No gear indicator on SRAM shifters on Boardman Performance Hybrid Comp Bike

Avoriaz

My wife and I have recently got back into cycling for the first time since we were teenagers. We are now 61, retired with lots of leisure time and we live near Chichester with access to plenty of lovely peaceful and safe cycling routes.

I bought a cheap used but almost new bike, an Apollo CX10s on Ebay for under £50 so that I didn't waste too much money if I gave up quickly. The seller bought it for his son who rode it three times and gave up so it was in close to new condition. It probably cost about £180 new. I bought a used Ridgeback for £100 for Mrs A. She is very happy with that.

Anyway after three months I really love cycling and, having read up a lot about cycling, decided to upgrade from the Apollo (not a Bike but a Bicycle Shaped Object according to many) to a decent Hybrid. I ride mainly on smooth to slightly rough bike tracks and canal tow paths and not very busy local roads. I avoid busy main roads and I have no intention of becoming a speed freak or joining a club so a road bike with drops isn't required. I prefer the more upright and relaxed riding style of flat bar hybrids. I don't need a Mountain Bike or suspension etc as I won't be doing that sort of cycling either.

After looking at a lot of used bikes I found a brand new Boardman Performance Hybrid Comp in my medium size on Gumtree for £315. They normally cost over £500 although Halfords now discount them to about £430. I took it for a test ride and liked it so I bought it. The seller bought it in June for riding to work, kept it in his shed for 3 months without ever even riding it and gave up on the idea of cycling. He had all the original Halford's paperwork so I am confident it wasn't stolen or dodgy. It was in brand new unused condition.

The one thing I don't like about it is the gear shifters. Here are the specs:

Shifters: SRAM X5
Rear Mech: SRAM X5
Front Mech: Microshift
Cassette: Shimano CS5700
Chain: KMC Z99
Chainset: FSA Vero Compact 50x34T
Bottom Bracket: FSA cartridge

It has a 2 cog front and 9 cog rear so 18 gears in total with SRAM X5 trigger shifters.

The Apollo has 3 x 6 cogs with twist shifters with a gear indicator to tell me what gear I have selected. 1, 2 or 3 on the left mounted front shifter and 1 to 6 on the right mounted rear shifter.

The SRAM trigger shifters don't have a visual gear indicator which I find frustrating as I have to glance down and backwards to see what rear cog I have selected. I know that will come with expedience but I still want an indicator. I rarely change the front cog from the smaller cog so that isn't a problem.

Is it common to have shifters that don't display the selected gear?

Curiously, the SRAM website shows an indicator on the X5. Mine are like those in the Chain Reaction site linked above.

I'm going to ride it for a few weeks to see if I can get used to the trigger shifters but frankly I think I prefer the twist action over the trigger action so I am considering swapping the right rear shifter to a SRAM 9 twist shifter. I'll probably leave the left front shifter as it is.

I'd welcome comments, suggestions and advice for experienced cyclists on here.

PintAndAPie

Nobody needed gear indicators before indexed gears came in. All you need to know is it the right gear or not, you don't need an indicator to tell you that.

Cycrow

you will most likly get used to them eventually.

you dont really need to know what gear you are in, you should be able to feel if its right.

if your cadence is low, then you can shift down, if its too high, you shift up.

personally i hate grip shift, the sram triggers are much better

Avoriaz

PintAndAPie wrote: »

Nobody needed gear indicators before indexed gears came in. All you need to know is it the right gear or not, you don't need an indicator to tell you that.

I take your point, (my last bicycle in the 1960s had Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gears ) but there are some occasions where it might be useful.

There are a few places on my regular routes where I go from a fast road, through a narrow gap with left and immediate right turns into a pedestrian only area. I can't see if there is a pedestrian or cyclist coming the other way so I slow down from fast pace to very slow.

On the Apollo I can visually quickly twist from 6 to 1 or 2 as I brake for the turn.

I suppose I will get used to the trigger shift mechanism with time but at present I find it much harder to do that accurately.

But otherwise I love the bike. I went for an 8 mile ride just now to Bosham harbour and back. The Boardman is so much nicer to ride in most respects. It takes a lot less effort, probably partly due to being quite a few kilos lighter and having narrower more road style tyres, but it also appears to be mechanically more sound and much better engineered.

One curiosity I have noticed is that the Boardman has a silent freewheel whereas the Apollo made a noise. I used to stop pedalling when approaching pedestrians walking with their backs to me so the freewheel sound would alert them to my approach. I prefer that to using the bell as that seems a bit “get out of my way” arrogant.

Johnmcl7

I guess a lot of it comes down to preference, I prefer having the gear indicator as I find it handy when I've not been paying attention to the gears on a quicker section then need to quickly flick to a specific part of the cassette I can glance at the indicator and know how much shifting I need to do. I'm also not keen on the two thumb shifters some of the SRAM shifters use rather than finger/thumb but that's perhaps just preference.

It should be easy and reasonably cheap to change the shifter if you would prefer something else.

John

glasgowdan

You don't need to know what gear you are in really, do you? Your kegs feedback how they feel and you change gear if they start spinning too fast or slow! People are removing indicator windows as they are just unnecessary clutter on the bars, and most good brands sell shifters without them.

Regarding the clicking freehub, different brands have different noise levels. It's normal.

Weird_Nev

You really do get used to knowing through feel very quickly. One of my bikes has indicators, the other doesn't, and I can't recall the last time I looked at the indicators on the one that does. It's just a swivel of the eyeballs back towards the rear cassette for visual confirmation in any case.

It's a non issue. Enjoy the bike.

Marco_Panettone

Avoriaz wrote: »

I take your point, (my last bicycle in the 1960s had Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gears ) but there are some occasions where it might be useful.

There are a few places on my regular routes where I go from a fast road, through a narrow gap with left and immediate right turns into a pedestrian only area. I can't see if there is a pedestrian or cyclist coming the other way so I slow down from fast pace to very slow.

On the Apollo I can visually quickly twist from 6 to 1 or 2 as I brake for the turn.

I suppose I will get used to the trigger shift mechanism with time but at present I find it much harder to do that accurately.

But otherwise I love the bike. I went for an 8 mile ride just now to Bosham harbour and back. The Boardman is so much nicer to ride in most respects. It takes a lot less effort, probably partly due to being quite a few kilos lighter and having narrower more road style tyres, but it also appears to be mechanically more sound and much better engineered.

One curiosity I have noticed is that the Boardman has a silent freewheel whereas the Apollo made a noise. I used to stop pedalling when approaching pedestrians walking with their backs to me so the freewheel sound would alert them to my approach. I prefer that to using the bell as that seems a bit “get out of my way” arrogant.

Nothing wrong with Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub gears! My newest (to me, at least) bike has them, still going strong since 1974 and older than I am!

With your set-up I'd suggest shifting the front gears to the middle ring - it will reduce the angle the chain has to deal with at the extremes which will reduce how much it stretches. I'd also suggest not changing shifters (at least for the moment). It can be quite an expensive job, and you'll work out your current system the more you ride.

Gear indicators aren't really needed anyway - if it's too hard, change down one. Too easy, change up one. With your situation just change down a couple of gears before making the turn and cover the brakes!

stevemcol

I agree that it's not really necessary to know what gear you are in. If I'm approaching a gradual incline I shift couple of cogs on the rear; if there is a BIG hill approaching, I go down a cog on the front then fine tune with the rear derailleur.
After a hundred miles or so on your bikes you'll get a feel for where your gears are at, perhaps with the odd glance down to double check which front cog you've got. It should become instinctive rather than something you think about.
Slightly off topic but similar rational: I don't think I've ever owned a motorbike that tells you which gear you're in. You just go up or down as required.

Avoriaz

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

..With your set-up I'd suggest shifting the front gears to the middle ring - it will reduce the angle the chain has to deal with at the extremes which will reduce how much it stretches. ....

Which is the middle ring of the front 2 rings?

I take it you mean the smaller of the 2 which would be the middle ring if I also had a granny ring.

Avoriaz

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions everyone. :beer:

Yes, I am getting more used to the gears with practice.

I do still think I prefer twist shifters but I will persist with the trigger shift for a few months before making any decisions.

I'd forgotten how much fun cycling is and how quickly you can get places.