Twist grip shifter STIFF!

[Paul Drawmer]

I am refurbing a bike for my 8YO granddaughter.

It had Shimano twist shifters, which were sun bleached and locked solid. So I bought these:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09FDGDP8G/r...

I replaced the rear and gave the mech a clean and polish. It all works fine. When I initially connected the shifter, it was very stiff and difficult to use even with new inner and outer cables. But I was surprised how it eased up with repeated full cycles. It's now OK but stiffer than I'd like for a young girl to use.

The front however is much worse. I bought a new front mech. as the mechanical leverage at the beginning of travel was awful. The replacement is better where it has a cable routing hole to improve the angles, but it is so stiff that I can only just operate it.

New front mech, new cable inners and outers, new shifter.

Are twist shifters just crap anyway, or should the bike have special changers to suit the lack of lever are length on the twist grip?

How can I make them work for an 8 year old?

[Paul Drawmer]

OK fixed.
In Paul's Magic Box of Old Bike Bits I had an Alivio front trigger shifter.
Fitted it and it works just fine. Still quite a shove to get on the big ring, and fussy on the indexing. Much better than the twister thing.

[IJWS15]

I have a Carrera Vulcan with twist changes front and rear, not ridden it for 9 months but after 25 or so years they are still working fine.

You do realise that only the ring at the changer turns, not the whole grip.

[boyse7en]

Paul Drawmer said:

I am refurbing a bike for my 8YO granddaughter.

It had Shimano twist shifters, which were sun bleached and locked solid. So I bought these:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09FDGDP8G/r...

I replaced the rear and gave the mech a clean and polish. It all works fine. When I initially connected the shifter, it was very stiff and difficult to use even with new inner and outer cables. But I was surprised how it eased up with repeated full cycles. It's now OK but stiffer than I'd like for a young girl to use.

The front however is much worse. I bought a new front mech. as the mechanical leverage at the beginning of travel was awful. The replacement is better where it has a cable routing hole to improve the angles, but it is so stiff that I can only just operate it.

New front mech, new cable inners and outers, new shifter.

Are twist shifters just crap anyway, or should the bike have special changers to suit the lack of lever are length on the twist grip?

How can I make them work for an 8 year old?

My daughters' early bikes came with twistgrip shifters and they were always hard for little hands to use however much i adjusted and lubed them. When they moved up to a bigger bike i made sure i got bikes with Rapidfire as it takes less effort to shift.