Monday, February 20, 2012

10 Speed Grip Shift

So, my desire for a new mountain bike just increased with the official announcement from Sram that 10 speed Grip Shift shifters will be available in April. 

When Sram introduced 2 x 10 drivetrains for mountain bikes, I saw no hint of Grip Shift surviving.  The top end XX grouppo had triggers and that was it.  For the past 2 years, one could still purchase a XO level Grip Shift, but had to stick with 3 x 9 gearing.  The 10 speed set up has been seen on test bikes and factory riders' rigs but this is this is the first report of the production version.

Grip Shift was on my first MTB 18 years ago and like I said earlier, this really makes me want a new one.  Grip Shift is simple, light and I always felt it was quicker and more intuitive than triggers.  It also feels a little  moto, which is cool.  (Speaking of moto, I even had my Scott Pro mountain bike set up with the front break on the right side break lever.)  It also makes your handle bars look cleaner, which can be important with lockouts, seatpost triggers and flux capacitors all available at finger's reach.

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