Gear indicators... backwards?

hedgehog said:

This is the first bike I've had with gear indicators built into the shifters (rapid fire style). Are they supposed to move the opposite direction as the chain? It seems odd that they would be designed that way.

So assuming they are wrong, is it easy to fix. I generally like to do my own work but am not crazy about dissasembling a shifter. I've done it in the past and it was ugly.

Lower numbers mean more torque and less speed. Higher numbers mean more speed and less torque. Thus, for the chainring, the smallest ring is "one", and the largest ring is the highest number. For the cassette, the largest gear is "one" and the smallest gear is the highest number.

Unless you have a Rapid Rise Derailleur on the rear, then its the other way round for the cassette.

uum, ok but noone answered my question, it doesn't even have any numbers.

Is the red indicator supposed to move the same direction as the chain? BTW it's not rapid-rise

If I understand your question correctly, I am going to say that no, the indicator does not need to move the direction of the chain. The indicators on my MTB both "go away from the chain" when I am shifting to the higher gears. They go right to left. I know that doesn't make much sense but that is how it works. Hope that helps.

-Bill

hedgehog said:

uum, ok but noone answered my question, it doesn't even have any numbers.

Is the red indicator supposed to move the same direction as the chain? BTW it's not rapid-rise

It might depend on the type, but on the Shimano Rapidfire, the right (rear) indicator usually moves opposite the chain, and the left (front) indicator usually moves the same direction as the chain. For both sides, first is indicated on the outside and the highest number is indicated on the inside. Why? Because you use your thumb to go to a bigger sprocket and your index finger to go to a smaller sprocket on with both hands, but as I said before, smaller is higher on the rear, but smaller is lower on the front.

ok, well that's genius. I'd rather have both of them move the same direction as the chain, it might indicate cross-gearing easier as well.

OK, I have Shimano SH-R443 Rapid Fire shifters on my road bike, they work the same as MTB shifters. They have a single line indicator moving across an arc with two bars in the middle of the arc.

I got some lettraset or similar and put the numbers 1 5 9 on the body of the shifter when I was learning which way it all went. It you have a VCR cssette, the labels have sets of useful numbers in the box for labelling the casette, that way you can label it which ever way you want to go. 1 5 9 or 9 5 1. 🙂

For me "left" on the indicator was always "smaller", however a Rapid Rise Rear Derailleur would be the opposite. It would give you what you want.

I don't advise this, when double down shifting, using both index fingers is a real advantage.

I came to cycling from a motor cycle background, one of my bikes had the spark advance on the left twist grip and the throttle on the right, I wound them together, not opposite. 😄