Stick shift from grip shift

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Here is how you make a stick shifter from an ordinary grip shifter.
You can use a bolt-on downtube shifter from an old road bike for a bracket.
You also need a bolt that will thread into that shifter bracket.
Cut ¾ inch or so from the end of an old handle bar. Aluminum is better.
Use the wedge nut from the bottom of a threaded handle bar stem on the end of the handlebar piece.
The wedge nut will connect the handler bar piece to the downtube shifter bracket but still allow the grip shifter to slide over.
Run the bolt thru the wedge nut, through the handle bar piece, and thread into the shifter bracket.
Cut a piece of 5/16 inch threaded rod for your shift lever.
I used the curved cable hardware from a side pull mountain bike brake (the macaroni?) between the shifter and cable housing. The cable must take a 90 deg curve after exiting the shifter, towards the rear of the bike.
I drilled 2 holes, 180 deg apart, through the rotating part of the gripshift to attach the shift lever.
Drill the hole slightly smaller than the threaded rod.
Mount the shifter to the bike frame and attach the shifter cable before drilling.
You want the shift lever to be vertical when you are in your cruising gear (in general).
Spin the threaded rod into the holes in grip shifter. Secure the threaded rod with a nut on top and bottom of the grip shifter.
Slide on the rubber boot that came with grip shifter back on. Trim it around the nuts.
Cover the open end of the grip shift with a bottle cap.
I covered my threaded rod with clear plastice 5/16 inch tubing. It will make it look thicker and resist
staining and corrosion,
Top off your shift lever with a wooden knob from a craft store. Drill a hole and thread it onto the threaded rod. Paint the knob your favorite color. Pics below.
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Hmm. Break it down to three smaller jobs. You are basically mounting a normal grip shifter to a small, frame-mounted, handlebar and adding a shift lever. Start off by gathering the parts and see how they fit together.
**First job is to mount a small handlebar to your frame.
Mount the old shifter bracket around your frame tube.
Stick the wedge nut from a handlebar stem into one end of the
handlebar. Run the bolt through the wedge nut and handlebar piece and thread into the shifter bracket.
**Mount the shift lever to the grip shifter.
Drill through the rotating part of the grip shift, making two holes.
Insert the 5/16in threaded rod through the two holes in the grip shifter.
Secure it with a nut threaded onto each side of the grip shifter. Slide a piece of clear plastic tubing over the threaded rod the keep it clean. Get a wooden knob from a hobby store, Drill a hole in one side of the knob and thread it onto your shift lever. Trim the rubber boot that came with the grip shifter and slide it back on. It will work fine without the rubber boot, but it makes it look less DIY.
**Slide the grip shifter over the frame-mounted handlebar and tighten the little hex nut.
Slide the cable cover off and slide on a solid elbow, such as those used on a side pull mountain bike brake or pocket bike throttle, so that the cable will smoothly make the 90deg turn out of the shifter toward the rear of the bike. Shorten the cable, cable cover and connect to your derailleur.
**You can substute a bar end or threadless handlebar stem to make the frame-mounted handlebar on some bikes. You can also make your shift lever from a clamp-on mirror. There is no right or wrong, as long as the shifter functions and you have fun.
 
Wow. That Minoura-Besso-Mount looks like the way to go unless you have plenty of spare parts laying around the garage to use. Good find.
 

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