Does anyone else keep breaking shifters with their shorts?

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Does anyone else keep breaking shifters with their shorts?

19 posts & 16 voices | Started 11 months ago by squattingmouse | Latest reply from squattingmouse

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squattingmouse - Member

I know my coil-air is alittle small for me but am I only the really one with a shelf full of dead SRAM trigger shifters, all missing the bottom paddle.

I keep hooking my shorts over the paddle when clibming out of the saddle which in turn pulls the bars hard, deposites me on the trail with nor wanring and a loud thump and snaps the paddle off. Usually it also puts it in the granny ring so I'm stuck in that gear for the rest of my ride.

I've just ordered some X-7 shifters with the metal paddles to try and stop killing them quite as often.

Posted 11 months ago #
timwillows - Member

Never happened to me or seen it happen to others. Sounds like it would be entertaining to watch though!

Posted 11 months ago #
Rusty Shackleford - Member

I don't use SRAM shifters myself, but I'm guessing the answer to your question is "no".

Posted 11 months ago #
derp - Member

I assume you greet your local MTB clothing shop owner thusly:

"Show me a pair of your baggiest baggy shorts. A pair so baggy, they laugh in the face of aerodynamics!"

Posted 11 months ago #
brakes - Member

this thread is not helping my fight to rid the world of lycra
try shimano, or gripshift
.
what's worse though is catching your shorts on the rebound adjuster on your fork

Posted 11 months ago #
nixon_fiend - Member

You're on sram - go gripshift!

You don't need to run it both sides either

Posted 11 months ago #
Junkyard - Member

having just tested this on my bike short [ get it eh] of placing my nuts on the stem then thrustung violently backwards i cant see how you do this

oh hold on is this you?

Posted 11 months ago #
highclimber - Member

I broke my shifter when I stacked it last. pinged right off.

the bite valve on my hydration kit often gets stuck on the shifters though.

Posted 11 months ago #
fourbanger - Member

Only happens when I'm climbing, but a pain in the arse both times it happened. Reasons to wear lycra....

Posted 11 months ago #
squattingmouse - Member

My shorts are Zymes so not that baggy, only happens when really over the bars and honking away for leverage rather than acoutsics effect. I'm 6ft 2 and riding a 17 inch frame so it is a little cramped...

Posted 11 months ago #
Drac - Moderator

Your sitting on the wrong end of your bike.

Posted 11 months ago #
cookeaa - Member

I was occasionally catching the bell on my trail bike from time to time, especially out of the saddle climbing.

Going from a 50mm to an 80mm stem improved climbing and also seems to have cured the minor knee catching issue.... Double win...

could the OP's issue be similar?

Posted 11 months ago #
M6TTF - Member

I'm 6ft 2 and riding a 17 inch frame so it is a little cramped...

Answered your problem yourself - your back must kill after a few hours!

Posted 11 months ago #
hugor - Member

No. But i've bent a few shifters after banging them with my knees.

Posted 11 months ago #
squattingmouse - Member

M6TTF - not really actually. I may have short arms or something. It probably helps that most of the riding on the coil-air is plummet down the hill then slowly grind back up it using the granny ring type riding.

It's been on a couple of all day rides and done relatively well where the only real handicap was it's weight. I am naturally a sit down and spin climber rather than a honk on the bars type. That's why it only happens about twice/three times a year. Still putting the bike away and seeing the piles of indetically broken shifters today did make me think.

Posted 11 months ago #
BadlyWiredDog - Member

Yeah, but not shifters, I've snapped six carbon bars now after snagging them with my shorts. It only happens when I try to pull a triple back-flip, on a double flip it's fine, but the extra rotation with the triple seems to be an issue. I get the end of the handlebar caught up my short leg then there's a terrible cracking noise and the bar just splinters and snaps off. It only happens at trail centres, because obviously, I wouldn't pull stunts like that on a natural trail.

When it does happen, it tends to spoil the rest of the ride. I find it really hard to steer the bike with only half a handlebar and my voice tends to go up several octaves for a day or two as well thanks to the impromptu wedgie effect. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

Posted 11 months ago #
matt_outandabout - Member

Post us a picture of you on your bike....

I am 6' and ride 18" and while it feels right, it does look a bit small in pictures...and occasionally on climbs I do think, 'shoulda got the L not the M'

Posted 11 months ago #
ahwiles - Member

mouse; your bike is about 2 sizes too small.

yes, yes it is.

Posted 11 months ago #
squattingmouse - Member

Right then -

My estimate of my height was a bit out. I know I'm 1.85m tall which according to this handy sizing chart here means I should be either riding an 18inch and fiding it nippy or a 19 inch and finding it a bit gate like.

I did (and still have the frame from) an 18 inch inbred which was fine for pedalling about but a bit large for hooning about on. I've had a 17 inch Kona hadr tail for years which is why I bought the coil-air frame I did.

True I should have an 18 inch frame (possibly 19 inch) but the 17inch is sooo flickable on the downhills. Besides my favourite kona was an old fire mountain I used to have which had a really short top-tube for it's size. I just like them than way it appears.

Badlywireddog - sorry but you're not funny.

Posted 11 months ago #

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