Swap rear gear shifter from right hand to left hand

[wildnrg]

I have a SRAM X0 thumb operated shifters and X0 Rear Derailleur.

Is it possible to shift my rear gears using my left hand shifter instead of using the right hand shifter.

I ask this because the throttle gets in the way of the thumb operated shifters and I want to use a thumb operated throttle instead of the twist throttle.

Is it just a case of disconnecting left shifter cable from the front derailluer and connecting that cable (length permitting) to the rear derailleur and setting up the limits?

 

[amberwolf]

Is it possible to shift my rear gears using my left hand shifter instead of using the right hand shifter.

I don't know your specific shifters, but it should be possible to do this if they are not indexed, or if like my Deore thumb shifters it has a switch to put it in non-indexed mode.

Alternately, you could just move the righthand shifter to the left bar.

Is it just a case of disconnecting left shifter cable from the front derailluer and connecting that cable (length permitting) to the rear derailleur and setting up the limits?

That will depend on your shifter. If it *is* indexed, then the little clicky index points will not be enough of them nor in the right places to be able to use the rear derailer on the front shifter; you'd only get three gears out of it (if that's how many you have on the front derailer), probably the lowest, middle, and highest, depending on how far the cable moves.

That said, if you really want to use the left shifter, you'd want to move the cable from the right shifter to the left shifter, because the cable from the left shifter almost certainly will be at least a foot too short to reach the rear derailer.

 

[Chalo]

I have a SRAM X0 thumb operated shifters and X0 Rear Derailleur.

Is it possible to shift my rear gears using my left hand shifter instead of using the right hand shifter.

Not with those shifters, you can't. The wire operating the rear derailleur must come from the shifter that has the correct indexing mechanism for it.

I ask this because the throttle gets in the way of the thumb operated shifters and I want to use a thumb operated throttle instead of the twist throttle.

This is a common issue. You can get get a left side twist throttle at least, and perhaps a left side thumb throttle (though I have never seen one). You can use a handlebar that has a long enough straight section to position your shifter far enough inward that it doesn't foul the throttle. You can mount your rear shifter upside-down on the left, though in your case the front trigger may not be reasonably accessible.

If you use a quill stem, you can mount a mountain bike bar-end extension on the quill and put the shifter on it. If you use a threadless stem with enough spacers, you can mount a second stem in place of the spacers, place a cut-down handlebar in it, and use it to mount your shifter plus any other lights or bar-mounted accessories that don't fit well on the handlebar you've got. Heck, you could have one full-sized handlebar with a throttle and another with the shifters, and take your pick according to conditions.
http://sheldonbrown.org/thorn/
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-rohloff/index.html

You can use a trekking-type handlebar with the throttle on the back section and your shifter on the front section. At $20-$25 for a pair of trekking bars, this is a very economical option. These are trekking bars:

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_h/2896207186/in/set-72157606200684891/

Is it just a case of disconnecting left shifter cable from the front derailluer and connecting that cable (length permitting) to the rear derailleur and setting up the limits?

The only case in which this would work would be with old friction thumbshifters that have no indexing detents and both pull the same overall amount of cable. Here's an example of what you could use in that way:

Then there are bar-end shifters, downtube shifters, and stem shifters, none of which would be in the way of the throttle.

Any of this is complicated by the fact that your X0 derailleur uses (I think) 1:1 pull ratio, so you'd have to switch to another derailleur to use any kind of shifter other than a SRAM 1:1 twist grip or trigger.

Chalo

 

[deardancer3]

I went to a left hand throttle in a similar situation.

The biggest problem that gave is when signaling a left turn up a bad hill ----the left hand is occupied with the throttle.

Luckily 'no signal' by cyclists is ok/legal in my state (if signaling would casue a problem in the operation of the bike), but, I do like to let car drivers know what I am doing. So I signal left turn with an upraised right angled right arm. :? better than nothing.

A case where pedal assist would be nice.

d

 

[dogman dan]

The cheaper twist shifters can be switched to the other side too, they just have the numbers upside down then. I take the front derailur off, and then mount the rear shifter on the left, upside down. I don't need any low gears with the motor.

On the fuji, I want both derailurs, so I use an old school non index thumb shifter on the right side, mounted way in on the handlebar inside of the brakes and throttle.

 

[mwkeefer]

dogman...

If doing a hub and limited in cassette / freewheel choices (ie - 1 to 5 speeds) I usually leave my front derailer in place and operational...

Most shifter companies offer for about 25.00 a new set of grips for left handed people (opposites.)

On my 9FS (until I get a custom freewheel) I have a single sprocket freehweel in back with a hub motor so I removed the 1/2 grip shift and the cables (to use for eBike cabling and such) and then I fashioned a permanent mount of tension on the derailer... I left the adjustment screws just in case and can always reinstall the 9S grip shifter (this is the one I haven't found availble in left hand design) if I go with a direct RC style drive (I will be for my mothers).

If you really don't need the front gears.... Pull the crank set apart and loose the extra 2 gears.... might want to consider spacers so that the single sprocket in front is in perfect alignment with the center of your rear cassette (makes life smoother and easier.), then remove the clamp on front derailer and the 3sp shifter all together but .... That 3 speed shifter could come in handy (I could use one now) so hang onto it and the derailuers.

-Mike

 

[wildnrg]

I've taken the front derailleur and shifter off my bike, figured if I really need the granny gear, I'll just get off the bike, and manually change the chain to the granny gear.

 

[deardancer3]

Bar end shifters can be an option also. Old non click bar end shifters would be nice for the front. Anyone running down tube shifters on ebikes?

This is one of those topics that we should consider putting in the Newbie file;

Front and rear shifters, brake handles, throttle, light, horn/bell and speedo/CA/meter; where will all this stuff be placed on your ebike? did you leave enough spare cable to move things around until things are solidified?

Are there gizmos that increase handle bar real estate?
d

 

[amberwolf]

Anyone running down tube shifters on ebikes?

I tried some with nice long levers, but it was too hard to keep reaching down to do the shifting, especially as I slow down--the way I have it now I can shift down quickly and then brake, so I am not stuck in a high gear at a stop sign. (both my motor and my pedals go thru the drivetrain)

Are there gizmos that increase handle bar real estate?

Probably; I know there are touring bars and whatnot that have arm rests on them; those effectively increase real-estate.

If you really needed more space and were able to DIY a bit, you could take a straight MTB bar and make a clamp that would hold it onto the front of your actuals bars.
--Take a couple of short lengths of thick-wall PVC, just long enough to make everything on the extra bars clear your hands and other stuff on the actual bars, maybe 4-6".
--Drill a hole across the diameter of the pipe near each end, perhaps 1/4" between the edge of the hole and the end of the pipe.
--Fish-mouth the ends of the pipe so these holes are in the "tabs" created by this, and so the pipe fits around the curve of your bars.
--Take some small and narrow radiator hose clamps and run them thru the holes, then around your bars, and clamp them down. It should be pretty secure.
--Now you have a whole set of extra bars to stick stuff on.

 

[wildnrg]

I've order a SRAM X0 Twist shifter, I should be able to mount it on the left, I figure the only issue should be the gear display numbers will be upside down, but considering my current X0 trigger shifters don't have gear display, it shouldn't matter.

This will mean I can use the throttle and change gears at the same time.

 

[torker]

On mine I just put my throttle on the left. I thought it would be strange pushing the lever over top of the bars instead of underneath but it is ok. Of course I haven't had my bike out of high gear since I motorized it so I could lose the shifter I suppose. I also thought about putting the shifter on the left, that should work good too.

 

[Zoot Katz]

. . . Are there gizmos that increase handle bar real estate?

Probably; I know there are touring bars and whatnot that have arm rests on them; those effectively increase real-estate.

If you really needed more space and were able to DIY a bit, you could take a straight MTB bar and make a clamp that would hold it onto the front of your actuals bars.
--Take a couple of short lengths of thick-wall PVC, just long enough to make everything on the extra bars clear your hands and other stuff on the actual bars, maybe 4-6".
--Drill a hole across the diameter of the pipe near each end, perhaps 1/4" between the edge of the hole and the end of the pipe.
--Fish-mouth the ends of the pipe so these holes are in the "tabs" created by this, and so the pipe fits around the curve of your bars.
--Take some small and narrow radiator hose clamps and run them thru the holes, then around your bars, and clamp them down. It should be pretty secure.
--Now you have a whole set of extra bars to stick stuff on.

The gizmo is called a Minoura Handlebar Space Grip

Using the birds-mouthed tube with a slot is how I mounted my thumb throttle to road bars.
Finding a 5/16" wide hose clamp larger than 7/8" diameter was not possible so I got stuck using a bigger one.

 

[Drunkskunk]

I have the thumb shifters, called Rapid Fire by Shimanno on both my bikes, and tight hand throttles. it is possable to space the throttle, brake, and gear changer to all work together. I have done so on both.

The first trick is to move the whole shifter/brake assembly 1/2" away from the grip. that gives clearance for the shift up lever. the next ias a bit of a puzzle, you have to rotate the throttle base around so the wire doesn't interfear with the shifters. There's a couple ways to do it. I keep meaning to take pics of mine.

The end result is an almost seamless integration of the right hand throttle and thumb shifters. After riding it, you won't notice the offset