Nowadays, Shimano is among the most famous groupset choices among bike manufacturers. The component giant offers bike manufactures and bikers a wide range of offerings with great efficiency and low cost. Shimano makes use of the STI’s levers, which stands for Shimano Total Integration.
The shifters feature two levers: one large and one small. In this article, we will explore how Shimano Tiagra shifters work.
Unique Features of Shimano Tiagra Shifters – Components and Uses
Left Shifter
The shifter on the left hand of your bike helps in controlling the front gears or derailleur to shift the chain up and down the chainrings. The left levers are used for the big jumps in gears during sudden changes in terrain.
Right Shifter
The shifter on the right hand of your bike helps in controlling the rear gears or derailleur to shift the chain up and down the cassette. They are used for small adjustments to your gearing during a slight change in terrain.
Big Lever
The big lever on the two shifter levers helps in moving the chain into larger rings. You should keep in mind that shifting into larger rings with your right shifter will make pedaling easier. Shifting into larger gears with your left gear will make pedaling harder.
Small Lever
The small lever of the two shifter levers helps to move the chain into smaller rings. If you shift into smaller chainrings with your right shifter, the pedaling will be harder. Shifting into smaller gears with your left shifter will make the pedaling easier.
Uses of Shifters
- Improve your bike speed and efficiency
- Increase the comfort of your ride
- Increase your endurance on longer rides.
How To Shift With Shimano Tiagra Shifters
Here is a great visual resource to help explain how to shift gears on your bike (Credit to Global Cycling Network):
You should keep in mind that the entire brake lever will move to shift the gear with the Shimano STI. There is another lever inside the brake lever that will shift the gear in the opposite directions.
You can use the big lever to change into a larger sprocket or larger chainring, whether you use your right-hand shifter or left-hand shifter. The same principle applies with the smaller lever, where you can use the smaller lever to change into a smaller sprocket or smaller chainring, whether with the right- or left-hand shifter.
The complication with shifting with the Shimano STI is that if you move into a smaller chainring at the front, it will make the gear lower (easier to pedal). But if you move into a smaller chainring at the back, it makes the gear higher (harder to pedal).
For instance, if you are riding uphill, clicking the small lever with your left hand will help to move into an easy gear at the front, and when you move the whole shifter across with your right hand, you will be moving into easy gear at the back.
If you are riding downhill and pedaling too fast, you should move the whole shifter across with your left hand and then click down the small lever on your right hand to enter into a higher gear.