I am suffering quite badly from this on left hand. I have the shifting as sweet as it can be – xt/slx, new cables, all lubed, so I can’t get the levers any lighter. I did see a physio about it end of last summer, who reckons a bit arthritic but more a tendon strain, and it did calm down, but back with a vengeance now -(. It’s base of thumb, so hurts pushing/gripping (screw top jars hurt)

I really don’t want to go to grip shifting and my knees wont do SS !!

I have just rotated my levers a bit more horizontal (now 30 to 40 degrees below vertical) to see if this might help.

any ideas, or excercises that might help ?

I find that I don’t get this problem so much on my singlespeed

gripshift?

And that’s why I love my dual control levers 😀

Shame Shimano don’t make them any more 😥

I used to have issue after recovering from a wrist op. I’ve recently switched to inboard brake levers and its better for me. I tried a few exercises (a springy grip thing for climbers and a powerball) but I didn’t really try hard.

I have a similar issue but brought on by guitar playing – pain on bike also when shifting etc.
Its improving since seeing a physio who gave me some thumb stretches to do. Basically pull the thumb back and down towards outside of elbow – if that makes sense – hold for 30 seconds 3 x a day.
As I said after three weeks its improving quite dramatically.

I used to get this problem until I put new cables on. Less friction meant my thumb didn’t have to work as hard

new cables on, so can’t make the shifting any lighter. Brakes aleady inboard too.

Have tried powerball and the climbers ‘gripmaster’, which do help a bit.

LenBuch – you got any links to that stretch ?

Thanks

Like above, grip shift. I had the same problem in the 90’s before modern shifters.

thanks – really don’t want to change 3 bikes over to grip shifters – very much last resort, although I may have to 😥

I’m never quite sure why people think SS is hard on knees – IME it isn’t because when things get steep you are out of the saddle and using much more upper body strength combined with moving your legs about more than if you were just sitting spinning on a gearie. If your knees give you problems you may well benefit from some different leg exercise anyway to strengthen muscles around the kneecap not used much when pedalling. Any issues I’ve had in the past with knees have been bought on by geared riding.

Riding SS for a while on your existing bike may be your cheapest way to give that thumb a rest. Alternatively if you just don’t get on with SS why not try an Alfine which has but one shifter to worry about? A slightly off the wall idea might be a bar end shifter perhaps cobbled into a bar end? Or fit drop bars (Midge bars perhaps) and STI’s

Another thought – just go 1×9?

some good ideas, thanks

I had the very same thing, grip shift was all that fixed it, although kept the xt for rear shifts.

That’s not much help is it.

APF

Not wishing to impune your bike maint skills but the onyl time I had problems with a very stiff front shifter was when I had the cable way too tight – it should be slack when the mechs on the small ring – any tension then tends to make the shifting into the middle and big rings much more of an effort.

Shame Shimano don’t make them any more

Really ? I didn’t know that ……….the best thing I ever did to my bikes was to change to dual control. No way am I ever going back.

I was just about to put a post up about the very same problem only mine is with my rear shifter thumb. I serviced my bike yesterday and I am still finding my shifter really stiff. I am thinking that it must be the shifter and nothing else as i Lubed the mech (slx) and cable and its still stiff.

http://www.bryantx.gov/brazoswat/stretch.htm

Only thing I can find – its stretch numder 3 and hold it for 30 seconds and do it about 3 times a day.

Len – been on hol for a week, thanks for the info, will give it a go, cheers