Ste_S

Currently have a bike with friction downtube shifters, shimano golden arrow front and rear derailleurs, and a 600 six spd cassette. The other bits of the transmission are fine, I'd just like to use Ergo's/STI's instead of the down tube shifters. Possible ?

cs1

Shimano made indexed downtube shifters and thumb shifters. I've never heard of 6 speed brifters.

Tim

Ste_S

I'm not too bothered about indexing really, it's more about the position of the shifters. I'm finding down tube shifters a bit hard to get used to again after using STI's for a while.

While i'm not expecting a six speed sti/ergo, I just wondered if I could use an 8/9/10 spd shifter and just have a redundant 2-4 clicks.

BluesDawg

bar ends would work

Ste_S

Something I've looked at, but would prefer ergo/sti if i could get them to work

operator

Shimano also made 7 speed stis.

Michel Gagnon

Forget about Ergo or STI, unless you want to spend a fortune.

I think that Ergo and STI started with 8 speeds; maybe 7 if you are lucky. If you only have access to new parts, you will be able to find "lower-grade" STI briefters (ex.: Tiagra, if I'm not mistaken), but for higher end parts, you'll need to go to the used market because Ultegra and 105 moved to 9 speeds almost 10 years ago and even to 10-speed recently.

Besides, you would need a cassette or freewheel with precise spacing between cogs. Besides, even though post-1985 derailleurs (give or take a few years – check with Sheldon Brown) have the same working, your derailleurs might be different. It's not that they were designed differently on purpose, it's just that they didn't care about those details in pre-indexing days.


If you can find 8-speed STI shifters

At the minimum, you will need:
– New shifters (that's obvious), plus cable stoppers that will be installed on your downtube braze-ons. If these braze-ons are not compatible, you will need clamp-on cable stoppers; they exist but are hard to find.
– A modern 7-speed freewheel such as the Shimano Megarange.
– A new axle, because the new freewheel will be wider.
– Spreading the frame from 126 to 130 mm; easy for a steel frame, but don't do it if your frame is aluminium.
– A new chain
– Most likely a new rear derailleur.
– Most likely a new front derailleur. Either a road double if your two front rings are close to each other, or a road triple otherwise.

Since you'll have 8-speed shifters with a 7-speed cassette, you'll have to attach the derailleur cable using the alternate cable routing (explained on this page).

If you find (only) 9-speed or 10-speed shifters

You'll need to "convert" to a freehub. this means you'll have to buy all the above, plus:
– A new freehub-based wheel and a new 9- or 10-speed cassette.


What about bar-end shifters

On the other hand, if you were to go to bar-end shifters, you could use them in friction. This means you could buy either "vintage" 7- or 8-speed bar-end shifters or modern 9- or 10-speed shifters and use them as is. You'll need only:
– bar-end shifters;
– cable stoppers.

BTW, Shimano bar-end shifters are "light-touch". This means there is a spring inside the shifter that counterbalances the derailleur spring, so you don't need to keep your derailleurs very tight to prevent slippage.

HillRider

There were 7-speed STI's as part of the RSX group in the mid and late '90's. They were Shimano's lowest line to offer STI brifters being below 105 and RCX-100. My son's 1996 Trek 1220 came with them and they were servicable components. You may find them NOS or on e-bay.

You will need a 7-speed freewheel and perhaps a change of derailleurs as the older, non-indexed derailleurs may not have the same geometry as newer designs.

BTW, none of the STI/ERGO shifters offer a friction option so if they don't index properly, you have no alternative.

Ste_S

Cheers for that. Bar end shifters it is !

Sheldon Brown

Shimano's Sora STI brake/shifters are my favorite Shimano model, and are particularly well suited for upgrading older bikes. Not only will they give you modern shifting, they'll also improve your braking, due to the modern brake lever design. These are also the only drop-bar brake levers with an adjustment screw for the rest position of the brake lever, allowing them to be adjusted for easier use by riders with small hands.

If you get the 7-speed version, you can use your old rear wheel with a new 7-speed freewheel and suitable chain.

You will need a Shimano indexable rear derailer...even the cheap ones work just great, a lot better than anything you could buy a generation ago.

Generally any front derailer will work if you have a double chainring setup. If you have a triple, you may need to replace the front derailer as well.

You will need to add spacers to the rear hub and re-dish the rear wheel to fit the 7-speed freewheel, and may need to spread the frame as well. See: https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing

Here's what you need:

Sora shifter kit https://harriscyclery.com/shifters

7-speed freewheel https://harriscyclery.com/freewheels

Chain (I recommend the SRAM PC58) https://harriscyclery.com/chains

Rear derailer https://harriscyclery.com/derailers-rear.html

Handlebar tape: https://harriscyclery.com/head

Alternatively, if you find a good deal on some used 8-speed Campagnolo Ergo shifters, and some indexable Campagnolo rear derailer that will also work with a 7-speed freewheel just fine.

All the best,

Retro Grouch 

Probably isn't going to work. The cable pull on 8/9/10 speed brifters isn't going to match what you need for your more widely spaced 6-speed. You could try attaching the cable to the opposite side of the anchor bolt closer to the pivot but I doubt it would meet my standards for index shifting.