Bike gear shifters, triggers and levers
A bike gear shifter pulls the cable or sends the signal that moves the derailleur: it must match the number of speeds, the brand and the family of your drivetrain, as well as the type of handlebar and brake. This page brings together shifters for flat bars, integrated road levers, electronic shifters and their parts, as well as speed sensors and e-bike remotes.
What types of bike gear shifter are there?
On a flat bar, the trigger shifter is the most widespread: one lever to shift up, another to shift down, operated with the thumb and index finger. The thumb shifter, simpler, equips many entry-level bikes, and the twist shifter changes gear as you turn your wrist. Combined shifters bring the brake lever and the shifter together in a single body, like Shimano's EZ Fire on hybrids and city bikes.
On a road or gravel handlebar, the integrated lever handles both braking and gear changes: you swing the lever or a paddle sideways to change sprocket. For a hydraulic disc brake, this lever also contains the master cylinder. Electronic shifters, Shimano Di2 or SRAM AXS, replace the cable with a wire or a wireless link: a simple press of a button is enough, and extra buttons can be placed on the handlebar or on triathlon extensions.
Compatibility: speeds, brand and brakes
A mechanical shifter is indexed for a specific number of speeds and, with each click, releases a length of cable specific to its brand and often to its component family. It must therefore match the derailleur, not just the cassette: a 10-speed shifter does not operate an 11-speed derailleur properly. At the front, the left-hand shifter is designed for two or three chainrings. On the braking side, a hydraulic road lever only works with hydraulic callipers, and a combined lever for a flat bar is designed for one type of brake, rim or disc.
Mounting on the handlebar and adapters
Flat bar shifters clamp onto a 22.2 mm handlebar, with a separate clamp or directly onto the brake lever clamp thanks to the manufacturers' integration systems, which frees up space on the handlebar. Adapters also let you pair a shifter and a brake lever from different brands or adjust their position. Finally, think about cables and housing: a new shifter deserves a new cable.
Speed sensors and e-bike controls
Speed also means pace: this page offers speed sensors for bike computers, fitted to the hub or with a magnet on the wheel spokes, which transmit the measurement wirelessly. It also brings together e-bike parts: motor speed sensor cables, assistance remotes on the handlebar or on the top tube, and control displays. These parts are replaced like for like. Moving, disabling or fooling the sensor so that the assistance continues beyond its legal limit is not allowed: the bike would no longer meet the rules for electric bikes.
Other drivetrain parts
A shifter is chosen together with its rear derailleur and, on a double or triple chainset, with the front derailleur. Cables, housing, lever parts and hangers are in drivetrain spare parts, and a complete groupset guarantees matching components.
Which brands of gear shifters?
Shimano covers every use: EZ Fire combined shifters for flat bars, Claris, Tiagra, Ultegra and Dura-Ace road levers, GRX and Metrea levers, and Di2 electronic shifters.
Brose supplies the speed sensor cables for its e-bike motors here, in 420 and 600 mm lengths.
Garmin offers a pack combining its speed and cadence sensors, to feed bike computers and watches with speed and pedalling data.
Mahle supplies the controls for its e-bike assistance systems: the X35+ Trio remote, the Duo handlebar remote and the iWoc One button placed on the top tube.
SRAM supplies the AXS Pod wireless controllers, their replacement paddles and buttons, and the GX Eagle AXS trigger.
Microshift, a drivetrain components brand, offers Centos double-shift levers in aluminium and Shimano-compatible shifters.
Gear shifters on sale
Shifters and levers from previous series, useful for like-for-like repairs, are offered in drivetrain clearance; shifters that have just joined the catalogue are in new arrivals. The winter sales are a good time to modernise your cockpit.
Frequently asked questions
How do you choose a compatible gear shifter?
Note the brand, family and number of speeds of your derailleur, then the type of handlebar and brake. A shifter from the same family as the derailleur is the safest choice.
Can you mix a Shimano shifter with a SRAM derailleur?
Generally not, because the two brands do not use the same cable pull ratio, apart from exceptions documented by the manufacturers. Pair a shifter and a derailleur from the same brand, or stated as compatible.
Trigger or twist shifter?
A trigger gives precise shifts and keeps your hand firmly on the grip; a twist shifter is intuitive and lets you change several gears in one movement. The choice is mainly a matter of habit.
How do you replace a bike gear shifter?
Put the chain on the smallest sprocket, release and remove the cable, take off the grip and then the shifter. Fit the new one, run a new cable, tension it, then adjust the indexing with the barrel adjuster.
What is a speed sensor for?
On a bike computer or a watch, it measures speed and distance from the rotation of the wheel, which stays reliable under trees or on an indoor trainer. On an e-bike, it tells the motor the speed so that it cuts the assistance at the legal limit.
