Mountain Thumbies Bar End Gear Lever Shifter Mounts UPDATED

Mountain Thumbies Bar End Gear Lever Shifter Mounts

I pretty much love all the Paul'due south components in my collection.  I have used Paul'south chainkeeper, Paul'south cantilever brakes, and now Paul'due south Thumbies.  These products were developed here in the US, and the company is home-grown, hailing from Chico, California and founded past Paul himself back in 1989.

Paul's components have a distinctly industrial wait – like to that of Mafac brakes.  While some people may be turned off past this lack of "dazzler", I find information technology mannerly.

Nitto Rando bar with downtube Shimano shifters

As I take been recovering from my broken leg last Fall, I noticed that I really wanted to ride in a more upright position on my 1980's Guerciotti.  I had previously set information technology up with a Nitto Rando bar and stem, just when I originally purchased the frame, I had prepare information technology upward every bit a city bike with upright bars, as shown below.  The only reason I changed this configuration was that my Nitto metropolis bars were recalled and no replacement e'er materialized.

Guerciotti with Nitto city bars which were recalled

So, information technology was time for a new bar, stalk and shifter ready for the Guerciotti.  Since I was going to exist using flat bars with this new configuration, I wanted to bring the shifters up onto the handlebar.

To use Paul's Thumbies, you need some shifters which don't accept a curved mountain to the square boss on the downtube.  That means that all Shimano bar terminate shifters will piece of work, but that many downtube shifters will not.  The in a higher place Shimano downtube shifters which were on my Guerciotti volition not piece of work with Paul'south Thumbies for this reason.

"Pointy" Shimano shifter pods

Right side shifter mountain

Then that meant I was going to replace the shifters with some bar-end shifters.  Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters are very versatile, due to their friction fashion, which is how I shift with this bicycle'south bulldoze train.  In one case you've figured out which shifters you are going to utilize, y'all will need to add some shifter pods to the downtube bosses if you lot weren't already using bar terminate shifters.  I found these 1980's Shimano pods in my parts bin – they are very pointy compared to their mod counterparts, and await fun to me.

The gear up is very unproblematic, in one case you have chosen the advisable shifters.  Paul makes Thumbies for both Shimano shifters and Microshift shifters, and for MTB and Road bar sizes.  So, when y'all order, pay attention to the fine print.

Once the Thumbies are mounted to the handlebar, it's merely a matter of placing the shifters in the correct position, and screwing in the supplied bolt and washer.  You tin control the feel of the shifter by tightening or loosening the supplied commodities, in the aforementioned way you would do with the Shimano bolt for any bar end or downtube shifter.

I was concerned that the bar finish shifters I mounted to Paul'due south Thumbies might exist "ergonomically incorrect", in that they weren't designed to be used on the elevation of the handlebar.  Fortunately, they were very easy to use and felt at the ready with a simple bear upon of my pollex.  They needed no fine tuning after an initial rainy commute.  While some people may cramp at spending an actress $50 bucks or and then to move your shifters to the handlebar, in my view that is meliorate than throwing out your shifters and buying new ones.  And, if you ever want to go dorsum to your downtube or bar terminate shifters, y'all can hands do so.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Mountain Thumbies Bar End Gear Lever Shifter Mounts UPDATED

Posted by: matthewseentiourcio1980.blogspot.com