Has anyone managed to fit Gripshifts to a road bike in a
sensible way?
I guess the easiest place to put them would be on the ends
of the bars (drops), but I think it would be a lot safer
and easier to change gears if they were on the top of the
bars, close to where the stem grips the bars. Of course,
then you need to figure out a way to get the gripshifts
there, considering the bend in the bars. Does anyone sell
drop bars that can be dismantled and put back together
again so that it would be possible to put Gripshifts on
them? Any other ideas?
Another problem I can think of: where to route the brake
cables. I guess they'll have to leave the bars before they
reach the gripshift, but I worry that they might get in the
way when you're holding on the tops of the bars
(e.g. climbing).
Lastly, can someone who has used recent Gripshifts (like
SRAM Attack Halfpipe) tell me if the front derailleur
shifter (left) can "trim" the position of the front
derailleur when you've clicked into a position? I think
this might be necessary on a road setup, to allow you to
"cross chain" without rubbing on the front derailleur
(assuming you do this).
Oh yes: why would I want to do this? I think that
Gripshifts are a lot simpler, cheaper and more durable then
STi's. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Gripshift,
normal brake lever combination would be pretty light too,
compared to STi's. There's also the advantage of the
Gripshifts being protected in a crash, assuming they're
mounted near the stem.
Thanks for any information and ideas.
Travers