Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from East Coast, NE
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2003
Strengths: Cheap, looks like it works, comes in eight speed, strengthens wrists
Weaknesses: cheap, poor shifting no matter how well maintained,may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, due to the excessive force needed to shift
Bottom Line:
Had one good set of GripShifts(maybe before Sram bought them) Stayed loyal to the brand and was sorely dissappointed. Tried Sram X-ray (shattered into pieces like glass) then centara.....wrong move. I had them on for a month of pure agony due to the lousy shifting. I feel like the company owes me that time back. I've worked as a mechanic and have built up numerous bikes of my own and others and will never go back to gripshifters.
Even the cheapest trigger shifters Alivio, work better than any gripshifts. Don't waste you cash or time on these.
Similar Products Used: trigger shifters, LX and alivio, sram X-ram(just say NO)
Bike Setup: Three bikes, three setups
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2002
Strengths: Shifts pretty damn good. Fairly precise. Cheap as dirt (no pun intended). Strong.
Weaknesses: I hate twisting to shift. The shifter is WAY too long, I had to cut it, and it's still too long. Parts beginning to seperate (actual twist part moving away from the body of the shifter).
Bottom Line:
A good shifter, if you like twist shifting. I thought since they were 8 speed, and cheap, I'd give them a shot. SRAM is great for giving support to 8 speed users, but I hate twisting.
Basically, if you're thinking of trying these because your Shimano triggers broke, go ahead if you think you can stand twisting. I can't, so I'm going back to Shimano triggers. Alivio to be precise. I need something I can smash to sh*t and not worry about, so XT 8 spd pods are out of the question.
Shimano, WAKE UP. We need quality 8 speed pods! WHY did all you rejects say "we need an extra gear!," oh hey look! now you're all b*tching.
SRAM, you make great stuff, I just wish you made a worthwhile, cheap, and strong trigger shifter.
5 for value, awesome performance at a lower price than they should be.
3 overall, because I HATE twisting something to shift. It sucks.
Similar Products Used: Various Shimano Triggers, SRAM 9.0SL.
Bike Setup: Purpose built Shore hardtail.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ward parker
a Cross Country Rider
from vernon
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2001
Strengths: Accurate,fast shifting, good for multiple shifts
Weaknesses: front shifter is a little harder to change cables on then the rear one.
Bottom Line:
Don,t let the old school elitist's that swear by rapid fires fool you. These gripshifts were just as accurate, fast, and were acculally better at multi-gear shifts then any rapid fire i've ever tried, plus the front shifter could be micro adjusted to the front derailer. Great improvement in the shifter grip design as well. Rapid fire is a dinosaur waiting for the astroid.
Strengths: good shifting, cheap ($30 canadian),comfortable grip
Weaknesses: front shifter is a little noisey, but it just needs adjustment i think
Bottom Line:
BUY THESE NOW ! if you need a shifter upgrade and like gripshift the these are for you. would be nice if they came in 9 speed sence the industry is going that way, but for the price i can't complain
Strengths: The fact that you can tweak the front shifter
Weaknesses: Kind of hard to change cables
Bottom Line:
Great shifting! I used to be a Rapidfire guy, but got sick of having too many missed front shifts. Thanks to SRAM for making these in 7&8 speed models. I have a D.I.R.T. front derailleur and a Shamano XT rear and the shifters work great with either. Thanks to Dexter for recommending them.
Similar Products Used: Gripshift srt 400, rapidfire STX
Bike Setup: Trek 930, RST Mozo fork, XT rear der., SRAM Neos front der.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Abington, MA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 1999
Strengths: Nice solid shifting reliable, when I shift, it goes No problems with this product
Weaknesses: None as of yet
Bottom Line:
I like the Gripshifts, When I bought my GT it came stock with Rapidfires and told the shop to get those things off and put the SRAMs on there. I have never been more pleased. The click is sure and solid, so you know where you are at all times. Good Product. 5 Salamis
Similar Products Used: Shimano rapidfires Shimano LX shifters (oldies) Silly old 10 speed shifters ;-)
Bike Setup: 99 'GT Karakoram RockShox Judy C
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jefftallica
a Cross-Country Rider
from tempe
Date Reviewed: September 2, 1999
Strengths: light, don't break, shift well trimmable front derailleur come with cables and housings love that shape
Weaknesses: easy to strip out right shifter clamp
Bottom Line:
These things are great. the bike shop i got 'em from replaced the clamp, so all is well. i love the fast, positive feel of the shifts. they're a great deal crisper feeling than rapidfire. i also like the trimmable front shifter. gripshift really got the shape down right. it feels perfect to me, and i love the fact that you can grip and shift from the outer flange (more torque this way).
Submitted by
Ann
a Cross-Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: July 12, 1999
Strengths: They work.
Weaknesses: Kinda Stiff.
Bottom Line:
I picked these because I could get 7-speed, and put on separate canti brake levers. It's getting really hard to find 7-speed/canti combos now. They were easy enough to install, although I had to take a file to the inside of one to get it to slide over the handlebar properly. They shift a bit stiffly. I don't know if they'll loosen up over time, or if I need to lube them or something.
Weaknesses: seem to sort of seperate between grip/main body. Probably just messed up in a crash, also shift when you hit bumps sometimes, get bar ends, keep you hands against the bar end, so that they are off the shifters.
Bottom Line:
not half bad really, very reliable, go for it! Also cool they still come in 8 spd.
Submitted by
Richard May
a Weekend Warrior
from Arlington Heights, IL
Date Reviewed: March 21, 1999
Strengths: Improved over the old Gripshift designs
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet.
Bottom Line:
Retro grouches note: The shifters are still available in 7-speed!If you have a significant equipment investment in 7-speed stuff and are looking for new shifters, you may have noticed that there isn't much out there. SRAM/Sachs has these shifters and the next up model (Neos) still available in 7-speed.They work well. The clicks are more positive and the cable can be changed without removing the grip. I dig 'em.PS - You can get these from Performance.
