Grip shift vs trigger shift – which is best for you?

The majority of mountain bike drivetrains are trigger-shifted. However, grip shift remains an option for some, depending on hand health and riding climate.
- SRAM MTB drivetrains 2025: SX to XX SL explained
- Bicycle chains explained - everything you need to know
- microSHIFT Advent drivetrain review
It’s mountain bike-specific
Many component standards and technical trends in mountain biking originate from road cycling. However, flat handlebar-mounted shifters needed to diverge in purpose during the infancy of mountain biking in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Trigger shifters solved the issue of a robust, intuitive gear selection system for mountain bikers. The need for a thumb-operated shifting system, that wouldn’t compromise handlebar control or braking action when rolling over rocky or rooty terrain.
Why most riders use trigger shift
It is a safe and proven design. A critical ergonomic feature of mountain bike handlebar controls is not impeding a rider’s ability always to cover the brakes. Especially when descending.
Trigger shifts allow for accurate shifting, using only the thumb, which means a rider’s index finger can always shadow the brake lever.
Handlebar ergonomics and packaging are another benefit. Singlering 1x drivetrains removed a secondary front-derailleur shifter from the mountain bike handlebar, but dropper seat posts and suspension lock-out remotes have crowded available handlebar space. Trigger shifters are easier to integrate and match with all those other controls that most mountain bikers can’t do without, like dropper seatpost remotes and suspension lockouts.
Trigger shift issues
If things go wrong, the trigger can create an injury risk. Mountain bike crashes and how riders separate from the bikes, or impact them during a crash, is wildly dynamic and complex.
If you have a big crash, the trigger on your handlebar is a legitimate impact point, especially for the knee. Beyond the potential to cause injury, a trigger shifter is also exposed to terrain damage during a crash and can break off. That means a costly repair or complete replacement part.
For riders with existing thumb or index finger injuries, a trigger shifter can become uncomfortable to use on longer rides.
Grip shift origins
As professional mountain bike racing became more professionalised in the 1980s, component companies were innovating to give pro riders the edge when racing.
Ironically, the grip shift’s origin story wasn’t from an off-road riding need but a very aero one. In 1987 SRAM innovated with a grip shift system for triathletes, and by 1989 product developers had recognised the potential of repurposing it for mountain biking.
During the 1990s, the cacophony of ‘clicks’ was a signature sound for spectators watching XCO pros work their way up steep, technical climbs. SRAM’s grip shift was the gear-shifting option for pro mountain bikers. But then it wasn’t.
SRAM retired its grip shift system for many years, only reviving it with the 1x revolution of the early 2010s. As mountain biking embraced the 1x11 and 1x12 systems, the grip shift returned to vogue, with SRAM reintroducing it as an XO-grade option in 2012.
What grip shift does well
Owning to its triathlon aero origins, the grip shifter is slick. If you are the kind of mountain biker who obsesses about a very clean cockpit, the integrated design of a grip shifter will have a lot of aesthetic appeal. And let's be honest: some riders choose components for their appearance, with function following form.
Another advantage of the grip shift system is that it’s less likely to suffer catastrophic damage during a big crash. If your mountain bike goes cartwheeling down the trail, there’s no external lever or mechanism to bend or snap off.
A seasonal and cold climate-specific benefit of grip shift, is for riders who use insulated gloves for those ultra-committed mid-winter training rides. If you keep riding regardless of snowfall on the ground, or sub-zero temperatures, grip shifters are much easier to work than a trigger, with a heavy-duty winter riding glove.
Where grip shifters can struggle
Accidental or inadvertent shifting is the primary issue with grip shifts, especially riding up steep terrain.
When you pull hard on the handlebars, it’s easy to accidentally slip your hand over the grip shift during a very taxing climb. Grip shifts require your index finger to work with the thumb, turning the grip and shifting gear. But that can reduce your braking response, as your index finger is also the braking lever touchpoint.
Grip shifts accidentally moving are a greater risk when descending. On steep, technical trails, a rider’s weight is biased forward on the bike. Any slight nudge, more forward, can create an overt-the-handlebar crash.
Suppose you are navigating a challenging technical trail section, and your hand on the grip shifter accidentally moves a touch inwards, triggering the shifter’s rotation. In that case, that’s enough of an arm and upper body movement to dramatically shift your entire centre of mass and cause a crash.
The grip shift might create a pleasing aesthetic integration but can create some ergonomic and integration issues. Not all grip types work with a trigger shift. Grips are a very personal choice, with some riders needing to ride specific grip types to reduce hand fatigue or palm strain, due to a legacy crash injury. You need to check if your favourite grips, will work with a grip shifter.
Choosing between grip and trigger shift
Most mountain bikes are built with trigger shifters. Choosing to fit grip shift is a conscious decision and often an aftermarket upgrade.
If you are that committed winter rider, who has thermal gloves that are well used, grip shift will make changing gears in those single-digit and sub-zero temperatures a lot easier.
As mountain bike drivetrains have gained more tightly spaced ratios in the 1x12 configuration, riders want to shift several gears in one action, when preparing to clear a technical climbing section or steep switchback climb. Grip shifts can be better for quickly shifting several ratios in one movement. The ergonomics and clean-cockpit benefits are valid, too.
Most riders, though, are entirely happy and well served by trigger shifts. Especially those who enjoy decenting and technical riding. With trigger shift, there’s no risk of hand slippage starting a crash sequence, because your thumb and index finger moved slightly over onto a grip shifter at a critical moment, rolling into a crux technical trail feature.