How to position your shifters (video)

Cycling Weekly's resident mechanic guides you through how to get your shifters best set up for comfort and shifting performance

campagnolo potenza shifters 2

There are a lot of different things that you can do to improve the comfort of your bike - fitting wider tyres, switching to a more comfortable saddle, making the front end higher - but if you're suffering from pain in your hands and wrists then it might be worth making sure that your shifters are positioned correctly.

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Unfortunately this is a little bit of a faff as it requires you to remove your bar tape if you want to make any significant changes to the position of the shifters, but once you've done this it's a relatively simple process.

In fact, the only tool you need is either a 5mm Allen key or a T25 Torx key (depending on whether you're using Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo shifters), plus a long straight edge from something like a broom handle to make sure that everything is lined up and positioned correctly. Watch the video above for a step-by-step guide on how to go about getting the perfect fit.

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The only thing left to say is that although the method described in the video gives a rough guide as to how you should have your shifters positioned, this is also a matter of personal preference, so feel free to tweak and adjust if you want to change the height or the angle of the shifters.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.