To say I was a little dubious would be an understatement but at these prices I’d have been mad not to get some in the shop. For those of you who don’t scour every inch of the new product sections in magazines I’m referring to MicroShift. A new company that are looking to get among the big boys with some premium end road components and some great budget price mountain bike gear.
To start with there is the 9 speed triple road shifters for £129 that actually give a solid shift which is nothing to be sneezed at, especially when you consider that a set of Tiagra shifters rrps at £189.99. MicroShift actually do a 10 speed shifter for less than that. They also do high end carbon bladed shifters too so all you weight watchers don’t need to worry.
Anyway, to get back on track I’ve been testing the 9 speed mtb rear and front mechs on my 5” XC bike using XT shifters. The rear unit comes in at £29.99 which is £15 cheaper than Deore and the front is just £16.99 which is £10 cheaper than Deore.
So we’ve established that MicroShift is good value for money but the most important question is how does it shift and does it last? As I’ve only been out on two rides so far I can’t comment on longevity yet but I’ll update later in the year. Shift wise, having come from full XT I was amazed that the quality of shifting on front and rear was crisp and smooth. Even towards the end of a surprisingly mucky ride on Sunday both mechs still performed flawlessly and if I’m honest I couldn’t tell the difference from my XT.
As far as appearances go the rear mech isn’t the prettiest but its not like I ride around staring at my back wheel and as long as it keeps working well I’m happy. In my opinion the front mech also looks a little cheap but then again it is but as works so well I’m all smiles.
Recently I realized that I’ve become quite the bike snob. However I now see the error of my ways and given the current financial climate realise that we are all on a mission to find cheap alternatives that actually deliver good quality to boot. I’m pleased to say MicroShift seems to fit the bill.