Trigger Shifter Question

[Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)]

I've always used friction shifters but am thinking about putting a trigger shifter on a new cargo bike build. So apologies in advance if this is a stupid question, but...Do you have to use the corresponding rear derailleur/groupset for a particular shifter? Or can you mix and match? 

For instance, Riv sells 5-6 different shifters (Sora, Alivio, Acera, Altus, Claris, etc.). If I buy, say, the Altus, can I only use it with an Altus RD? 

Thanks in advance-

[J J]

Hi Justin. You can definitely mix and match. You can use pretty much any Shimano trigger shifter with any Shimano rear derailleur as long as the number of shifter speeds corresponds to the number of cassette gears. There are a few exceptions, like vintage Shimano or too low or too high number of speeds. But for the stuff Rivendell sells, the various shifters are compatible with the various derailleurs. They do not have to be part of the same group. The derailleurs themselves don't care about which mechanism is actuating the cable travel. Just be sure the number of speeds on the shifters matches the number of cassette sprockets: 8-speed shifter with 8-speed cassette, 9-speed shifter with 9-speed cassette, etc. for proper indexing. And if you happen to run the trigger shifter with a Rapid Rise derailleur, the numbers on the shifter indicators will be reversed relative to non-Rapid Rise (1 will be 9, 2 will be 8, etc.), but otherwise the shifting will function the same. 

[Justin Kennedy]

Awesome, this is the answer I was hoping for. Thanks JJ!

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[Jeremy Till]

To agree and be get a bit more specific, when it comes to Shimano trigger (aka "RapidFire") shifters, 7-9 speeds is the sweet spot for interchangeability between shifters and derailleurs. I've got one bike shifting a 9spd cassette with 9spd shifters and a 7spd derailleur, and another doing the same with an 8spd derailleur. There are some potential compatibilities outside of this range (10spd road and 9spd mountain, for instance) and third party companies like Microshift have made some shifters to fill in gaps left by Shimano, but in general, anything in the 7-9 speed range is going to play well.  

-Jeremy Till

Sacramento, CA