It seems like every new year brings a new standard in the bike industry, and handlebar attachments are no different. Shimano has been leading the way by constantly changing and improving their attachment systems, making it tough to keep track of what is what. And finding the right solution to mate them is even harder. So it’s no surprise that we get endless questions about our MisMatch and ReMatch adaptors. “Which one fits my shifters?”, “How do I know which brake lever I have?”, and “What is the difference between all of these?!”
You get the idea.
To make things easier, we’ve put together a handy-dandy guide to help you find the right adaptor for your setup.
The first step is to figure out which type of attachment system is used by the components you have. Thankfully, SRAM has stuck to their patented MatchMaker design for the past decade, so you only have to worry about your Shimano components. Shimano shifters and brake levers have used four different attachment systems (including I-Spec I (A and B), I-Spec II, and I-Spec EV) across their mountain groupsets since 2010, and some parts work with more than one system. But if you know which groupset your parts belong to, the year they came out, or the model number located on the part, you can easily figure out the attachment system they use with the following chart. For example: if you know you have an 11-speed XTR shifter, you can see that your model uses the I-Spec II attachment system.
If you’d like to read more about the differences between each of these attachment systems and the history behind them, check out this article.
Once you know which type of attachment system your components use, you can move onto selecting the appropriate Problem Solvers mounting adaptor. In short, MisMatch adaptors pair your Shimano parts with SRAM components, while our ReMatch adaptors bridge the gap between generations of Shimano levers and shifters. The different numbers here represent how each adaptor connects your attachments. Simply use the following chart to find the adaptor that fits the mounting systems used by your brakes and shifters. For example: if you want to mount SRAM shifters onto your Shimano I-Spec II brakes, you should get a pair of MisMatch 1.2 adaptors.
If you’re still having trouble finding the right adaptors or have questions about any of our products, feel free to contact us for help. And if you don’t see a solution to fit your needs (like for I-Spec EV), remember that we are always working on new adaptations to help you save space on your handlebars. Maybe we’ll have just the thing for you soon. In the meantime, make sure to check back here for more cycling gadget goodness.