Patent ID: 8272293

Claim:
A bicycle shift operating device comprising: a bracket having first and second opposite ends and including a grip section having a lateral side with a shift cable guide portion, the lateral side facing towards a bicycle longitudinal center plane when the shift operating device is in an installed position, and a handlebar mounting structure mounted to the bracket at the first end of the bracket; a shift lever pivotally mounted to the bracket at the second end of the bracket; and a shift operating unit mounted on the bracket, the shift operating unit including a spool, the spool being rotated in a rotational plane in accordance with movement of the shift lever to wind a shift cable extending from the spool to the lateral side, the shift lever having a free end that moves toward the lateral side having the shift cable guide portion as the shift lever pivots from a rest position to an operated position to wind the shift cable, the shift cable guide portion being arranged at the lateral side of the bracket such that the shift cable guide portion guides the shift cable along a guiding direction that is non-parallel to the rotational plane of the spool.