Video: 10-speed SRAM Grip Shift available from April

10 comments
By BikeRadar, UK | Monday, Feb 20, 2012 11.10am

SRAM revealed at last summer's Interbike show that they were relaunching their Grip Shift system, and they've now released the first pictures of the production 10-speed shifters, which will be available from April.

Not much appears to have changed compared to the prototypes we saw in Las Vegas, though SRAM are remaining tight-lipped about details and haven't released any technical specs. All they'll say is that the new shifters are designed to work with 2x10 drivetrains and will be available in XX and X0 form. 

The new Grip Shift was fitted to Jaroslav Kulhavy’s Specialized S-Works Epic when he won the 2011 UCI Cross-Country World Championships. In a video posted on SRAM's website, Jon Cancellier, from SRAM's hush-hush BlackBox product development programme, says: "He really likes the fast shifting. We've taken our time to make it so there's less effort to go from gear to gear, and he was really impressed by that."

Video: SRAM Gripshift (Courtesy: SRAM)

Launched in 1988, Grip Shift was the product that put SRAM on the map. It was originally aimed at road riders and triathletes but a variant was soon developed for mountain bikers. The company went on to develop trigger shifters and Grip Shift fell out of the limelight, although it remained in the SRAM line-up at the behest of cross-country racers, who loved its light weight. This is the first time a version compatible with modern 10-speed cassettes and double cranksets has been produced.

SRAM grip shift x0:

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User Comments

There are 10 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 10 of 10 comments

  • Designed by Ann Summers?

  • can anyone confirm if the new design incorporates the outer grip into the design, to me it looks like the whole unit is integrated.

  • i'd emailed sram in december about these as i was getting a 2x10 bike and they said should be in uk by summer cant wait!

  • Apparently the grips are included in the price.

  • as it looks like at the prototype, you can use the grips you prefer. it would be kinda expensive if you had to buy a new shifter each time the grips was worn.

  • "Apparently the grips are included in the price."

    Look like nice weighty, potentially lock-on grips, so you buy a crazy light shifter and attach a heavy grip! I'd have thought foam would've been more popular given their likely audience.

  • grip shift so much better than rapid fire rubbish ! rarely goes wrong & is weighs less, do the math

  • I would rather use an old set of shimano top mounts.........i dont like how this works towards the promotion of a product......he did not do well because of his shifters.....sad that some really feed on that stuff......hes just a fast fella...thats why he did well.......

  • "Chris" the reality is he has been using grip shift for several YEARS and in fact several well know pros use grip shift to train in but arre forced for contractual reasons to change on race day.

    in a few years this will be the norm and grip shift will trickle down to all forms of riding. Many downhillers use them for the rear.

    Lighter stronger, quicker easier to service, last longer....can be adjusted on the fly.

  • @Chris

    You're really blowing our minds here.

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