Racergirl

Hey Mel,

That cover of Triathlete looks fantastic.

I seem to have a problem that won't go away. During my races so far this season I find that in the heat of it, when I'm working really hard I seem to loose hand strength, particularly in my left hand and my thumb is so weak that I really struggle to shift from the small chainring up to the middle. When I start bombing a downhill sometimes I can't even get it and have to deal with being in the small ring. (It's so bad that even after the race I have a hard time opening a bag of chips)

I've got the Juicy 5, and the cable that runs under the bottom bracket isn't in any housing and I try to clean it often, but it really doesn't help that much. Is there some kind of solution you can think of? Perhaps even a different kind of shifter that you would recommend? (my right hand has absolutely no problems)

Thanks,
-Kim

You are right to suspect your housing as that can really make it more difficult to shift. Also, if your housing has been cut too long (or not cut short enough is more often the case) the cable length is too long and makes the shifter more sticky if it gets dirty. I LOVE dual control by Shimano, I think it just works so much better than triggers and is super reliable but that is my opinion.

It could also be that you have some kind of nerve impingement or something that is causing weakness in your hand? You may want to rule that out before you change equipment. In addition, your bike position may not be quite right leaving you with too much weight on your hands which can cause some people to cut off circulation and create weakness. Some gloves are designed with additional padding to counter this phenomenon but maybe your weakness is from having to shift so hard the whole race. I am not that sure.

I think most likely you need your cables changed or a new shifter that doesn't require superhuman strength. I could shift my front derailleur with my pinky finger smooth as butter. Sticky shifters are not good and better options are available...

Thanks Mel.

-Kim