I played with the clamp version of the XT shifter hoping it would allow me to get the paddles in a better spot than with the lever-mounted version which either digs into my thumb when descending or forces me to twist said thumb in a weird way to downshift. I was particularly annoyed at the fact that I had to remove a grip to install the thing, I run foam grips and they're always on the verge of tearing apart so removing them without trashing them is near impossible. The paddles ended up in a slightly shittier position and after 3 rides I went back to the old setup. The grip didn't survive the 2nd removal. I wish they had made the bar clamp similar to the one on the brake lever which you can open fully. I guess there's probably some weight saving consideration there but those gains are minuscule and can't possibly justify the inconvenience of the installation method.
I ended up trimming the edge of the paddles to shorten them and wrapped the little rubber patch around the edge and now my thumb is happy. Tempted to get a 3D printer and design my own shifter paddles!
"Your wife being mad is temporary, but pow turns do not get unmade" - mallwalker the wise
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