Shimano SL-S503 Alfine 8-Speed Right Hand Rapidfire

What are shifters?

Shifters sit on your handlebars and are the levers you use to change gears.

Who needs shifters?

Any geared bike needs shifters. You might need new ones as part of a drivetrain upgrade, or because you’ve damaged yours in a crash.

What are the choices?

The shifters on a drop bar road bike are very different to the ones on a flat bar bike. There’s a pretty vast choice, but they generally match up with your bike’s groupset to help you make the right choice.

What should I buy with them?

If they don’t come with them, you’ll probably need some gear cables to get those new shifters set up.

Anything else?

As with most drivetrain parts, shifters aren’t really something you can upgrade in isolation. You’ll need to consider what other parts of your groupset you need to match up to get it all working together.