Irreverence: Shift Indicators
This is possibly the most offensive piece of gear I have encountered on a bike. Do you really need a little orange wand to tell you what gear you’re in? There is only one gear to be in: the hardest one at which you can still make the pedals go around in something resembling a circle.
These goofy little things were found on the bike I rented last weekend for a benefit ride on the east coast in honor of my late Aunt. It was a wonderful ride and great family time… but really, shift indicators? Further proof that all has been in decline since the advent of indexed derailleurs. What added insult to injury in this case was the quality (or lack there of) in the shifting itself. Tiagra is a far cry from my beloved Dura Ace. I would try to shift and the little orange wand would wobble uselessly back and forth — like a Seattle driver trying to merge on the highway — until, finally, an enormous noise would ripple up the bike and a new gear *might* be achieved. I began to brace myself for the effort…. and…. SHHHHHIIIIIFFFFFFTTTTT. Like passing a gallbladder stone. (Or so I imagine.)
In the end, this Cannondale Synapse was just fine. It even had a sharp paint job. Almost sharp enough to make up for the kiddie shifters.
I have a set of those Tiagra shifters on my winter/commuting/shitty weather bike and I think they are amazing. They don’t work very well, and the small orange ‘wands’ that tell you that you may or may not be in a gear are most embarrassing. However, I ride this bike as hard and fast as I can at all times just so hopefully no other cyclist will see orange tipped embarrassment of my kiddy shifters, and anything on my bike which encourages me to bury myself rather than ease up when the going gets spicy is a good thing, no? It also makes me appreciate how good any bike with a better gruppo on is when I get to ride one.
The basic premise that these shifters are a godsend for those who can’t work out what gear they are in by any other means is a bit distressing though. If you can’t glance to your cassette and work it out from that then I would suggest that maybe an alternative sport would be more appropriate….. Maybe a nice game of whackfuck (golf)?
I’ve got some of these wee nine speed things on my #2, they work fine but are a struggle compared to #1. I’d forgotten all about the indicators, which I used to pay attention to when I was starting out. I’ve got a second hand set of 10 speed shifters waiting to be fitted, I just can’t afford a ten speed chain and cassette at the moment. I shall have to get rid of some superfluous odds and sods on ebay to make that happen.
The BSO wasn’t plush enough to have Tiagra, had to make do with 2300, it also had indicators but they don’t actually tell you much anyway. Wore out the wheel and BB bearings in 10 months but those gear still changed fine.
in my opinion there are only two indicators required anyway, if you legs are spinning at warp speed change up until you are moving at a “decent clip” , the second one is, if you are struggling to maintain a magnificent stroke then change down until in bottom gear. Still struggling! Then HTFU!
@Percy
What exactly do you do with this information once you have it? Put another way, who cares about what gear they are in? It might do you some good if you could use your shiny new recon glasses to caclulate the gradient you were about to hit, and reduce your gear ratio proportionally to account for it. But seriously at that point, the glasses should alert your ant+ enabled Di2 to make the shift for you. Did I go too far?
@razmaspaz
I would point out that while none of US would ever do it, some people may find a need to shift from the big ring to the small one. Knowing that you’ve run out of rear cogs and that the next downshift is going to require changing chainrings is pretty valuable information, especially if you are anoxic and the snow looks black. So, looking at the cog and determining that the best your RD can do for you is to throw the chain into the spokes is probably a good indication that you need to use the other shifter, but having a flashing blue light on the right shifter telling you the same thing might help others.
@snoov
If you were not off swanning around the fecking Alps and having a number one good time then you could afford to treat #2 to an upgrade ! #notjealousatall
Oh, and a fair few uses of the C word here, am I the only one banned from using it ?
I have a genesis vapour as my #2 / rain / commuter / cx bike running humble 9sp tiagra and for what it is I can’t fault it. Its easy to set up nicely and then it works perfectly. I can’t say i’ve ever really paid the orange indicators any notice so I guess at worst they are unnecessary. My #1 is 11sp Chorus which is fucking ace in everyway but I have no less fun or feel any less rad on my #2.
@strathlubnaig like most things its all about cadence, timing and delivery, @scaler911 nailed all three.
@Brian & @wiscot
‘This isn’t Vietnam Donny, this is cycling and there are rules’
Real shifters only shift up. Just saying… If you got to the small cog in back and the big in front why would you ever want to leave?
I’m a bit torn. I would like to get a nice bro-set for my N which is currently festooned with those very Tiagra shifters, but I also want to get an N+1 to go MtBing with the VMH.
The question then… which do I do *first*?
The next idiot that uses the word Gruppo in relation to Shimano should be banned from the site. Come on people the lexicon and rules exist for a reason.
@TBONE
Indeed. Rule #93: Componentry must be Italian. No exceptions.
As for the downshifting, it hasn’t changed. You can downshift multiple cogs. You’re talking about the upshifting having changed, not the downshifting.
I’m an owner of a 2010 Sora group-san on a (aluminum frame/carbon fork) 2011 GT series 4. My dilemma is this-upgrade the bike all together to all carbon and at best an Ultegra/105/Tiagra/FSA mixed bag for under 2k or, go with an Chorus/Athena 11 mixed gruppo,(of which I scored NIB 53-39, Athena crankset ,Chorus FD and 11-23 Miche cassette for $300 USD via E-bay just today, praise be to Merckx.) strip the Sora shit off, buy a new and much better wheel set, buy a decent CX frame, slap the Sora stuff on the CX frame or keep it in stock to use as I break what will likely be a low end Shimano or SRAM group for racing ‘cross.
Is the GT frame sexy-nah, but for a low end frame it’s more than adequate considering the ass upon the saddle. Will the Campy group improve my riding? It’s probable, considering 3 more cogs and better engineering and workmanship,IMO. It’s more likely to be a better buy than a carbon frame, as the rider will need to lose 10x more than the .5 kg difference in frame weight to notice. I will end up with a new bike, and a bunch of much needed spare parts that won’t make me cry if they break. Are the indicators lame?-sure, and they barely indicate anything except than you moved the lever one way or the other, and it suddenly just got really easy or really hard to pedal. As for the laughable FD shifter indicator-certainly made for those who cant count past 21 without taking off their socks and pants.
105 is my personal bottom line, but my daughters have Tiagra on their entry level bikes and they’re actually half-decent. Must be benefitting from some trickle down. The old school exposed cables are great to grab on to for extra stability when doing the phantom aero-bar thing too.
@wiscot and dont forget the redundant barrel adjuster for the rear d! wtf?!?!?!?! good article, but don’t forget your beloved dura-ace featured an in-line gear indicator on the cable! for the right shfiter? that was the older 10 speed DA.
@wiscot
Twat. It’s not my bike. I made my views on adults on choppers quite clear.
@TBONE
As long as it’s only ever used on the track or for getting to the track.
@oldnslowly
I don’t have a cervelo but just case it wasn’t clear, Don on adults riding choppers:
Chorus 9 speed on my custom 853 and Super Record on my BMC SLC like the one Floyd won on.
Don’t need flash gear but want what I have, so life is good.
If Tiagra is what gets someone out on the road, so be it.
Its about the ride.
However, if one needs a little piece of hi viz plastic to know which gear they are in, ahem, maybe the sport is not for them.
I suspect most Tiagra owners don’t even look at them anyway. What was Shimano thinking?
Tiagra is a group-San.
Get with it.
@Tilesey
You are in for a whole world of “enlightenment” on Tuesday? Enjoy, and never look back!
@Matt
I think you will find most of the exasperation is directed at the manufacturer not the rider. People ride what they can afford. It’s good that you got the anger out there but the bottom line is…..you wouldn’t find a gruppo with that kind of dick wand on it!
please lord merckx let be correct or my faith in italian awesomeness will be severely and irreversibly dented!
@lordmoos3
I think you already in your heart of hearts know the answer to this question, otherwise you would not be lurking on this site…
While totally agreeing with the stupidity of even thinking to need a gear indicator (something only for automatic cars) you young-uns will have to watch out and remember one day you’ll have to start trading back down from the top of the line spec’d carbon beauty equipment with Dura Ace or Super Record. Hopefully you will have an understanding spouse who appreciates that you just can’t got below a 105 spec’d lower end italian carbon job (don’t pick on the Pinarello – I love the ONDA forks and seat stays). I haven’t been able to part with the older machines (Rule 12) and Rule #11 has to mean you get to keep some self respect in old age. My next machine just has to be a Super Record Focus Izalco!
First time long time …
Recently rented a Tiagra equipped bike while on vaca with the wife – worked well enough.
Didn’t even realize the gear indicators were there, and took a second to figure out what they were once discovered.
As @Steampunk and others have said, its easy to jump in the deep end and start with the good stuff – but do you really know how to swim? I shake my head every time a newish/inexperienced rider shows up on a $$$ bike and gets shat out when the pace picks up or the road turns even slightly skyward. I have alot more respect for a rider who earns their equipment with lots of km’s, sweat, and time, as opposed to those with nothing more than a fat wallet.
I have almost 20 years of riding under my belt, and I still question whether or not I’m worthy.
@Polly
I know I’m not worthy of my bike (or my wife) but it’s only when I stop appreciating it (and her) that it becomes an issue.
We all have differing means at our disposal. Those that can roll Record, Red or the like, Merckx bless you. Reading this, I kept recalling two of the truest things I’ve ever heard regarding cycling: the Prophet once said, “Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.” And, “It’s the Indian, not the arrow.” End of.
@ten B
+1 sir. Well said!
I don’t have a fat wallet, but I do have a great shop discount. There is no real need in my cycling life justifying ownership of my TCR Advanced SL. My abilities are not commensurate with those of the equipment on my #1, but should that stop me from riding it?
Very few of us are truly able to earn our bikes with sweat – that means we’re getting paid in some way to ride them. I understand the sentiment – that one must pay his or her dues in order to be deserving of fine equipment – and I call bullshit. If one doesn’t appreciate the equipment, then bets are off and the owner is a twat. But both the racer looking for every advantage and the weekend warrior who takes immaculate care of the finest frames and parts available to keep them pristine are worthy of them.
With all that said, I’ve worked on plenty of the 10-speed Tiagra, and it’s neither amazing nor junk. It can be tuned well and function every bit as reliably as 105 if properly adjusted. The indicators are hideous and should be removed, and the external cabling is an ugly throwback and should also be changed to bring all of Shimano’s 10-speed Groups-san into line.
@ten B
Probably the wisest words posted this side the spring classics. Chapeau!
@V-olcano
I applaud the sentiment…and the correct use of the plural of group-san!
When I went to buy my new bike last year, I was going to get an alloy frame with 105. I ended up ponying up more for an Ultegra bike simply because I liked the livery. 105 is a great group, but I think Ultegra pretty much nails performance vs.$$; way cheaper than DA but still has more of the trickle-down than 105. I’ve found a big difference in 105 and Ultegra chains with improved shifting from more machining, only problem is dirt likes to get in the “weight saving” milled out spots.
ill agree that Ultegra is the tits but 105 isnt shabby. when i got #1 i had 2 options; get a carbon frame with 105 or get an aluminum frame with ultegra. i went with the carbon frame.
buy what you can afford and make it look as good as you can. I always think my lowly carbon cdale is damn sexy.
If you check your gearing any time after putting the wheel on, you are not strong enough.
@Angling Saxon
It did change. Athena 11 Ergos are now Power Shift and not Ultra Shift so one down at a time.
http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/groupsetdetail/item_ComandiAthena_catid_13.jsp
@Steampunk
Agreed on both counts!
With the caveat that hardtails of any make (steel, ti, aluminium, carbon) are the steel roadie’s version of a MTB.
@rastuscat
Almost my exact go to set up; 1999 custom Steelman 853 w/Record 9spd. Haven’t found anything since that does everything overall so well.
Sorry you didn’t like the tinkerbell Tiagra group but I doubt it slowed you down. Remember, its what you do between shifts that counts.
Yikes, people get up in arms defending the low end components. Here’s the deal: YOU are not crap if you have entry level stuff. Most everyone has been there. You dont go faster on DA vs Tiagra. Nicer kit, is just that, nicer. With that in mind, if your nose gets out of joint because someone doesn’t like the kit you ride its time to HTFU and realize its just the interwebz. Ride what you like and can afford. I have three kids and thusly ride a CAAD10 with 105 vs an EVO with some DA. Its a good bike and is much better than I am. My first bike was a Trek 1.1 with 2300. I equally suck on either bike. The 105 kit is nicer to use though and someday when my kids are older my bike with DA/Record/whatever will be even nicer, but I’ll still be me.
@Derek
Had a DA 7700 set up a couple of years back. Nice retro Group San, but it had no silly indicators.
Just sayin.
With shifters it’s only when you downgrade that you notice inferior product, if Tiagra is all you have known then that’s fine. The first bike I can remember was my Chopper with 3 Stumery Archer hub gears and a stick shift. I’m just happy that I was one of the few to move on with my front teeth intact. Next was a Releigh with 5 cogs at the back, that bike took me far and wide, right through puberty and from being the smallest kid in class to one of the tallest. Next was a 2nd hand Dawes, I was happy because it had more cogs at the back and a frame that wasn’t way too small for me. Once I was earning it was a Giant next, I loved that bike. Chunky aluminium lugs, straight carbon tubes and 105 index gearing. The shifters were still on the down tube but 105 indexing was a huge step forward. Around this time though the world was moving to brake lever shifting and eventually I was seduced by a Scott with a clean, uncluttered down tube. This was the biggest mistake of my cycling life, it was a triple downgrade. From carbon to aluminium, from 105 to Sora and from a double to a triple. That bike was shit, a frame that was agony on the arse and I eventually broke the FD mount after over tightening the bolts after yet another attempt to eliminate front mech rub. Thank fuck I had kept the Giant and eventually I got the Scott repaired and offloaded it to another fool who was seduced by it’s good looks. Who knows, for him it might have been an upgrade and a huge step forward, I never heard back from him so I can only assume he’s happy with it.
One of the upsides of higher-end mech is that it generally lasts longer too. Not saying that everyone should get Super Record EPS but get the nicest stuff you can afford and it will repay you by shifting well and lasting longer without needing tweaks. Moreover, if your bike gets a quality service at decent intervals where they (you?) replace cables and jockey wheels etc, it may last you pretty much forever. Nothing wrong with modest kit but if you spend enough hours on the bike, any upgrades that you are able to make are a pretty good investment. Of course, if you mostly just look at your bike, its irrelevant and you will still get dropped on the first hill anyway
As an aside, I just moved from Bro-set Force back to Gruppo Chorus and am very much enjoying the Italian life.
As another aside, grip shifts work well in the medium they came from – mountain biking. If you’re riding well, you won’t have time or need to look at the indicators.
@graham d.m. YOU are not crap if you have entry level stuff.
I am. (Sram Rival)
Tiagra indicators seem pointless to me but rubbishing tiagra is just bang out of order. Snobby preaching from mount dura ace ist surely not what you guys are all about. Tours have been won and epic feats of cyling and suffering have been performed on lesser equipment GTFU…groupset the fuck up. Love this website and know lots of people who do.
@Brian
Spot on, if you like movies and haven’t seen it, rectify it asap. I have it in a Coen Bros box set, all movies are good, but this is the dogs pyjamas.
For all of you duds bagging Shimano for putting on the gear indicators and extolling Campy for never doing such a thing – well you need to get a clue and some knowledge. The Campagnolo ergobrain – best bike computer before Garmins came along – calculates cadence from your speed compared to your gear ratio (a very very smart idea as it does away with the sensor and magnet) and GASP has a dirty big display of your current gearing.
Heck, not everyone can afford Dura Ace guys. Some of us *have* to put up with Planet Tiagra and its kiddy shiifters…
Here’s the deal with those indicators – They don’t work. I mean they don’t do anything. I came to cycling last August after 35 years away. I was amazed at what was available at the LBS. Wow! For budgetary considerations I needed somewhat entry level gear and bought a Felt Z with Tiagra.
Since I didn’t know any better, I figured the orange sticks would be helpful. Nah… For one thing, they operate backwards. If I shifted inward, the stick moved outward. Secondly, they bear no relationship to anything except the free space they float in. Perhaps if there were some sort of registration indicators telling me where I was on the cassette, I coul… Oh fuck it, I’ll just look down.
I’ve since upgraded from the compact to Ultegra mechanical 53-39 and 11-17, 19 21 23. It’s really hard to use for this old guy, but I don’t miss the indicators pointing forward.
@meursault
Any reason why you had this intent desire to keep watching the little orange bar..?? I have Tiagra shifters which I might add change gear very smoothly for me.. I cant say I really notice the orange bar as I tend not to spend my time looking at it when changing gear.. I just shift and carry on cycling… Works for me :-)
@Miguelito
Shouldn’t it be Maunto Dura-Ace? It is Japanese, after all. Or would it simply be Dura Ace-san? Anyway, I’ll preach from Red Mountain all damned day, though it does look pretty nice over there on Monte Super Record.