Replacing twist shifters with thumb shifters

[Twilkes]

Bought a Frog 62 8-speed bike and it has a twist shifter, which I've never liked for myself and the mechanism on it feels like jelly, really unspecific. My son is used to a thumb shifter on his current bike so looking to swap it out, either for one with two buttons facing the rider, both operated by thumb, or the maybe more standard thumb and first finger shifters that tend to be found on most adult hybrids.

What shifter unit should I be looking at? I believe they're slightly smaller than an adult's shifter, or at least have a smaller brake lever, and I'm not sure whether the handlebar itself is a smaller diameter than standard (had that problem replacing some Cnoc 16 brakes, even though they were children's brakes I still had to use a rubber spacer to get them to fit).

 

[iandg]

As a bikeability trainer I hate twist grip. Most seem too difficult to twist for small, weak hands. Much prefer thumb shifters. No idea what to choose tho'.

 

[Jenkins]

Based on the info on Frog's website, the bike has Shimano Altus M310 derailleur so the Shimano M315 shifter seems to be what you're after

Don't know about the handlebar sizing but just go with a strip of rubber again if there's a difference

 

[Twilkes]

Based on the info on Frog's website, the bike has Shimano Altus M310 derailleur so the Shimano M315 shifter seems to be what you're after
View attachment 731740
Don't know about the handlebar sizing but just go with a strip of rubber again if there's a difference

Thanks for this - I thought I was viewing the picture wrong(ly), but is that just a mounted shifter with no brake lever? So I would just fit that and keep the existing brake lever?

I might see if I can find a combined brake/shifter unit, but it seems to be much of a muchness between the too, especially for a 7 year old who won't really care!

 

[Jenkins]

It is just a shifter unit - the brake levers are separate (it's fitted with Tektro brake levers according to Frog)

 

[figbat]

Thanks for this - I thought I was viewing the picture wrong(ly), but is that just a mounted shifter with no brake lever? So I would just fit that and keep the existing brake lever?

This is exactly what I did on 5 kids’ bikes.

 

[Twilkes]

This is exactly what I did on 5 kids’ bikes.

The standalone shifter, or an all-in-one brake/shifter? If standalone shifter, was it just adult sized, and did it make any difference with small children's hands?

 

[Reynard]

Based on the info on Frog's website, the bike has Shimano Altus M310 derailleur so the Shimano M315 shifter seems to be what you're after
View attachment 731740
Don't know about the handlebar sizing but just go with a strip of rubber again if there's a difference

I've got the nine speed version of that on my Wiggins Chartres hybrid - along with the equivalent LH shifter as there's a triple up front. Does exactly what it says on the tin, no muss, no fuss. And yes, you *do* need separate brake levers with those. All fitted as standard kit. Downside is between the shifters and the brake levers, it doesn't leave very much "real estate" on the bars for things like bell and lights.

Got combo shifter / brakes on my Raleigh Max build (I also binned the twist shifters fitted as standard, they were bloody awful), but those are adult sized as opposed to being truly suitable for smaller hands. They do the job well enough, but I find I have to reach a bit sometimes to shift. The throw on the lever from small cogs to big can take some getting, but one does get used to it.

If I had to choose between the two, I think I much prefer the set-up on the Wiggins, as everything just falls into the right place, especially with the bike having been designed specifically for junior riders. Mind, I've probably done at least one factor of ten more mileage on this bike than on the Raleigh...

 

[figbat]

The standalone shifter, or an all-in-one brake/shifter? If standalone shifter, was it just adult sized, and did it make any difference with small children's hands?

Standalone Shimano shifters, all was fine for the kids, they preferred them and found them easy enough to operate.