10spd Saint shifter, 11spd XT derailleur, 11-46t SunRace cassette = my favourite ‘rapid fire’ drivetrain.
I’ve run a friction thumbie (no indexing) for years on my commuter and on/off on my FS bike. It’s an old Paul Thumbie plate, older DuraAce 9-speed Barcon shifter. Currently powering a Box 9-SPD system but more recently Shimano with an 11spd cassette and before that a 10spd.
Not for everyone, and I don’t race anybody, but I love it. Makes perfect shifts a game and I’m way smarter about my shifting points. It makes me faster/smoother as I focus on momentum instead of shifts. Like a multi-geared single speed?
Anyways it’s struck a bit of a cord on Instagram. Folks tag me in their moderin-bike-with-thumbie setup or message me pics. There’s a surprising (to me) number of folks out there experimenting.
March 13, 2020, 6:10 a.m. - Andrew Major
10spd Saint shifter, 11spd XT derailleur, 11-46t SunRace cassette = my favourite ‘rapid fire’ drivetrain. I’ve run a friction thumbie (no indexing) for years on my commuter and on/off on my FS bike. It’s an old Paul Thumbie plate, older DuraAce 9-speed Barcon shifter. Currently powering a Box 9-SPD system but more recently Shimano with an 11spd cassette and before that a 10spd. Not for everyone, and I don’t race anybody, but I love it. Makes perfect shifts a game and I’m way smarter about my shifting points. It makes me faster/smoother as I focus on momentum instead of shifts. Like a multi-geared single speed? Anyways it’s struck a bit of a cord on Instagram. Folks tag me in their moderin-bike-with-thumbie setup or message me pics. There’s a surprising (to me) number of folks out there experimenting.