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| Microshift 10-speed shifters |
With SRAM, Shimano and Campagnolo having the market shares, Microshift actually made a small dent in the OEM market for a few years. Microshift used to be found on many entry level Schwinn, Felt, Fuji and GT bikes. However, many of these Microshift groupsets have been replaced with Apex and Sora and Microshift have gone fairly silent since their announcement on their new 11-speed and hidden cable groupsets. They also used to sponsor a few teams domestically in the US at the continental and pro-continental level, but they have scaled back sponsorship a little bit. It is a little disheartening, if Microshift have hit a few potholes as more competition is better in the component market.
Please keep in mind, that this review is for the shifters only. They were mated to Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs.
Review
Ergonomically, the shifters are very close to the 6600/5600 generation of shifters. I did not include the Dura Ace 7800 levers because they are slightly different. If you were comfortable on those hoods, you'll feel right at home on these shifters. Not only that, the levers (or button in the case of shifting down) are easily accessible from both the drops and the hoods and are placed in positions that my hands naturally fell into, especially on the hoods. These shifters are also very light. I don't remember the weight off the top of my head, but they weighed less than my Ultegra, Veloce, Centaur and 105 shifters.
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| On the Spesh! |
Now, don't let people discourage you by saying that Microshift is crap and that Shimano/SRAM/Campagnolo is the only way to go. Here's the dirty little secret, most shifters work very well. They simply pull a cable, nothing more, nothing less. The smoothness of the shift in my opinion is also exaggerated. Sure, it matters for racers who require precise shifting to attack and respond to attacks. But for the recreational cyclist (which even includes serious cyclists who do not race), it doesn't matter. Cable routing affects shifting much more (external vs. internal wiring and crossed or un-crossed under cabling). Ergonomics concerns however, are legitimate. Many of my friends simply prefer Campagnolo because the shifter shape is much more comfortable. Do the Microshift shifters work? Yes. Do they work well? Yes. In fact, I prefer them to Shimano in one regard, feedback. When you shift, you get a defined click in the mechanism shifting in both directions. I actually really like that, which is why I like Campagnolo shifters as well. Shimano shifters are much quieter, which is very beneficial in racing, but I find it to be less useful. It is a small gripe (I know, nitpicking), but I do like the feedback. BUT, that also feeds into one gripe of Microshift that is understandable. It's loud, very loud, especially downshifting. When you downshift, you could probably be heard by the back of the peloton (a little exaggeration). You aren't going to be surprising anybody with an impending attack on Microshift that's for sure. In addition, the throw is quite long and can be troublesome to those with smaller hands. Downshifting also requires a little more brute strength and those with weak fingers may find it annoying. As I mentioned earlier, my fingers naturally fall so that my middle and ring finger fall on the lever and my index and middle finger fall on the paddle. I've heard complaints from my friends that simply using the index finger can sometimes get annoying due to the amount of force required. It isn't nearly as elegant as Campagnolo's ergo levers in which you have your thumb and the force of gravity aiding you.
Verdict
Are these good shifters? I think so, they do the job and they do it well if you can live with some of its shortcomings. However, with the trickle down technology seen in Shimano/SRAM and Campagnolo, it's really hard to recommend Microshift, especially since Microshift shifters are becoming MORE expensive than equivalent models of the BIG 3. You can get an entire groupset from one of the BIG 3 for the same price as partial groupset containing Microshift shifters and derailleurs only. Today's Veloce is so good that Campagnolo has discontinued the Centaur line. Today's Tiagra is just as good as Ultegra a few years ago and SRAM Apex is yesterday's Force. If you can find a cheap set of Microshift shifters, go for it. It is very likely because not many people are searching for Microshift on ebay. However, at full price on Nashbar, $129.99 for 9 speed and $139.99 for 10 speed and even with the 20% discounts, they are creeping into the price range of the Shimano's 105 line and Campagnolo's Athena and Centaur line and I would much rather have 105, Athena or Centaur over Microshift (apologies to SRAM fans, I just haven't used SRAM is all).
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