I just made the switch from DuraAce to Campy (Record) and went out for my first ride. Everything seems great, except the Ergopower shifters. The thumb levers are a total pain in the ass. Hopefully, I just don’t know the trick to using them well, but in order to push down on the lever I have to basically take the weight of my right hand, roll my wrist outward, and pull it back a little in order to get my thumb on the lever. This isn’t a big deal, unless you’re out of the saddle climbing, cornering, or just wanting to avoid being irritated. For something with the term Ergo in its name, I expected something much easier to use.
So tell me, what’s the trick? What am I doing wrong?
are you sure you don’t have left n right mixed up?
just kidding. not sure why it’s not comfy for you. mine work better than shimano da as far as comfort. i think it’s reasonable that some people are just going to have a preference either way. that’s too bad if you find out they are not going to work. your thumbs are super long?
It would seem that perhaps you are Shimano Dura Ace adapted. As with PCs and RCs, you must begin a process of adaptation that may take more than a season. Just kidding!
Never having been similarly afflicted, I am not sure of what to recommend to help you “transition” to Campy. Perhaps you need to go to the temple of Record10Ti and worship for a weekend.
It sounds to me as if when riding your Dura Ace, you generally positioned your hands further out on the “hoods” than will permit easy actuation of thumb shifter on a Campy lever. This was one of the first things I noticed when I rode a Shimano equipped bike for the first time. The levers seem to stick forward a lot further than the Campy levers do.
Campy is all that I have ever owned and I love it and would not switch. I position my hands on the hoods as if I am about to grasp someone’s hand as in a handshake or as if I were going to draw a revolver from a holster on my side (as in wild west gunslinger). The weight of my arm or torso is directed more downward through the forearm and wrist/hand than outward. The knob on the top of the shifter is not utilized to keep my hand from slipping off the end of the shifter. My thumb may be slightly forward of the thumb shifter button or above it, but it does not require repositioning my hand to actuate the thumb shifter.
I experience no difficulty shifting while standing or climbing if I find the urge or need. In fact, when standing, I grasp the “barrel” of the shifter (between the handlebar and the knob on the end) with my thumb curled around the inside of the barrel and two to three fingers around the outside of the barrel. In this position, the inside edge of the thumb is probably just brushing the edge of the thumb shifter.
All of this seems very “natural” to me, but I can understand how it might seem unnatural for a Shimano adapted disciple.
Forgive me, I must run. Service is about to start and I don’t want to miss Record10Ti’s sermon this afternoon. Its supposed to be a real good one.
At first I thought you were going to complain about your brand new Campy gear shifting like crap, it not yet being broken in However, it would appear that it is your hand position that need adjustment, as opposed to the shifters.
I would agree with Ben and the others in that you’ve probably just adapted your hand position to be able to use shimano’s setup. I cut my teeth on the 1st gen ergopower levers when I first transitioned from downtube levers, and immediately found them to be extremely comfortable as well as very easy to use from all positions. I test rode a bike for a buddy a few years back that was equipped with STI and I HATED it! Those Shimano levers are so big, and I don’t like the feeling of my brake levers moving in two planes. I also found the amount of throw to be somewhat excessive. So far the only “advantage” I’ve ever heard about STI is that some roadies like to hang on to the shift cables that stick out the sides like shortie bars for solo breakaways, etc. Definitely not a fan of STI.
Ride around and play with different hand positions, and get a feel for how best to grip the levers in different situations. You will find that they are extremely comfortable, and that you can shift with ease from just about any position on the bar.
This makes sense. I tend to rotate my hands pretty far inward (so that my thumbs and forearms create a straight line). I’ll try your suggestion. Sounds pretty resonable. Thanks!
