Are Satellite Shifters the Future of Mountain Biking?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Satellite shifters are an accessory for the Archer Components D1-X. These are buttons you can put anywhere to shift your gears, and the D1-X can be installed on any derailleur and cassette combination imaginable, with a programmable servo.
Today we're going to test these satellite shifters in a few odd locations for fun, however they are in fact being used already to help riders with special needs.
The other day I rode with @GoCatalystSportsorg who helps adaptive athletes go mountain biking (among many other things). Although the people and bikes that were present that day had mainly mechanical shifters, these satellite shifters are being used on adaptive bikes all over, as they can be placed literally anywhere.
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Thanks again to Catalyst Sports! The footage in the video was from a ride I did with them the other week, and I'd say no two of the bikes there were set up the same. Although they managed to have everything working with what looked like mechanical shifting, other options are always welcome.
When thumb goes over bars - I believe it's called "monkey grip" and it's used in different sports disciplines like calisthenics, gymnastics or wrestling for different applications. Depending on what you're doing it may be stronger or more stable than the opposite thumb grip.
Any chance this is compatible with sram shifters? I have electronic rival and don't want to pay $100 for disposable buttons!
Lots of people are driving cars that they don't realize have completely electrically controlled brakes with no actual mechanical linkage between the master cylinder and their foot. So yeah this seems super normal to me, and obvious in hindsight (like the ankle shifters).
Put them on the top tube/downtube and try shifting with your knees
It looked like they connect via a 3.5mm plug. If you got a Y splitter audio cable would that let you pair up 2 sets of buttons in different locations?
100% saw the thumbnail and thought "that's kinda dumb" but clicked out of curiosity. Immediately when you showed how adaptive cyclists can use this tech it swayed me to the other side. This is amazing! I've never thought about how we could make cycling this much easier by something so simple
Me looking at the thumbnail thought this was some Elon musk starlink thing.
my first instinct was "... is it actually *supposed* to go on your helmet? why?"
and I thought to myself why would anybody ever put that on your helmet in the first place lol
Imagine crashing headfirst and the bike's just shifting like crazy
I'd rather not
@@RealMTBAddict in that case, imagine putting she shifters in your shoes and shifting with your toes
😂😂
Lmao this gotta be the best comment 😂
@@StofDong no
Id like to see Seth do a video on adaptive biking. The engineering on those machines is getting really sophisticated.
When I worked in a smaller workshop, we had someone with contergan damage come in, he wanted to buy an ebike adjusted exactly for his needs, other shops had told him there's nothing they could do for him.
Boss made two of us part of the planning with the customer, and it was a long ass process. But we got there eventually. One of the manufacturers we worked with only builds bikes on order. So you can customize just about everything on the bike as it was, and they severely dropped the price after learning what we were going for, so we could spend more on necessary modifications. It all went down during peak corona, so delivery times were absolutely awful, but we kept the guy up to date. Bike arrived, he came to check it out, any parts arrived, we'd notify him and he asked if he could come in to watch the process. Sure, we had to follow corona guidelines, so those were the days we wore masks in the workshop, but it was all worth it in the end. Never have I seen a customer as happy as him, when the bike was completely done.
And there's a sincere "fuck you" for the shops who said they couldn't help.
Everything we added to the bike, except for the display holder were items we could just order from suppliers. And even the display holder was just a modified version of Bosch's Kiox mount. Total work hours were like 10 or so, spread over a couple of weeks due to things not being in stock. So absolutely doable
That escalated quickly.
Accessibility is so important, I love to see a product that gives people of different abilities freedom to cycle. Awesome.
Anytime something is made more accessible for a few, it ends up benefitting everybody as a result.
Accessibility is rad
Acessibility to who?
If u need to shift gears by touching your head due to a disability, you don’t need to be riding a bike, much less own that has gears.
@@drstrange9627 Well done on displaying how little you know about why things need to be made accessible for a variety of abilities.
Not to mention that's a really callous thing to say.
@@drstrange9627 why don't you watch the video before you make ignorant comments about what this tech could do for people with disabilities?
Blip/Satellite shifters, currently sprinters in road cycling that finish races in the drops of the handlebar have them in a place where they can shift while sprinting in that position. On top of having their normal shift levers. Amazing possibilities
Damn that actually sounds friggin' nice. I hate having to shift my hand/fingers when in the sprint position
As a road rider who has known about satellite shifters for years, this video blew my mind - I had no idea it hadn’t entered the MTB side at all 🤷♂️
@@rob-c. I'd imagine that Sram blips would be compatible with their wireless MTB groupsets, don't see any reason why they wouldn't.
@@Alchas65 They are, a lot of people run them like that, they even used to control their dropper by clicking both at the same time.
You should equip two bikes with these remote shifters, but trade the controller between each rider. Would be entertaining to see how well you can ride if somebody else is controlling the shifts
Didn't some annoyingly positive/saccharine BMX TH-camr do basically that, but with brakes?
This sounds like a very dangerous game. I prefer to be responsible for my health and life myself;. I don't let my wife hold the wheel on the highway either.
Dustin Klein did this on road bikes!
@@flyingskier1913 Had no idea. Do you have a link?
As a handcyclist, I had an Archer system and was really impressed. I shifted with my chin but there are now lots of Archer button options to consider. This video prompts "thinking outside the box" which is often so important in adaptive cycling.
So happy to see a glimpse of AMTB on your channel. I would really love to see an episode on the accessibility of Berm Park. As an AMTB rider, it's difficult to find trails that are accessible. Most of our bikes are pretty capable unless the trail is off camber lol
Although I have never tested it for myself, I'd say that Berm Park is mostly AMTB accessible, and I do plan on doing some content of that type!
@@BermPeakExpress That's awesome! I'm looking forward to that.
@@BermPeakExpress Let's do this! 🙌
I used to ride with the "thumb over the bars" grip too because I kept getting blisters on my thumbs back when I had grip shifters. Got super used to it but later on as I progressed I started slipping off the bars occasionally and luckily, I avoided serious crashes, but it definitely could've been bad.
As a roadie, I can recommend putting thumbs over. It tucks in your elbows (aero) and relaxes your shoulders (comfort), especially on longer rides. For climbing and predictable terrain it's great.
I very much recommend against doing that type of grip. It can he very dangerous and should never be done unless you absolutely have to.
Well I'll be darned , I didn't know I was " unnormal" , on uphills and level tracks , I have my thumb's over the bar too , does relax the muscles a lot ,
@Nathan Vanderpool yeah I adapted to a normal grip over time after having too many close calls. It's not safe in terrain that's even somewhat bumpy
@@timothyhoekstra2604 Togs are great
The thumbless grip is sometimes used in weightlifting too, known as the "suicide grip" since any slip of your grip means a bar the the face/chest if you're benching. I'm sure it's not going to be much safer when the risk is going headfirst into your handlebars
thanks for talking about something that makes cycling more accessible! would love to see more mainstream channels talking about cool ways to get more people into biking
I've been using an Archer D1x for almost two years now. Using their one piece shifter though. It's a pretty great option for wireless shifting without having to purchase another derailleur. Seth, you should have the shifter on the downside of the chain stay to limit its exposure in a bump or crash.
I tried so hard to put it on the bottom of the chainstay, but that Kent Trouvaille is shaped so weird! I even cut off one of the little brake housing cups to make it work, but no go.
accessibility is poggers! this would also be cool for people like me who have ebikes with a ton of stuff on the handlebars, just having a few buttons would free up a ton of space
Get another pair and put one shifter on one bike and put the derailleur it's connected to on another bike and do the same with another bike. Then do a video where you and some other guy have to shift each others gears for a whole ride.
Ahahah
ummm...
I am really happy we make mountain biking so inclusive
I often ride with my thumbs up like that when going uphill. I've found that its a little more comfortable and I dont get the numb fingers thing that a lot of people get from baring weight on the handlebar for a while.
Definitely a full grip on the downs, though.
Having gotten into mountain biking biking at the end of the 90’s, I was all about bar ends. Shia no came out with a remote shifter for your right bar end on XTR, and maybe XT… that was the dream.
Then Rapid rise happened. Aaaaaand we all thought things were getting too wild, and took a step back.
Seth thanks for making this video. It is great to see options for those with limitations. I was in a motorcycle accident that made me partially paralyzed on my right side. I have found i can cycle with all the controls on the left side of my handlebar.
id always thought electric shifters were goofy, but stepping outside my world where ive never had an issue operating a cable changes my perspective, ill stop trash talking electric shifters, even on conventional bikes since them becoming more common will make them affordable for people who need them, thanks for the great content and advocating for this
I have been riding the Archer D1x Gen 2 on my gravel bike for a couple months and LOVE the quad button satellite shift setup.
Ok Seth...I've been binging your channels for a few weeks now. I haven't been on a bike in years and now I'm considering getting a nice MTB now seeing how far they've come and your videos are the catalyst to that, thank you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that you tested the no handlebar option. As always, I learned something and was definitely entertained...keep it up!!
Those bars are too wide for bar ends. 15 years ago, bars were a LOT smaller.
In lifting that grip with the thumb over is called the "suicide grip" but a lot of people still prefer it, haha. Cool technology though, always glad to see something that makes cycling more accessible.
I'm wondering if Seth was trying to avoid some specific brand name-dropping on this vid. Because TOGS are literally designed to help with bike control while 'thumb over bars' and Sram has wireless AXS blips, remote shift buttons you can already put anywhere you want.
The combination of a creative mind and a compassionate heart is what makes you the best creator in youtube
A friend of mine was born with 1 hand. He uses a similar system to have all his shifting on that one hand. He also adapts his brakes to work with the same hand to both wheels. He is an amazing biker and mechanic.
Years ago I set up an all right side control setup for a kid with left hand limitations. Thumb shifter, grip shift, 4 finger lever and a 2 finger bmx lever.
My buddy tried the Archer system on his old heavy steel touring bike. I rode it and it shifted flawlessly. Very cool video. Thank you for posting.
this is really cool, I love how you're adapting an existing product to many other peoples abilities. You are showing others that, YES you can do it!!! You just have to think outside the box you grew up in....as my G-Pa said.
Cheers to the Silliest man on TH-cam... But also the maker of excellent informative videos. Thanks!
I ride thumbs over the bars quite often when I want to rest my hands, don’t see a problem with it. Obviously only when it’s safe though, I wouldn’t ride a gnarly trail like that because I don’t think you’d have enough control. Those shifters look fantastic though, I’d be use them without a doubt.
Chirping Brian about his grip position has to be some of the funniest lines this channel has ever produced. 😂 Thanks for the happy tears
re: ditching AXS:
wireless blips exist for AXS, with even more options because they are completely wireless. they are mostly for TT bikes, so i'm not sure if they would work with AXS Eagle, but they probably should
I love how you can take something silly and find a way to help more people ride. Industry leader when it comes to the MTB Community. Really appreciate all you do!
he didn't do anything? this product was designed for disabled cyclists. it's not "silly" and Seth isn't the one who made them
I hope everyone out there gets a chance to have fun riding bikes at some point in their life.
It is a great product for disabled military veterans who are into MTB. Kudos to whoever created it!
I certainly found it entertaining! Btw fun fact, antlers are relatively popular in the Netherlands. Most people who cycle medium to far distance put them on their regular (city) bikes for more comfort :)
I've got a set of those Ergon GP5-L's. I have a dodgy neck and they are great for long rail-trail rides or pavie rides where being in one position for an extended time is quite straining. They give you so many different positions and keep your back and neck straighter. I use normal grips for regular MTB rides though.
Always love the love and visibility for adaptive cycling!
I'm an old Mountain biker with Rheumatoid Arthritis, these could be a great addition to my setup. Good info I knew Nothing about. Thanks!
Some cars are doing brake by wire now - it'd be interesting to combine that with the satellite shifters
cars need to be driven with wireless hand held game controllers and ditch the steering wheel and pedals altogether
The Archer D1X is an awesome example of thinking outside of the box and giving riders the ability to do whatever they want. I love my D1X and the support has been amazing from the company. I'm not using it for adaptive purposes, just saving wear and tear on my thumb from the heavy push of the Eagle shifter.
Love my archer setup
really thought this was going to be a pointless video, but then you explained its usage and various applications, its excellent adaptive option
I don’t know if you knew this but this weekend also happens to be the start of the special Olympics! It’s really great that you came out with this video for this particular week!!!
Oh man that line "he grips it like a marsupial" was too funny! I'll grip like that on a climb sometimes or on flat trail after a rowdy section and my arms are pumped
Pro peloton have had these on the top bar of their drops for the cobbles, where bouncing on hard, high pressure road tires over sharp edge bricks in the middle of the road (well they are the road) allowed, as you stated, another hand position with the ability to shift. Tech always has a place. Some very niche, some for broad use. These would work . . . if you needed them. Most folks don't need them. If they did, manufacturers would have them installed as factory stock.
And on TT bike at the ends of the Tri-bars so you can change gear whilst in that position. I’m amazed MTB hasn’t adopted them as they’ve been on road bikes for years now.
Everything Seth does for mountain biking is positive. I think that is so great and this was one of the most best positive videos I’ve seen.
You can use them on a SLOPEDURO bike and add them to the frame, so you can shift but still make barspins
I was literally just thinking about something like this on my morning ride to work today! Good to know something like it already exists! Thank you so much for sharing this info.
1:35 I'm actually really liking the idea of having trigger dedicated to shifting up and the other trigger dedicated to shifting down. Not only could it be simpler for people to understand, it's a symmetrical setup that doesn't involve a front derailleur :D
Kind of hoping that mechanical "split-shifters" become a thing now...
every video you’ve put out this year, the end comes around and you’re like, “i hope you at least found this entertaining” and every single i’m like, yes. yes i did find this immensely entertaining. so doggone creative!
I got the Archer Dx1 with the paddle shifter because I have arthritis in my shifting thumb. Electronic shifting is awesome and the Archer shifter is great. You can combine any derailleur and any cassette with any number of cogs. If you like electronic shifting and don't want to buy a new bike, the Archer Dx1 is the way to go. I shift much more often now and keep my cadence steady. I think it is a game changer. BTW you should have spent a little more time highlighting the paddle shifter and the use case for everyday riders.
we have this in our bifters on di2 on road bike already! its so usefull for being in an Aero position and changing gear!
This is the sort of content that makes Cycling TH-cam worthwhile. Thanks Seth! 👍
It would be hilarious to see someone who has no idea who Seth is watching him film this video on a bike path. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the ride
Dude, absolutly flawless video, very entertaining, u show some funny ideas while making clear that it's up to the person using it how they'd like to use it, love your style
As someone with one of those legitimate thumb problems this is actually pretty cool.
(also a constant reminder of how important thumbs are. stupid thumb.)
In 2018, when I wanted to go from single speed to geared on my Niner carbon Air frame, I discovered that due to the carbon lay-up I couldn't feed the shifter cable through the chainstay (a Niner frame building fault). When Niner refused to compensate me I bought the D1x and have been using it ever since! 🤘🏼
That's WICKED! Thanks for sharing Seth
This looks great! I have weird half-webbing between my thumbs and palms, can't extend my thumbs very far, so a lot of thumb shifters aren't very ergonomic for me, and straight flat bars can get really uncomfortable because the issue also changes the angle of my wrist. I do ride meercat-style sometimes, but even standard-grip these look easier to get to than a standard thumb lever.
Love to see you riding with catalyst!! You inspired the build for my latest video. This is so awesome!
This year at the Paris Roubaix there was a couple of riders that use those so that they could shift throug the cobles stone section and not change their grip position
Wow, great to see adaptive cycling spotlighted
Antlers rule for hill climbing. I have then=m on all my regular bikes. Don't need on my eMTB. They do also allow a change in hand position that is great on really long rides.
Thumb nail was sneaky but brilliant, as no one would think taking hands off the bars to shift would be a good idea.....reeled us all in, for an entertaining informative video.....just like always. - Cheers
Babe, wake up! Seth just dropped a video.
Such a great video, and omgosh the intro was freakin hilarious! Beyond entertaining :)
Yup i chainsaw like that - thumb over. Been shouted at during training but it just occurs and seems to have worked fine for 20+ years. 😊
the last 30 seconds of this vid are the best part for me haha. funny to see you have to ride with handlebars.
I really like to see a series of video featuring different adaptive bike set ups.
Accessibility in MY MOUNTAIN BIKING?!?!?! Yes. Absolutely, yes please.
it's not like it's innovation or anything....
i love this channel!!! Thank you Seth!!
I use inner bar-ends and love them. Have them on a town bike but now even run them on my full suss trail bike. Mild issues with my thumbs means that I really like that hoods-like position for road riding or paths between trails. They’re lightweight and don’t get in the way when not using them and you can use your brakes perfectly well from them for that type of riding. Shifting depends on what sort of shifters you run, but there might be a way to use these wireless ones (I wont be). SQlabs make great inner bar ends (my girlfriend loves hers), but I got some cheap Spurgrips (possibly knock-offs) from eBay and they are just fine. I also do the marsupial thing, too, for a rest/change now and again, but not anywhere technical.
I click a video and immediately see Seth thrashing his head like he has fleas to shift a bike 😂
Bar ends are a godsend for people with back problems. Having several riding positions, including one that's fully upright without having to reach for the handlebars, is about the only thing that let's me ride a meaningful length of time.
I like the idea of left and right hand shifting up/down or whatever. Surely SRAM could develop simple shift buttons for their AXS systems.
these are awesome for people that need them/want them. was about time something like this appeared. i am good with normal trigger shift.
I like the left and right gear paddle set up.
In the gym, the "thumbs over" grip is called "suicide grip" when doing a bench press. It's fine for light weight, but dangerous when trying to keep heavy weight from slipping and breaking ribs since the wrist isn't as stable.
I will ride with a suicide grip on smooth trail sections when my hands are feeling the stress & going numb, but always switch to a standard grip when going over any rough terrain.
Once again you’ve leveled up your content beautifully executed it was enlightening.
Always great content, thanks for the video.
I’ve been using the Archer D1x for a few years now and prefer it over the big brand wireless setup any day. Also their customer service is some of the best I have ever experienced!
You can already do this with AXS wireless blips, of course, they are more expensive but you can do it with high-end derailleurs as well.
There are multiple videos of people using blips for shifting, it even used to allow you to use your reverb AXS dropper by clicking both blips at the same time.
Oh I really like the sound of them. I have very small hands with short thumbs. Reaching to change gear typically involves moving my hand out of position (amount depends on whether I’m on my MTB or road bike). The shifters can only be adjusted so much but it’s never enough for my hands. Those satellite ones would actually be really helpful for me.
As for thumb over the bars. I often do this. Although not all the time, I do it pretty frequently. Because of the short thumbs, if I try and hold my bars the correct way, my thumb kind of sticks out at a funny angle and can’t wrap round it to grip properly.
I saw yah at Sea otter and didn’t even say hi! Loved this video. So funny 😂😂😂😂
Seth, i love all your videos. You do great work. But for the first time, you have given me something to think about. I have dislocated both thumbs a few times. Mabey i will put some money into this product and play with a new idea.
These would have been great a few years back when I broke, (completely mangled), my thumb, (riding), and still couldn't change gears long after all the other injuries healed and I could get back on the bike. I rigged up a system that allowed me to press the gears with the heel of my hand until my thumb got to the point where I could use it again. It was awkward and uncomfortable doing it that way, but at least I could keep riding. Something like this would have been really great to use instead. Props to the inventors!
It probably isn't too hard to parallel multiple switches to the single receiver with a bit of soldering and shrink tube. Assuming the controls are just closing a circuit, it ought to be a straightforward project. That would let you run switches where you like, you could probably also pick different switches to preference and comfort based on how you want to interact with it.
The remotes are each based on mono 3.5mm headphone jacks, which is pretty standard for accessibility devices. No soldering needed to split to take input from 2 buttons, just a headphone splitter.
@@timtuckercom All the better lol. Thanks for the info.
Assuming the button just closes the circuit when pressed, add y-cables, with the right pinout count, and you can add additional buttons to the existing transmitter. Then you could put them on the antler and a more tradition area.
When I saw the title I assumed this was a system where it used GPS and topographic maps to automatically shift your gears depending on the gradient of slope and direction of travel lol this makes much more sense....
1:42 Like sports cars and pedal shifters? Okay now I want a novelty satellite shifter that's an H-shifter like in regular stick shift cars. Now that I see myself typing this, this might be a decent April fool's video, Seth!
In the late 90s you could get a bar end mounted shifter that connected to your regular shimano rapid fire shifter with cables. Only saw one or two back then.
Sram does in fact make a set of satellite shifters called "Blips" for their axs or etap drivetrains. I race coss country, I find them super useful just in the middle of my bars right by the stem so I can switch up the grip and get a little more aero on flat sections. They are also super useful on aero clip bars for adventure or longer distance riding.
I ride with my thumbs over the bars. I have ridden like this since I started mountain biking back in 2008. I've ridden all types of terrain from sugar sand to mountainous single track. I've never had a wreck from my hands slipping over the top. I dont know why I feel more comfortable by riding this way but I do.
i still use those mini antlers are a hand guard and they have saved my hand in some occasions and my brake lever as well.
So cool! I could use them on my downtube to replace my friction shifters!! Seriously though, the mechanical designer in me wants to see more of those adaptive bikes, what makes them tick and how are they built? Do an episode on them please!!
The killer antlers. Have seen some really nasty accidents with those things. Seeing them always gives me a little chill.
2:17 That's literally what was said about Sram Etap, that a button in each hand is easier to learn than mechanical brifters.
LOL! Meerkat! We need an MKXC shirt.
Must say, the kent trouvaille is getting some air time recently. Probably the go-to bike for crazy tests...
BERM PEAK ROCKS!!!!!!
I would put them on the sides of the brake levers that face upward at the wide base end. Basically the electronic version of Shimano's dual control from the 90's. Keep your fingers on the levers that way. ;)