I noticed a thread on Grip Shift while I was gone (I was gone for three weeks), but did not post on this subject as I was on me mum-in-law’s time (and it is bloody expensive in the afternoon).
www.catbikes.ch is where to go for the 9 speed Grip Shift. Dane will be your contact person. Also, get a Cheetah behind the saddle water bottle holder while you’re at it.
As far as the grip problems, I had this problem in a 60 mile ride at mile thirty. I got home being able to shift gears in a very difficult way. Good old-fashioned two-part epoxy will cure the grip-sliding problem.
As far as the shifting back problem goes, the only remedy is to always make sure you adjust the cables. There is a lot of pull on the cable, so your cable life is halved (in my opinion). You will need to replace shift cables at least once per season, more often if you put over 2500 miles per season on the bike. I am a cable-replacing maniac, anyhow, as I replace cables every season on any bike, as I don’t like surprises.
Get the proper grease for the innards of the shifter (Johnny Snot grease for Grip Shift, I forgot what Profile recommended for their UPS). This will only help smoothness of the shifting. Also, I have found that teflon-lined cables with plenty of lubrication help shifting, as well as regularly lubricating every pivot point and the spring of the rear mechnism.
I hope this helps anyone who has had problems with their Grip Shift or Profile UPS.