which way is up?

[ahconway]

Maybe I'm the only one to have experienced this, and I'm sure I'll get used to it (I've only had my Raven for a day!).

But my city bike has a SRAM Spectro-7 hub gear and the twist-shift works in the opposite direction from the Rohloff and now I'm all confused!

I find myself having to think before every shift (and with 14 gears to choose from, I'm shifting a lot): "If I want to shift up, I do it the opposite way from what I'm used to!" It's been a while since I rode a motorbike but the Rohloff shifter is also opposite to the throttle direction.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had this sort of trouble!

Andrew

(btw - this is really quite a minor complaint - the Rohloff and Raven are both even better than I'd expected!)

[graham]

The right hand grip shifts on our other bikes work the same way as the Rohloff, so I'd say your SRAM Spectro is 'the wrong way round'.

Of course, the left hand shifters are the other way round, as are MTB rapidfire levers. I frequently find myself changing from middle chainring to inner on my work bike, when I really wanted the outer one. Irritating when you've been accelerating hard and the pedal suddenly drops away from you. Another good reason for having a Rohloff.

I take the point about a throttle on a motorbike working the other way round- sort of. Trouble is you're trying to compare a gear shift with power output, and they're not the same thing.

Perhaps if you imagine the movement of your knuckles as a metaphor for the speed you want to go, then forward is a higher gear (faster?), and backward is a lower one.

I don't suppose it will be a hardship for you to stop riding the city bike and just use the Thorn for everything instead, that way you'll get used to the gearshift.

[ahconway]

quote:Originally posted by graham

The right hand grip shifts on our other bikes work the same way as the Rohloff, so I'd say your SRAM Spectro is 'the wrong way round'.

Of course, the left hand shifters are the other way round, as are MTB rapidfire levers. I frequently find myself changing from middle chainring to inner on my work bike, when I really wanted the outer one. Irritating when you've been accelerating hard and the pedal suddenly drops away from you. Another good reason for having a Rohloff.

I take the point about a throttle on a motorbike working the other way round- sort of. Trouble is you're trying to compare a gear shift with power output, and they're not the same thing.

Perhaps if you imagine the movement of your knuckles as a metaphor for the speed you want to go, then forward is a higher gear (faster?), and backward is a lower one.

I don't suppose it will be a hardship for you to stop riding the city bike and just use the Thorn for everything instead, that way you'll get used to the gearshift.

Fair enough. I think its really just a case of getting used to it. Your metaphor sounds good, but it's also counter to my old SRAM metaphor where I twist back towards me for more Andrew-power - and away for less! And believe me, I'd love to ride my Raven all the time, but it's a bit risky theftwise here in London.

[wookster]

Your not alone with the shifter, my wifes Trek has the Shimano 8 speed hub, and i had the same problemb when i got my Raven, hav got used to it now though. The Shimano's a lot quieter mind.

[Richard]

Sheldon Brown of Harris Cyclery mentioned this shift direction re-direction as he goes from one system to another.  He said that he was going to switch the cables entering the Rohloff to reverse the direction of twist.  This information is somewhere in his labrynth of a web site.  I think he wrote about this in his notes on his personal Thorn Raven, which is truly a sight to see.
I don't know if his anticipated solution worked.  Personally, I have a Joe Breezer Uptown with Shimano Nexus 8, and I will soon get a Raven Tour, and after one shift on the steed of the moment, I will know which way to shift!  This minor problem will actually not occur, as my wife kind of appropriated the Breezer.  I agreed wholeheartedly to this change as it cleared the way for a Raven!

[Frenchie]

I have had my Raven for one year now, and I can assure you I shift gears without thinking. I have to admit that it wasn't like that in the first few days...