Long climbs are where hand position and shifting actually work against each other. You want to be sitting up with your hands on the tops for breathing and posture, but the shift buttons are down on the hoods where you can't reach them without breaking that position. Shimano's SW-RS801-T Shift Switch Set solves that by putting a pair of climbing shifters right on the flat section of the bar, so you can shift without moving your hands off the tops during a sustained effort.

Each switch has a single button paired with a 31.8mm clamp, which is the standard diameter for the middle section of most modern road handlebars. You clamp them between your bar tape and the stem, position them wherever your thumbs naturally fall, and wrap the tape over the integrated 260mm wire on the way back to the lever. That cable length gives you enough slack to route cleanly under the tape from the tops down to the lever body without any awkward loops or exposed wire.

The wire terminates in an EW-SD300 connector that plugs into the satellite port on the bottom of a 12-speed Di2 STI lever. This is important: these only work with 12-speed Dura-Ace R9200, Ultegra R8100, and 12-speed GRX levers. The 105 R7170 lever doesn't have the satellite port, and older 11-speed Di2 and any mechanical groupset won't work either. The connectors have alignment tabs that keep you from plugging them into the wrong port, so if it doesn't seat easily, it's the wrong location.... Read More