# Trigger vs twist grip



## DEFENDER01 (22 Apr 2015)

Hi
Just a general question and i guess the opinions will vary.
Having just changed from a full suspension bike to a hard tail with front suspension as i only do road riding now.
My last bike had shimano levers my new one has shimano revoshift twist grip.
My question is which one is the most reliable also looking in several cycle shops at the weekend i noticed many bikes now having the twisters.
When i asked the chap in the cycle shop which was the most reliable he said well they are shimano so they were both good just down to preference.
So has anyone had problems with the twisters.


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## raleighnut (22 Apr 2015)

Twist grip shifters are a lot cheaper, I'll leave it to you to decide which are the better. 
FWIW I for one detest them.


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## matiz (22 Apr 2015)

The twisters I've had in the past all seemed to need constant tweaking


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## DEFENDER01 (22 Apr 2015)

raleighnut said:


> Twist grip shifters are a lot cheaper, I'll leave it to you to decide which are the better.
> FWIW I for one detest them.


As they are cheaper perhaps thats one reason why many new bikes have them now.
Manufactures are always on the look to save money which is one reason cars no longer have spare wheels {every four cars produced they gain a set of wheels.}


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## glasgowcyclist (22 Apr 2015)

My commuting bike still has its original twist shifters and has just reached 20 years old this month. They're just about ready for replacement now.

GC


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## DEFENDER01 (22 Apr 2015)

glasgowcyclist said:


> My commuting bike still has its original twist shifters and has just reached 20 years old this month. They're just about ready for replacement now.
> GC


Wow looks like they last well if mine last that long they will probably see me out. 
Would be nice to think the shimano twisters last as well.?
Yes they seem more popular among people that mainly use their bikes for commuting.


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## shouldbeinbed (22 Apr 2015)

My Birdy had twist grips for its entire life and I had no more problems keeping them true than clickers.


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## stuee147 (22 Apr 2015)

i used to love twist grips but i think it was more because they were new at the time now i swear by trigers a lot more control and its just a quick flick with the thumb or finger rather than twisting your whole hand and wrist

but to be honest i thinkt it really boils down to how you feel and your preferences. 
as for quality you can get good and bad of both types


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## Shortmember (22 Apr 2015)

The biggest problem I had with the twist grip system was shifting up to a higher chainring when it was raining.My fingers became so slippery that I needed to develop a grip like a gorilla to overcome the spring tension on the front derailleur cage*. *Nowadays they only seem to be fitted to cheapo*,* bottom- of-the- range bikes*.*


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## Gravity Aided (22 Apr 2015)

Like trigger shifters better, I think they are easier to repair and maintain. Grip shifters are pretty much replace rather than repair


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## subaqua (22 Apr 2015)

twisties also rub my skin raw on rides where i am up n down the gears


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## Rickshaw Phil (22 Apr 2015)

It _is _purely down to personal preference I think. I've used both but like twist shifters on my bikes. They have to be good quality ones though - my knockabout bike came with a Falcon branded set which could probably be best described as vague.

No failures in the 17 years I've had them and the only replacements have been when altering the number of gears on the bikes.

I haven't experienced the issues with shifting in the rain that others report but that could be because I always wear gloves when riding now (learned the hard way how painful it is to take the skin off the palm of the hand in a crash )


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## andyfraser (22 Apr 2015)

I got to try Shimano Revoshift a couple of weeks ago. Not too bad at all. Some cheap twist grips I've used have left something to be desired but have been usable. I do prefer my rapidfire shifters though.


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## fossyant (22 Apr 2015)

My daughter has SRAM grip shift on her Carrera Luna that has SRAM X3 mechs. Works great. I do prefer triggers myself, but at least twist shift is easy.


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## Gravity Aided (22 Apr 2015)

Shimano Revoshift and SRAM are a cut above the usual twistgrip you see nowadays. I'm thinking of using mine on my Trek 800 when I spruce it up for winter.


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## Nigeyy (22 Apr 2015)

I really like gripshift stuff -never have really liked trigger shifters. However, it's just down to personal preference! I think a reasonable quality gripshift is usually a bit cheaper than an equivalent quality trigger shifter, so maybe if you are short of money..... Theoretically grip shift should have less parts and be more reliable (have had a couple of trigger shifters give up the ghost) but I suspect that's really more a product of the quality of the type of shifter you buy. Having said that, never had a gripshift stop working.... So cast my vote for gripshift -but keep in mind I'd use trigger shifters too and probably wouldn't replace them if the bike I bought came with them on and they worked fine.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.


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## DEFENDER01 (22 Apr 2015)

Some great replies here i guess its a bit like some people like driving automatic cars and some like manual.
After having been out a few times now i am getting to like the twisters more.
Its been so long since i had a bike its like a new world to me. 
They are the shimano Revoshift type so should be o/k quality wise.


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## DEFENDER01 (23 Apr 2015)

Nigeyy said:


> I really like gripshift stuff -never have really liked trigger shifters. However, it's just down to personal preference! I think a reasonable quality gripshift is usually a bit cheaper than an equivalent quality trigger shifter, so maybe if you are short of money..... Theoretically grip shift should have less parts and be more reliable (have had a couple of trigger shifters give up the ghost) but I suspect that's really more a product of the quality of the type of shifter you buy. Having said that, never had a gripshift stop working.... So cast my vote for gripshift -but keep in mind I'd use trigger shifters too and probably wouldn't replace them if the bike I bought came with them on and they worked fine.
> You pays your money, you takes your choice.


Having that i can only go so far each day due to a knee injury i am now really getting to like the twist shifter and find it very quick at changing which for me has been a real bonus.
I understand what others have said about having to grip the twister but luckily i do have a grip like a gorilla. 
If the weather stays good i will try to extend a bit more day by day.
B T W very good forum glad i found it.


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## Nigeyy (23 Apr 2015)

Sssshhhhh! You've found the secret..... That secret is that its best to just get on your bike and ride. Pretty much any piece of equipment that has been specced on hundreds of thousands or millions of bikes is going to be OK. Sure, there have been advances or things that have made things easier, more efficient or more pleasant, but just think about it -riders in the early Tour De France had bikes that some people would say you shouldn't be riding to tour around France yet somehow they managed to do it! Enjoy your riding 



DEFENDER01 said:


> Having that i can only go so far each day due to a knee injury i am now really getting to like the twist shifter and find it very quick at changing which for me has been a real bonus.
> I understand what others have said about having to grip the twister but luckily i do have a grip like a gorilla.
> If the weather stays good i will try to extend a bit more day by day.
> B T W very good forum glad i found it.


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## postman (25 Apr 2015)

Just found this.My suggestion is


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## jay clock (25 Apr 2015)

Never had anything but hassle with twisters. Replacing the cables always beyond me


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## Ian193 (25 Apr 2015)

I always found that when I was pulling on the bars going uphill the gears would change by themselves  so made a point of getting triggers on the next one


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## DEFENDER01 (25 Apr 2015)

Ian193 said:


> I always found that when I was pulling on the bars going uphill the gears would change by themselves  so made a point of getting triggers on the next one


Not quite sure how that could happen unless you were pulling on the twist grips.


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## mrbikerboy73 (25 Apr 2015)

Never been a fan of twist grips, it's triggers for me!


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## Ian193 (26 Apr 2015)

DEFENDER01 said:


> Not quite sure how that could happen unless you were pulling on the twist grips.



Gave the offending bicycle to my daughter to use at university the twist part was quite large IIRC


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## Salad Dodger (26 Apr 2015)

As others have said, it's all down to personal preference.

For me personally, I very much dislike the twistgrip shifters on my daughter's MTB: I find they rub the skin on my hands, you do need to grip the shifter quite tightly to work it, and riding uphill I suppose I managed to pull hard on the bars, which prompted a few unplanned gear changes. I prefer trigger shifters.

Just my opinion........


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## DEFENDER01 (26 Apr 2015)

Salad Dodger said:


> As others have said, it's all down to personal preference.
> 
> For me personally, I very much dislike the twistgrip shifters on my daughter's MTB: I find they rub the skin on my hands, you do need to grip the shifter quite tightly to work it, and riding uphill I suppose I managed to pull hard on the bars, which prompted a few unplanned gear changes. I prefer trigger shifters.
> Just my opinion........


Lucky i have skin like an elephant and grip like a vice. 
If not gloves do the trick.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Apr 2015)

Salad Dodger said:


> As others have said, it's all down to personal preference.
> 
> For me personally, I very much dislike the twistgrip shifters on my daughter's MTB: I find they rub the skin on my hands, _*you do need to grip the shifter quite tightly to work it,*_ and riding uphill I suppose I managed to pull hard on the bars, which prompted a few unplanned gear changes. I prefer trigger shifters.
> 
> Just my opinion........


You shouldn't need to grip it that tightly, it should be a nice light movement. What brand and is the cable running freely?


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## DEFENDER01 (26 Apr 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> You shouldn't need to grip it that tightly, it should be a nice light movement. What brand and is the cable running freely?


Its a Shimano Revo shift {21 speed} the bike has done virtually no work it was S/H when i got it two weeks ago.
After a knee injury i thought it would be good exercise which has been the case i just do a short run every day pick my route that is not too hilly.


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## Rickshaw Phil (26 Apr 2015)

DEFENDER01 said:


> Its a Shimano Revo shift {21 speed} the bike has done virtually no work it was S/H when i got it two weeks ago.
> After a knee injury i thought it would be good exercise which has been the case i just do a short run every day pick my route that is not too hilly.


Reply was meant for Salad Dodger, however if you're having the same trouble can I suggest lubricating the cable and checking the plastic guide under the bottom bracket which can get gunked up with mud sprayed up by the front wheel.


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## Muddyfox (26 Apr 2015)

I have Sram Triggers on my mountain bike and Shimano Triggers on my touring bike ... but i would happily swap both for Sram X0 gripshift


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## DEFENDER01 (26 Apr 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Reply was meant for Salad Dodger, however if you're having the same trouble can I suggest lubricating the cable and checking the plastic guide under the bottom bracket which can get gunked up with mud sprayed up by the front wheel.


Ohh my mistake.
Shifting from 7 down to 1 is always going to be tighter be it twist or trigger as the Deraileur springs are going to assist.


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## Tojo (27 Apr 2015)

IMO I would go triggers all the way I remember the early twist grip I thought they were crap I'm surprised there making an appearance again as the first generation ones weren't popular, but saying that everyone was doing single track on MTB's then an when your hands were covered in mud you couldn't get enough grip on them as they were quite tight.....


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## Keith Oates (27 Apr 2015)

I also prefer Triggers but have used twist grip in the past and they are OK but as stated by Ian 193 I have also found that when pulling on the bars it's easy to twist out of a gear.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Justinslow (29 Apr 2015)

Replaced the revoshift on my old MTB with triggers in the winter, let's just say I'll never ever go back to twist grips.
Twisters are just about ok on the road but off road when it gets a bit sketchy they literally tie themselves and your hands in knots.


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## the_mikey (29 Apr 2015)

I have SRAM twist grips on a Tern folding bike, ok most of the time but sometimes I twist the bar grip inadvertently, especially when I need a good grip on the handlebars, causing unexpected gear changes. 

I prefer trigger shifts but I like the simplicity of the grip shift on a low maintenance shopping bike.


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## DEFENDER01 (30 Apr 2015)

Justinslow said:


> Replaced the revoshift on my old MTB with triggers in the winter, let's just say I'll never ever go back to twist grips.
> Twisters are just about ok on the road but off road when it gets a bit sketchy they literally tie themselves and your hands in knots.


Yes the Revoshift are the ones fitted to my bike as i will be using mine for road use its not a problem.
My friend has triggers which i have used and i have actually found that twisters are quicker at changing gear perhaps its just the way i use them.
Looking at many new bikes at my L. B. S. there seems to be about 50% are now twisters. 
Like many things i guess what suits one doesn't another {horses for courses.}


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## si_c (30 Apr 2015)

My wife has them on her commuter, and she really likes them, I'm fairly ambivalent about them myself. My Dad has horrendous problems with his hybrid twist shifters, so much so that we plan to replace them. This is not so much to do with the quality of the shifters, but rather he has arthritis and has difficult manipulating them. So triggers it is.


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## Salad Dodger (30 Apr 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Reply was meant for Salad Dodger, however if you're having the same trouble can I suggest lubricating the cable and checking the plastic guide under the bottom bracket which can get gunked up with mud sprayed up by the front wheel.


Hi Rickshaw Phil.

The bike is now at my daughter's flat a couple of hours away from me, so I can't be sure. The gears are certainly Shimano cheapest version (Altus????) and I think the shifters were Revoshift, but can't be certain.

The bike was bought new from a "proper" bike shop - not a supermarket special - so I would imagine the shifters were all correctly set up but they always felt quite stiff to use, even from day one. Not ridiculously so, but they always felt to me harder work than the trigger shifters on my bike. But my daughter preferred the twistgrip shifters, as she was a terror for stopping in way the wrong gear, and could then "crash" down through the gears to find something easier to start off in. She never seems to have got her head round changing down as you coast to a stop, in readiness for pulling away again.


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## DEFENDER01 (30 Apr 2015)

Yes that is an important thing to remember preparing to stop in a low gear.
Once you get use to it you do it automatically.


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## andyfraser (30 Apr 2015)

Two things have conspired against me lately. Firstly, when riding fixed I don't have gears so I sometimes forget to change down when stopping on a geared bike. Secondly, I seem to be able to start in higher gears these days so sometimes don't change down enough. It's all good fun, except when I completely forgot to change down at all and had to pull away in 50x11!


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## DEFENDER01 (30 Apr 2015)

andyfraser said:


> Two things have conspired against me lately. Firstly, when riding fixed I don't have gears so I sometimes forget to change down when stopping on a geared bike. Secondly, I seem to be able to start in higher gears these days so sometimes don't change down enough. It's all good fun, except when I completely forgot to change down at all and had to pull away in 50x11!


Make the most of being able to pull away in 50x11 there will come a time when the lowest gear isn't low enough.


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## andyfraser (30 Apr 2015)

DEFENDER01 said:


> Make the most of being able to pull away in 50x11 there will come a time when the lowest gear isn't low enough.


Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 May 2015)

Salad Dodger said:


> Hi Rickshaw Phil.
> 
> The bike is now at my daughter's flat a couple of hours away from me, so I can't be sure. The gears are certainly Shimano cheapest version (Altus????) and I think the shifters were Revoshift, but can't be certain.
> 
> The bike was bought new from a "proper" bike shop - not a supermarket special - so I would imagine the shifters were all correctly set up but they always felt quite stiff to use, even from day one. Not ridiculously so, but they always felt to me harder work than the trigger shifters on my bike. But my daughter preferred the twistgrip shifters, as she was a terror for stopping in way the wrong gear, and could then "crash" down through the gears to find something easier to start off in. She never seems to have got her head round changing down as you coast to a stop, in readiness for pulling away again.


Hmmm, if it's been like that from new the possibilities I can think of are that the cable runs aren't ideal or possibly one or more of the outer cable ends haven't been opened up properly after being cut to size. These would both be things set up by the factory rather than the bike shop (bikes arrive at the shop mostly built up, just needing final assembly and adjustment).

I couldn't possibly comment on failing to shift down when coming to a halt, never doing that myself.


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## Baba Ganoush (8 Sep 2015)

Muddyfox said:


> I have Sram Triggers on my mountain bike and Shimano Triggers on my touring bike ... but i would happily swap both for Sram X0 gripshift



@Muddyfox 

Hi, I'm brand new on this forum. I saw you posted a picture of a Synapse with a flat bar. I have the same bike but the road version with the road handle bar and a 31.8mm stem. Can you please tell me what changes you made and what handlebar you have?

Thanks a lot.

Baba


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