# Bidirectional Shimano shifters - did everybody know this?



## figbat (19 Apr 2020)

I made a discovery today. Until recently I have always had Shimano groupsets - my 2012 Cube has Deore and my 2007 Kona has something similar. They have the trigger/thumb gearshift system. Then recently I got a Felt full-sus and it came with this new-fangled SRAM stuff. I quickly discovered that the shifting is different - you use your thumb for both rear mech shifts, up and down.

I’ve ridden the Felt a lot recently but the last couple of rides have been back on the Cube. I kept having to remind myself to use my finger for the rear mech upshifts. Then I forgot and went for an upshift with my thumb. And bugger me, it shifted. I had no idea that the Shimano triggers were bidirectional, after years of using my finger only. Am I the last to know this?! I just checked and the SRAM do not work both ways.


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## Phaeton (19 Apr 2020)

What?


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## I like Skol (19 Apr 2020)

Yep, pulling cable in only with one direction but paying out cable can be done with a push or pull.


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## Phaeton (19 Apr 2020)

Still non the wiser


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## Jenkins (19 Apr 2020)

Phaeton said:


> Still non the wiser


With Shimano flat bar & MTB systems you can either push or pull the shift lever to go down the cassette, but with SRAM it's push only.


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## Phaeton (19 Apr 2020)

Jenkins said:


> With Shimano flat bar & MTB systems you can either push or pull the shift lever to go down the cassette, but with SRAM it's push only.


Thank you I didn't know that I have always gone up (size not gear) with thumb & down (size not gear) with finger, I will try it next time I'm out.


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## figbat (19 Apr 2020)

Phaeton said:


> Thank you I didn't know that I have always gone up (size not gear) with thumb & down (size not gear) with finger, I will try it next time I'm out.


Exactly! I’ve been doing this for years and only found out by accident today that I have been half-using them! Wish I’d known sooner.


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## Jenkins (19 Apr 2020)

I found out about it when I built up a flat bar with SRAM Rival as I thought all systems came with the Shimano double action, but thought it was just a quirk of the Rival set up. Then I got an MTB with SRAM Eagle. 

Seems odd as SRAM use the fantastic 'double tap' shifters on their road bikes when Shimano have two levers to do the same job.


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## Phaeton (19 Apr 2020)

But how do you pull with your thumb?


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## figbat (20 Apr 2020)

So to answer my opening question, no - I was not the only one that didn't know this!


Roger Longbottom said:


> I predict a rush of people leaving the drop bar bike at home today, going out on the flat bar to try this.
> I will be one of them although my brain / finger / thumb co-ordination may not be up for change!


Interestingly, after at least 13 years of riding with finger and thumb and only around a month of thumb-only, I have switched pretty quickly to thumb-dominant shifting, throwing in a finger every so often as various situations demand. The flexibility that the Shimano system offers is very welcome - you can shift with you hand in all manner of locations on the bar.


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## Levo-Lon (21 Apr 2020)

If you are running Shimano XT ,XTR, groupsets this allows you to drop 3 cogs on the down shift with one full push of the lever , which is a big plus when decending
Deore is single cog down shift but still quality.

I love SRAM but Shimano has better features on shifters


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## Milkfloat (21 Apr 2020)

I am pretty sure 2 Way Release has been around for decades. I feel like it is the only way I shift on my MTB, but I could be wrong.


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## simon.r (21 Apr 2020)

Add me to the list of people who didn’t know this.

Tried it on my MTB yesterday. After decades of riding Shimano I doubt my brain will allow my fingers and thumbs to change the way they work, but still good to know.


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## Venod (21 Apr 2020)

I knew this, and was very surprised when my 2019 Sram Eagle was thumb only, it seemed like a backward step.


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## figbat (21 Apr 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> If you are running Shimano XT ,XTR, groupsets this allows you to drop 3 cogs on the down shift with one full push of the lever , which is a big plus when decending
> Deore is single cog down shift but still quality.
> 
> I love SRAM but Shimano has better features on shifters


My Deore 10-speed shifter will do 1, 2 or 3 cogs with a thumb push, depending how far I push it. The SRAM Eagle is the same.

EDIT: wait, sorry - you mean it'll shift 3 cogs _smaller_? I've never experienced that, I'd love to know how that works.


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## Threevok (21 Apr 2020)

SLX shifters do this also. 

I have a tendency to use the bidirectional feature on the front mech only.


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## figbat (21 Apr 2020)

Threevok said:


> SLX shifters do this also.
> 
> I have a tendency to use the bidirectional feature on the front mech only.


Wait - the front mech does this AS WELL??!!

[rushes out to garage]
It does! I guess I should have expected this and tried it out, but my mind was blown after the RD discovery.


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## ChrisEyles (21 Apr 2020)

Nope, never knew that! Mind you, I've stuck to Shimano shifters pretty much exclusively and SRAM trigger shifting feels weird whenever I've usedit. 

A big part of me now wants to upshift with my thumb on my next MTB ride, just 'cos now I know I can


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## I like Skol (21 Apr 2020)

I must be weird because having known about this for a few years I now go both ways depending on, well depending on whimsy really.


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## fossyant (22 Apr 2020)

And, the SRAM down shift is easily reached with thumb or finger - I use either depending upon where my hand is. I still find the Shimano shifters better ergonomically for the down shifts.


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## figbat (22 Apr 2020)

fossyant said:


> And, the SRAM down shift is easily reached with thumb or finger - I use either depending upon where my hand is. I still find the Shimano shifters better ergonomically for the down shifts.


Bit confused  - on my Eagle 12-speed it is quite a contortion to get a finger to operate the trigger shift; it's essentially thumb-only for both up and down.


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## fossyant (22 Apr 2020)

figbat said:


> Bit confused  - on my Eagle 12-speed it is quite a contortion to get a finger to operate the trigger shift; it's essentially thumb-only for both up and down.



I quite often flick the lever with my index finger ! Mainly thumb though.


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## Twilkes (22 Apr 2020)

Could someone please post a picture of the shifters in question, I'm struggling to visualise this.

I've had a standard Shimano shifter, with thumb-shift-up on my side of the bar and finger-click-down on the other side of the bar, and some random mountain bike that had two buttons on my side of the bar for shifting up and down with the thumb, but you all seem to be talking about something else...


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## Phaeton (22 Apr 2020)

Twilkes said:


> I've had a standard Shimano shifter, with thumb-shift-up on my side of the bar and finger-click-down on the other side of the bar,


I have the same, if you want to go up a gear/down a cog, then you would normally pull with your finger, however if you reach under your bar with you thumb & Push, it has the same effect. No idea why anyone would want mind, down a gear/up a cog with the thumb, up a gear/down a cog with a finger works for me.


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## figbat (22 Apr 2020)

Twilkes said:


> Could someone please post a picture of the shifters in question, I'm struggling to visualise this.
> 
> I've had a standard Shimano shifter, with thumb-shift-up on my side of the bar and finger-click-down on the other side of the bar, and some random mountain bike that had two buttons on my side of the bar for shifting up and down with the thumb, but you all seem to be talking about something else...


Might be talking about the same thing - try pushing the “finger-click-down” with your thumb.


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## figbat (22 Apr 2020)

View: https://youtu.be/cprO8YymLuU


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## ColinJ (22 Apr 2020)

Phaeton said:


> I have the same, if you want to go up a gear/down a cog, then you would normally pull with your finger, however if you reach under your bar with you thumb & Push, it has the same effect. No idea why anyone would want mind, down a gear/up a cog with the thumb, up a gear/down a cog with a finger works for me.


I can't see any advantage to it either!

Actually, for someone who is missing a finger or two it could be useful?


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## figbat (22 Apr 2020)

I couldn’t either, and when I got the SRAM-festooned bike I was all fingers and thumbs, so to speak. However I have very quickly come to prefer a thumb-only approach and, even more, come to appreciate the additional flexibility of the Shimano design.


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## fossyant (22 Apr 2020)

Some of the lower end shifters won't do this though ! My wife's SLX does the double shift on her MTB - she doesn't ride often but 'forgets' what does what, even though she has a Shimano equipped hybrid. Oh, and who added the extra 'dropper' button....  - which she actually finds very useful as when 'up' she can't actually touch the floor, which is normal on a FS bike.


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## ChrisEyles (22 Apr 2020)

Went out on the bike tonight... And completely forgot to up shift with my thumb lol. Next ride!


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## Twilkes (22 Apr 2020)

figbat said:


> View: https://youtu.be/cprO8YymLuU




Ah okay, my commuter bike still has Shimano Altus so it doesn't do this, and the finger clicker isn't really accessible by the thumb anyway.

It's still better than my first geared bike I inherited from my dad where I had to give the front derailleur a kick to get it onto the small ring.


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## Justinslow (25 Apr 2020)

Never knew this, thanks!
Kids Altus/Acera bikes don’t though.
I’ll try to try it on the next ride.


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## Levo-Lon (26 Apr 2020)

figbat said:


> My Deore 10-speed shifter will do 1, 2 or 3 cogs with a thumb push, depending how far I push it. The SRAM Eagle is the same.
> 
> EDIT: wait, sorry - you mean it'll shift 3 cogs _smaller_? I've never experienced that, I'd love to know how that works.




No they don't, only on up shift, not going smaller.

Just seen edit,


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## Phaeton (26 Apr 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> No they don't, only on up shift, not going smaller.


But an upshift is actually down not up


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## figbat (26 Apr 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> No they don't, only on up shift, not going smaller.
> 
> Just seen edit,


Sorry, to be clear you’re saying you can move up to 3 cogs bigger with a push? Ok, I’m familiar with that on all Shimano shifters (my kids’ 7-speed shifters do this).

I was confused at the mention of multi-shifts being useful for descending - I can see that this would be useful if it was possible.


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## Phaeton (26 Apr 2020)

Just found that although my Shimano xt did this my Shimano Deore don't


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