as well but my modifications were more subtle than was actually needed and so hardly noticeable. I had it working good enough for racing and rode most courses almost entirely in the big ring using only the 14-32t cogs.

Note that even the lesser 7s Deore thumbshifters (with steel clamp band) have the "phantom" 8th position, and that 6s XT thumbies have a phantom 7th position.

Also note that the steel band clamp meant for 22mm mtb handlebars can be stretched to fit the 24mm portion of most road handlebars by using a longer (and curved) 4mm mounting bolt and nut (you can't turn a curved bolt to tighten it, so hence a nut must be used). This is for mounting thumbies on the tops of the bar, so a handlebar with a very short sleeved or bulged center section would be chosen here. I used this method once for a low-cost tandem build per the owner's request and did the same on local rider's Schwinn varsity.

[colker]

It seems the floating pulley on the shimano derrailleur allows the 7s thumbies to shift 8sp cassettes. It even allows 8sp suntour shifters, lighter and smoother, to shift a shimano 8sp mtb drivetrain.
XT Thumbies are heavier than Paul pods and ultegra whatever shifter combination but it gives a solid, stiff platform and very good ergonomics.

[dddd]

The floating pulley does a lot to quiet a poorly-positioned derailer cage, either from maladjustment, cable degradation or from mis-matched indexing components.
But it doesn't fix the inconsistent shifting performance that results whenever indexing movements don't match the cog spacing exactly.

So, while the rider may adapt their shifting technique in an asymmetric way to accommodate an indexing error, the rider also must adjust their technique as the chain moves from one end of the cassette toward the other. This can be done, but tends to be distracting and can really slow the rider who is trying to make time in difficult conditions.

In lieu of a floating pulley I've found that using a narrower chain has about the same effect, which helped a lot when I installed a SunRace 7s freewheel on a bike with Athena 7s Synchro-II. A Shimano 9s chain actually made a noisy (and thus nearly unridable) bike work pretty well!

[Skenry]

No 8 speed, but I just installed Microshift 10thumbshifters on Saturday.
Work good, feel good. Not sure exactly what you are asking. Buy them new and they will work great.