The Most Intuitive Shifter I Have Used

There was a time when most people didn't think much about shifters, because they were all crap. When I first started riding bikes with multiple cogs, it was pretty simple; two aluminum blades mounted to the downtube of your bike. You had to take a hand off the bars, reach down and grope for your lever of choice (right hand for rear derailleur and left hand for front) and then tilt the lever towards the back of your bike if you wanted a larger cog and towards the front if you wanted a smaller cog. On cheaper bikes, the shifter was attached to the stem, which was a little more convenient for shifting but quite inelegant. These were friction shifters, before indexed shifting appeared, so there was likely some fishing around required to get the chain well aligned, particularly on downshifts.* There were bar end shifters for bikes with downturn handlebars back then but not for 10 year old kids like me (who were only riding 5-speeds anyway).

*I will be using the automotive standard to describe shifts here so a down shift means a lower gear/larger cog. There doesn't seem to be universal agreement on this in cycling.

The first thumb shifters I owned were Shimano Deore XT on my first mountain bike, which I still have, 40 motherfucking years later. They continue to work perfectly. Or they would if that bike wasn't in pieces. These were also friction shifters so again, some fishing around was required. There was no clicking into gear which is likely hard to imagine for riders who have never experienced that, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. In fact, some people continue to advocate for friction.

Once Indexing arrived, things improved dramatically. My favourites of that early era were Shimano trigger shifters, but I have to say that I liked GripShift as well, which was SRAM's very first product. The knock with both of those systems, particularly in relation to downhill riding, was that you couldn't brake while shifting, or even have your finger on the lever for every shift. If you were downshifting on Shimano triggers you could still shift, but with Gripshift it wasn't feasible at all.

Shimano eventually tried to make it possible to shift while you were braking with your actual brake lever, with their Dual Control levers. Basically you pushed the brake lever down to pull the cable and downshift, and raise your lever to go the other way. If that sounds like a bad idea, Shimano could use you back in 2002 or so. As it turns out, riders often put downward pressure on their brake levers when they aren't planning to shift at all, and having your levers move while you are trying to slow your bike in dicey circumstances is very disconcerting. In the world of road bikes 'brifters' work just fine but for mountain bikes they were an ill-conceived flop.

Once we got to shifters that could be operated entirely with your thumb, things were looking pretty good. You could keep your brake finger on the lever and even use your brakes while shifting if that became necessary.

Eagle AXS

The advent of electronic shifting, and its proliferation in MTB with Shimano's Di2 and SRAM's AXS systems, was entirely different. No longer was shifting about pulling or releasing cables; shifters became buttons sending a signal. SRAM's first electronic shifter wasn't particularly well-loved and I continue to struggle to get along with it. I switch bikes often so moving between systems that have become innate and those that are less so, can create problems. At some point I had two AXS bikes and the shifting was set in different directions. On one, the top bottom was for upshifting and on the other it was for downshifting. Even now, when I'm on a first gen. AXS shifter, I sometimes glitch and go the wrong way, despite making sure they are set to my preference. There is something about the layout of those shifters that my brain fails to translate into the mechanical action that occurs at the derailleur. The updated AXS Rocker Controller (as opposed to the Pod Rocker Controller) is a little better for me but still not great.

The Pod

I seemed to be in the minority when the Pod shifter was introduced because it was an immediate improvement for me. There was still something of a disconnect but it was easy to shake and has since become relatively natural for me. Or so I thought before trying the Rocker, or rather, the AXS Pod Controller Rocker Paddle, named as such likely to differentiate it from the AXS Rocker Controller which is the alternate version of the original AXS Controller. If that makes any sense.

Rocker Control

As soon as I tried the newest rocker, I knew it was the shifter for me. It took my some time to figure out why, but from the beginning there was a connection between the rocker's action, which is doing nothing mechanical aside from pushing a button that sends an electronic signal, with what the derailleur is doing.

Another bonus of the rocker is that it gives you a little more leverage over the process. This isn't helpful because it's hard to push the buttons on the original pod controller, because it is not. This is more about subtlety because the rocker version gives you more feel. If you aren't quite ready to shift, but think you may want to very soon, you can begin to apply pressure to the rocker below the threshold required to engage a shift and then with a small amount more pressure, when the time is perfect, you can send that signal.

I think what makes me like the the rocker is that it connects the two actions together, making it feel like there is just one button that you are toggling back and forth, rather than the two distinct signals you are actually sending. For whatever reason, it works well with my cranial faculties. One thing I particularly appreciate is that you can put your thumb in one spot and from there shift in either direction.

Last night I was on a night ride on the original pod and, while I don't recall messing up any shifts, I hesitated a few times because it didn't feel natural. I managed to get it done for the most part but it defaulted back to something I had to dedicate some grey matter to. When you are riding challenging trails, up or down, any amount of spare brain power can be put to use keeping you moving forward and out of harm's way.

Installing the Axs Pod Controller Rocker Paddle

This is one of the easiest tasks you'll ever tackle on your bike. To begin, loosen the clamp, whether you have the integrated SRAM Bridge Clamp or the Discrete Clamp, which, in case I haven't mentioned it enough, I prefer. It's just one T25 Torx fitting either way.

Once you have loosened the bolt you need to turn the shifter within its circular clamp so that the small arrow-like point on the back of the pod aligns with the gap in the clamp. Then you simply push it out.

Once removed, you can lift the pod button holder off the electronic portion of the device, like opening a clam shell, from the end that mates with the clamp.

To place the rocker in the same spot as the two-button mechanism, align the two nodules inside the rocker with the indents in the pod and then push it closed. Once the clam is closed, you can align the point with the gap in the clamp and press it in.

If you are buying a Pod Controller you now have the choice between the rocker or the original pod, and you can still purchase the original controllers in several variations if you prefer one of those. You an also purchase the Rocker Paddle on its own.

In case you are wondering, I have run the table with T-type for the time being. Once I started running with this topic, I was like a dog with a bone. Apologies to all luddites and curmudgeons. I feel your pain. Or, more accurately, I remember it from when I was both of those things.

The updated Rocker on its own, as an update, seems very hard to find right now, but you can buy an entire unit for 150 USD.

Every SRAM shifter, high tech and otherwise.