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Heel shifter?

2K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  padaek 
#1 ·
Anyone know of any heel-toe shifters available for the ST? I have had these on my bikes before and find them much more user-friendly than just a toe shifter.

I can do fine with a toe shifter but a heel-toe shifter means no probing to get under the lever, lifting up with your toe (forcefully enough not to 'slip' into N), no 'mistakes' on going up or down... it is stamp down with toe to go low, stamp down with heel to go high...don't know how many here have used a heel-toe shifter before...

And yes, the search function did not bring me any joy on this matter....
 
#3 ·
You tend to only see them on little bikes sold in Asia. I've always assumed because they all wear Safety Jandels (thongs, flip flops or whatever you call them locally) so getting your toe under the shift is painful, esp. as the shifter is often cast.

Real bike have always only had toe shifters.

Which of course makes the 1200CL not a real bike :)

BTW: I hate them they are so bloody difficult to use. It takes all sorts.......


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#15 ·
You tend to only see them on little bikes sold in Asia. I've always assumed because they all wear Safety Jandels (thongs, flip flops or whatever you call them locally) so getting your toe under the shift is painful, esp. as the shifter is often cast.

Real bike have always only had toe shifters.

Which of course makes the 1200CL not a real bike :)

BTW: I hate them they are so bloody difficult to use. It takes all sorts.......

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I had one on my step through when we lived in Laos. The bike also had a reverse gear change pattern.

At first I didn't use the heel shift but once I got use to it, it worked fine.. It was also my main form of transport. I covered 32,000 trouble free kilometres in eight years on that bike and gave it away when we moved back to Australia.

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#5 ·
I know this is an old thread, but I've recently fitted a heel/toe shifter fabricated from stainless steel by a friend of mine. As I have a painful joint in my left big toe, it's been a boon, and the use becomes quite natural after a short while. FYI anyone else who might be interested.

Cheers,
Max in Melbourne, Australia
 

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#6 ·
hi max, I made the same thing on my F800S due to a neuropathy, but then I changed the bike and with the new bike I had not any problem to use a normal shifter. probably in some old album you can find the photo of that shifter. anyway you have done a good job.
 
#14 ·
I've never get used to push the rear lever with the heel, I used the tiptoe as it was a sort of inverted gear lever. and it was even more rapid than to lift the normal lever. I've done this job due a neuropathy, but when I've changed the bike I've seen that with a more sporty riding position it was much easier to change in the normal way. then the quick shifter can help a bit.
 
#11 ·
The way this works is: instead of hooking your toe under the front/toe piece to shift up, you slide your foot slightly back on the footpeg so the ball of your foot is on the peg, and kick down. It's easy to feel the heel piece under the heel of your boot. The toe part matches the original. Shoe size is pretty irrelevant. For what it's worth, though, I have a relatively small foot for a bloke: approx AUS/UK size 7.

Cheers,
Max in Melbourne, Australia.
 
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