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I need some new shifters.
Are all shimano brakes a or b I spec... Or can they be no spec?
Also, how can I tell whether my SLX brakes are a or b spec (or none of the above?)
It's a very common problem.
B shifter mounts fit either A or B brake levers so you just need to figure out which brake levers you have.
There's a chart on this thread showing the options.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/i-spec-conversion
I recently bought some b spec shifters, and they came with the fittings for both a & b brakes. Had me scratching my head for a while, because they had no fitting instructions and I was trying to work out how all the parts were used.
My word, it's even more complicated than I thought. Thanks all. Might just whack a bar shifter on.
When I get my head round it all, it's really simple to understand.
The other 97% of the time it makes my head hurt, would love to know why shimano decided to bring out A/B spec.
How old are your brakes... Essentially if the brake clamp looks like the one in this picture you'll probably be able to fit the shifters - I think more or less everything is B spec now. For what it's worth I managed it (albeit the other way round - new XT brakes, and I then bought [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-m780-i-spec-direct-attach-cover/rp-prod67257?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_name=UnitedKingdom&gclid=CP3TtfrZmL8CFWPItAodWhEAzg&gclsrc=aw.ds ]these[/url] from CRC - very simple once you've identified that you have the right parts..... It does make things look neater up front.
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bluearsedfly - Member
When I get my head round it all, it's really simple to understand.The other 97% of the time it makes my head hurt, would love to know why shimano decided to bring out A/B spec.
B is cheaper to make, but still an exclusive design that no one else would tool up for to produce the parts and with B you can fit/replace/remove a shifter without removing the brake lever too.
I think the design job was given to the work experience gang who did good, but still cocked it up.
Hopefully someone said " just tap a thread into the lever body" at some point but we will never know.
Instead of the simple thing, cut off a small piece of metal, or even in the first place, they redesign the whole lot to get more units shifted.
In the end it's all about the ride, as long as you buy their gear.
This is a easy one: if you are buying a new shifter, there's no problem. Make sure it's ispec B (ie from the last 18 months, not NOS) and it will be compatible with any shimano ispec brakes. I think the shifters have slightly different part numbers, and you can physically check by using the reference diagram above.
The problem comes when buying new brakes if you have an older shifter (as I'm discovering).