Barrettscv 

I'm having a hard time locating a period (1990's) 8-speed indexed downtube shifters for a Shimano 3x8 drivetrain. I'll be using a Suntour Triple and a Shimano 8speed cassette.

I know that some of the Dura Ace and 600 shifters from that period had to index shift an 8-speed cassette. Are these triple compatible? What models should I look for?

jeirvine 

I think they should all be triple compatible in the front - only the rear is indexed, unless I'm very much mistaken. Assuming you are using a Shimano RD, I think there are quite a few Shimano 8-speed DT sets that would all shift the same: 105, 600, Light Action, etc. with (possibly) only Dura Ace having a slightly different throw ratio for the rear indexed RD. Here's a cheat sheet for compatibility:
https://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html
-J

dddd

8-speed DT shifters are not all that easy to find, due to the arrival and popularity of STI at the time that the higher-lever gruppos were at 8-speeds.

RX100 was perhaps the lowest-level 8-speed offering, but STI was very popular by the time RX100 went to 8-sp.

I don't recall ever seeing Light-Action in an 8sp version, and imo Light Action should always be paired with same between shifters and rear derailer since the return springs in both the shifter and derailer are lighter, if not the detenting as well.

If you have a pre-9-speed Dura-Ace rear derailer, then any 9-speed shimano shifter will index an 8-speed cassette perfectly with one of those 740* rear derailers. Even Shimano endorses this.

dddd

So Sora offered DT shifters, GOOD TO KNOW!!!!!

likebike23

If you can't find period shifters, Ebay has some new ones for sale. I saw them while doing a search for "Sora". I put a set on my brother's bike and they work well. The only downside is that there is no friction option for the rear shifter.

dddd

Also good to know I'm not the only one drinking too-strong coffee this morning, LOL!

Edit: How did you delete the entire double-posts???

Barrettscv 

Yes, the Sora option might not be period, but it looks good (enough) and will work perfectly.

old's'cool

Whoa-ah!... good to know. Did I do something bad replacing Exage Light Action 6-sp levers & RD with same vintage 105 levers & RD...? The new setup seems to work fine, at any rate. Light action RD is now pared with late model Shimano cheapo plastic thumb shifter, whose action is anything but light!!..., but other than shifting effort, that seems to work fine also.

bradtx

BarrettSCV, Shimano R-400 shifters. Rear is index only.

Brad

IthaDan 

I went looking for 6401 tricolor 8 speed shifters a while back. Took me forever to find the first pair, the. Within weeks, I had two more.

Wen it rains it pours I guess.

himespau 

I went looking a while back for some to do this. Could only find the dura ace ones, but hopefully I'll be able to get that alternate cable routing trick to work with a modern derailleur to get it to index properly.

rhm

For 105 stuff, 1055 is 7sp, 1056 is 8sp. The latter is hard to find but when when it turns up may go very cheap.

Sunrace makes a set of 8sp ones that work well, stem or Downtube, very cheap brand new..

dddd

Well, the cheapo 6-speed plastic levers I use don't even have a helper spring, so can't really be over-sprung vs. the cable tension spring in the rear derailer.
In fact, the Light Action rear derailer is the very best one to use with those shifters, due to their rather soft detenting that sometimes allow the shifter to auto-shift in response to the tug of the cable.

You can firm up the detenting on Shimano's cheapest plastic thumbshifters by first prying off the thin alloy name plate, removing the screw and cover, and then turning the hex nut one or two clicks counter-clockwise. Don't overdo it or the hollow center bolt (zinc pot metal) can strip. I add some thick oil and a dab of grease before reassembling and glueing the name plate back on.


And rhm, thanks for mentioning that Sunrace now offers 8s dt shifters.

thinktubes 

I'm running a pair of R400 on my Ciocc. They're paired with a tri-color rear dr. They have a nice polished finish.

I got them from chain reaction R400

RobbieTunes

I'm using a new set of the R400's on a Cannondale, with a Microshift FD and RX100 RD, Ultegra calipers and a new set of the "same" 400 aero brake levers. It all goes together very nicely, being polished, with an 8-sp cassette.

The 8-sp DT shifters are nice, because you keep the flexibility on the rear to go 9 or 10 eventually.

old's'cool

Thanks for the helpful information. Actually, I would like to lighten up the action; it's a bit of a bear toward the large end of the cluster. I'll take a look at that, next time I'm in the same respective provinces as the two bikes in question that I have with these shifters.

RobbieTunes

I just helped a friend finish a build tonight, using the R400's.
2004 KHS Flite 700, came OEM with 105 9-sp. He's been riding a Cannondale ST400, stock.

He went with the R400's, Tektro brake levers, and Ultegra/600 the rest of the way on Aksiums.
Came out as one smooth ride. His buds can kid him about the 8-sp DT shifters, until he rides away from them...
The modern frame looks really nice with the DT shifters and clean cable routing.

bradtx

Robbie, I did the same using the R-400s with a Cannondale 2.8 and it did look better, IMHO.

Brad

PS Photo of the KHS?

RobbieTunes

I'll get one. We finished at 10:02 pm last night, and I rode at 6:15 this morning.

Barrettscv 

Thanks' for the info.

I'm restoring a vintage bike and will be installing a 3x8 drivetrain using a combination of new, NOS and lightly used second hand parts.

I have these parts;

Used 130mm Shimano 600 hubs
Used 12-28 8-speed Shimano Hyperglide XTR Cassette
New Suntour Superbe Triple Crankset with 52, 42 & 30T chainrings

I wish I could find a good quality 600 level Shimano shifters and derailleurs for triple & 8-speed, but they were never made. I'm considering;

New Sora indexed R400 downtube shifters for 8 speed
New Sora braze-on front derailleur for 8-speed triple drivetrains
Used Tiagra FD-4503 rear derailleur for 9-speed triple drivetrains

This 1985 lugged steel bike will retain most of the look and function of a well intergraded period unit while still having a sufficient gear range for a hilly century ride. I might add a 13-23 cassette for faster rides on flatter routes, this cassette would have a tight 13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23 spacing.

bradtx

Barrettscv, My distance bike project is similar to your build, triple w/9S. My favorite is the 13-23 8S and the 9S adds a fairly useless 12T cog. Somewhere around her I have a 12-21 8S that I removed from the crit bike as 42:21 sucked on overpasses. It would work nicely with a triple.

Brad

RobbieTunes

+1 vote for the R400's. I built one with them for someone else, have them on my Cannondale SC800.
+1 vote for the Sora braze-on FD. I have one of their doubles on a build. Easy install, simple operation.
+1 vote for the Tiagra long-cage rear. They are smooth and reliable, look good, not expensive.

Last night's build for a friend. He's not even considering STI's. The DT shifters are mounted
high, and easier to reach than they were on his Cannondale ST400. So simple to install, too.

bradtx

Robbie, That looks great, so nice and uncluttered in front of the head tube...Thanks for posting a photo. Nice bottle cages, also. If the use of a clamp on aero bar wasn't a possibility for my R1000 build, I'd use DT shifters instead of bar ends.

My SR500 project is going to have a mostly RX100 group, which was more difficult to source than I'd first thought. There is a lot going for the groups below 105 yet they seem mainly forgotten. The RX100 was one step below 105, like the Tiagra.

Brad

Harlan

I have used these from Riv:

https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/sh2.htm

Pricey at $85 but that includes the bar end mounts (about $40 usually). Not sure if they sell the shifters sans the mounts. The Ultegra levers work well.

mmmdonuts

If you're still looking I might have some Ultegra 8sp shifters from that period lying around. The rear was selectable index/friction. Well used but all bits should be there. PM me if you want them but I will be out of town next week.

Correction: They're 600 (same diff...)