The $315 Vivo F3 Shifter Has Interchangeable 3D-Printed Shift Paddles

Oct 10, 2023
by Seb Stott  
photo

If you don't like the way your stock mechanical shifter fits your hand, this may be a solution. New York-based Vivo Sports are now offering highly customisable shifters for SRAM mechanical 12-speed drivetrains, which feature interchangeable 3D-printed shift paddles designed to fine-tune the "form, fit and feel" to your needs.

photo
Can't say they don't have options...

There are twenty options for the lower paddle (used to change into an easier gear) and fourteen for the upper. In addition, there are sixteen options for the housing, nine for the cable tension adjuster and nine for the bar clamp (not including direct mount), but these are just cosmetic. In total, I make that 362,880 possible combinations, or 280 for the shift paddles alone.

photo
photo

Central to the concept is something Vivo call "Thumb Reach Rating" (TRR). This is a number to indicate how close the shifter paddle is to your thumb - the higher the number, the closer the paddle sits towards the rider, and so the less you have to reach for it. So riders with small thumbs may want a higher "TRR".

photo
photo

For now, it seems there isn't much to help you decide which of the many paddle shapes will suit you best. There are images on the website and you can contact Vivo for advice, but there isn't a hand measurement-based calculator or anything like that. Once you've bought the shifter for $315, you can buy alternate upper paddles for $15, or $22.50 for lower paddles. Just for context, that's about the cost of a complete Shimano Deore 12-speed shifter.


On the other hand, Vivo promises precise positive shifting, clear audible shift clicks, high-quality materials including double cartridge bearings, grippy paddle textures and the ability to upshift with a pull or a push.

More information: vivocycling.com.



Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks Vivo


Author Info:
seb-stott avatar

Member since Dec 29, 2014
297 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
Police Called to Scott Sports Headquarters as CEO Dispute Continues
63820 views
First Ride: Fox Releases New Grip X & Grip X2 Dampers
46005 views
Pinkbike Poll: Center Lock or 6-Bolt Brake Rotor Mounting?
42318 views
Tech Briefing: Fancy Suspension, Carbon Wheels, Spring Apparel & More
37082 views
Pinkbike's DH Fantasy League: Get Your Team On The Line for Round 1
33262 views
SRAM Patent Shows Compact Motor x Battery Unit
31376 views
Bike Check: Craig Evans' Airdrop Edit V5
30389 views
First Look: Fair Bicycle's Drop Best Offset Saddle Clamp is Universally Compatible
29080 views

85 Comments
  • 164 0
 "Once you've bought the shifter for $315, you can buy alternate upper paddles for $15, or $22.50 for lower paddles. Just for context, that's about the cost of a complete Shimano Deore 12-speed shifter."

you're a reviewer for the people Seb.
  • 30 0
 Which is ironic as it looks cheap AF
  • 1 0
 @enduroNZ:

Clap
  • 1 0
 @enduroNZ: clap
  • 91 0
 Sweet....$1.10 per paddle cofiguration option! or, buy all the other paddles at the same time for a grand total of $810, then just dial in your exact setup! when fully complete, put that clown wig and nose on, and go for a rip!!!
  • 80 0
 this will look great on my surly
  • 21 1
 Think of how well it'll work with my ceramicspeed-pully-equipped derailleur.
  • 9 3
 "this will look great on my Surly" has to go down as a Top Ten All-Time comment on PB...! Wink
  • 8 1
 And the Pauls mechanical disc brakes, i assume?
  • 58 2
 A solution to a problem that doesn't exist. What an amazing waste of time and resources!
  • 7 40
flag Notunormal (Oct 10, 2023 at 10:21) (Below Threshold)
 I heard they had trouble with getting there brains on a high so lalala they yell beep at kazackstan and fall far away y not cuz greatness lastestfaty
  • 36 2
 @Notunormal: were you dropped on your head as a child?
  • 6 3
 Speak for yourself bud, it's a big victory for those of who suffer from Advanced Toe Thumbs Syndrome to finally get some recognition from the industry. There are dozens of us!
  • 2 2
 @cowboyray: going by that comment, that drop seemed a lot more recent
  • 50 0
 for that price you can buy an ender 3, and multiple spools of filament and just print your own
  • 16 11
 They're using SLS parts, an ender 3 is an FDM printer which might have trouble printing the geometries needed for these parts, also the material needed to hold up to the elements is pretty expensive not to mention the time it would take you to design these parts... it's not really that simple.
  • 10 2
 @jonnywachter: the actual interface of the button is just a groove, so once you have the dimensions of that you can put whatever shaped lever you want on it. If you have half decent support settings & cooling, these parts shouldn't be at all difficult to print. As for the material, pla+ is more than strong enough, and if it breaks it will cost cents to replace.
  • 5 3
 @jonnywachter: a good ABS part in FDM will hold just as good to the elements and have all the strength needed. It is that simple.
  • 7 1
 @alex16trail: If I broke the paddle on my xt shifter I would just make due with a broken popsicle stick and some JB Weld. I mean what the hell, mtb is one of the sweatiest, stankiest and scabbiest sports around (if you are doing it right) yet there are people actually spending this much bank to pamper their thumbs!?
  • 1 0
 @st-lupo: Because "mtb is one of the sweatiest, stankiest and scabbiest sports around" does not mean there is no point into spending some money on nice thing. Following this argument everyone should ride a 50 dollar superstore bike because why bother buying good stuff when you're gonna ruin it anyway. Regarding your last question and the context of this article I think you completly missed my point. I never said that this shifter is worth the money they ask. To the contrary you need to be retarded to spend this much on 3D printed parts, when you can buy the printer and print them yourself, having the benefitts of adjustability claimed by this product for a fraction of the price (3D printer included).
  • 1 0
 @st-lupo: Ender 3's are the new JBWeld + Popsicle Sticks
  • 27 1
 But why?
  • 6 0
 you stole my answer!
  • 2 0
 Why? Don't ask why just keep asking how
  • 4 0
 Because positioning the shift on the bars is for poor people.
  • 18 0
 This has to be a troll job marketing ploy. There's just no way someone thought there was a void to fill here. "Coming soon from Vivo Sports, headset cable routing retrofits!!!"
  • 20 0
 The $180 mech xx1 shifter never looked so affordable!
  • 9 0
 Normally I'd say there's a customer for every product, expensive or not, but this is so...beyond me. I recently bought a open box GX shifter for $29, and it comes with the shifter cable too. For 2 of these shifters, with some additional paddles, you can get a whole XT group kit...which not only comes with a full drivetrain groupset, including the bb, but also set of XT 4 pot brakes and rotors... you can sell the brakes/rotors for $250 at least pretty easily, which leaves you with a whole XT groupset for not much more than this thing. Wild.
  • 4 3
 Preach... I bought my MicroShift Advent 9sp, cogs, shifter and derailleur for the cost of a XT cassette, wholesale..
  • 8 0
 Nah, you all miss the point, there are lots of people who want a mechanical drivetrain but don't want to look just poor, this brings the cost of your mechanical setup to wireless and that's the point. Wireless simply looks silly on your custom titanium hardtail.
  • 11 0
 I have to wonder how many of these they actually expect to sell
  • 6 0
 They just have to sell one shifter, and make 19 increasingly-uncomfortable levers so that the guy buys all 20, by then they’ve already broke even
  • 8 0
 Hhahhahhahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!! Oh, you're serious I'll show myself out
  • 6 0
 Faffers rejoice! If you have finally tuned your Fox 36 Factory to be juuuuust right, you can now cycle through all 362,880 shifter options to find the sweet spot in shifting performance
  • 7 1
 Good lord. How soft have bikers become? "The shift paddle doesn't perfectly match the contour of my thumb! I need a new one! WAHHHHH!!"
  • 1 0
 Comfort is key, key up ur ass
  • 4 0
 I'm a sucker for pleasant and positive tactile feedback from things I touch (ha!) but these would have to be beyond my imagination to be worth the $ over a Shimano XT/XTR shifter.
  • 5 0
 If my shifter paddle feels a bit too far away, I simply rotate it round a little.. thank goodness Vivo are here to stop me from wasting my time.
  • 6 1
 Weirdly enough, Shimano ergonomics for a Sram RD is actually something I'd love. Not sure I love it $315 worth, but interesting hack to get the best of both worlds.
  • 3 0
 Wow! Expensive, over-engineered, ugly, offers almost no benefit over existing options, and comes at a time when more and more bikes are moving away from mechanical shifters altogether: this has to be a winning product, I'll take ten!

Apologies to the creators and I'm hoping they can find use for this down the line Smile
  • 6 2
 for some context this guy has been grifting around the industry for the last 25 years. www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/vivo_derailleurs.html
  • 8 1
 Insinuating a grift is a bit harsh.
  • 3 0
 For the anal retentive shift-bro that can't adapt to anything else but the most perfect solution, more things to over analyze in your bicycle specification.
  • 2 0
 Seems like AXS versions of this idea would be easier and since the target market here is clearly high end, it might be an easier sale. Also might try a 7-speed DH version but that's not a huge market.
  • 6 2
 At that price it's safe to say their target audience is yeti owners
  • 7 0
 This is ridiculous....even for us Yeti owners.
  • 4 0
 At the price I'd only be satisfied if it were 4D printed....
  • 5 0
 Hahaha hahaha no.
  • 7 4
 Actually pretty sick, obviously very niche but it's technically a cool solution.
  • 4 0
 362,880 possible combinations? but we havn't talked colors yet..
  • 3 1
 I recall Sam Hill used the X7 rather than the X9 shifter as it was easier to "custom cut" the plastic X7 lever. That's the way the great riders do this.
  • 5 1
 Can they 3D print a paddle to slap my...oh sorry wrong website
  • 4 0
 I give this product 280 thumbs down
  • 3 0
 This kind of seems like all those knobs on my fork. I am sure they do something, but I have no idea what.
  • 1 0
 CEO walks into the bike component product department.

"Ok guys, just took the kids to Star Wars park at Disneyland. How can we copy the build your own Lightsaber shop I dropped $$$$ on while we were there?"
  • 2 0
 so the target market is someone who has 12 speed sram, lots of money and yet for some reason hasn't got AXS shifting? both of those people must be thrilled.
  • 3 0
 An xx1 shifter costs half that much and I thought that was ridiculous...
  • 1 0
 Step away from the 3d printer and close the cad model. This is an expensive and complicated solution to a simple problem that I imagine very few people care about or value.
  • 3 0
 As cool as this is that is just stupid money for a shifter!!
  • 3 0
 Missed timed April fools joke maybe....no???
  • 3 0
 Solving problems that don't exist.
  • 2 1
 More overpriced "boutique" stuff that isn't as good as the stock offerings. Might as well anodize it 3d violet so at least it looks flashy.
  • 2 0
 The thumbnail made me think this was a shark-shaped bell for your handlebars
  • 1 0
 This press release has been "stuck in the matrix" since late March, it was supposed to be release on April 1 !

VIVO, y'all blew it !!
  • 1 0
 Thats cool. If they can give me the paddle from a saint shifter that would be awesome
  • 2 0
 Darn if only they made a 11 speed version...
  • 2 0
 Coming soon, U$1300 retrofit kit for AXS
  • 1 0
 This is just ridiculous! For the cost of all the paddles and accessories you mind as well buy AXS for only a few bucks more
  • 1 1
 Wait are they thinking there are customers out there willing to spend $300 on a shifter, but who aren't running wireless shifting?? lol
  • 1 0
 And I thought spending $100 on my xtr shifter(which I freaking love the feel btw) was fkin nuts
  • 2 0
 For $115 less you can get the entire Advent X drivetrain... smh
  • 1 0
 Having started with the most complicated component, expect a (very expensive) rear mech in no time...
  • 1 0
 I was tempted, but I'd rather buy the new INGRID shifter when it comes out.
  • 2 0
 Still has a cable.
  • 1 0
 This is like an @outsidebrendan project.
  • 1 1
 The alternate solution to uncomfortable shifting is a $9,000 ebike with a motor and transmission that will shift for you.
  • 1 0
 I kinda like it. One has a choice right?
  • 1 0
 I will pay no more than $75 for a shifter.
  • 1 0
 That should be in slack random category
  • 1 0
 279 combinations you'll never use.
  • 1 0
 and no one ever noticed....
  • 1 0
 lol
  • 1 0
 Lol
  • 1 3
 is this made by the same guy who's selling the saddle tilt adjuster
  • 1 0
 Wtf richard







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.045446
Mobile Version of Website