Bicycle Mechanics - Downtube to brifters on a 7 speed...

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BSLeVan
02-23-07, 07:05 AM
Another newbie question. I'm trying to help get an 80s Specialized Sirrus ready for riding for a relative that has very limited range of motion. We know he can't make the reach to downtube shifters. So, we're thinking of taking a set of 2005 Ultegra brifters that we've got left over from another project and simply putting them on the current set up, which is Shimano 105 7 speed from the 80s. Is this possible? I'm thinking it simply means pulling off the DT shifters and current brake levers and replacing them with the Ultegras. Am I being too simplistic in this?

n4zou
02-23-07, 08:35 AM
The Ultegra brifters are not going to be indexed properly for a 7-speed cog so it's not going to work. You will need a set of brifters made for 7-speed on the rear and either a double or triple crank. Luckily, these are still available! Here is the link.
http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi?c=Shifter&sc=Road%20Shift/Brake&id=80451801839

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the bike you could put on stem shifters. These shifters mount to the handlebar stem so the tops of the levers are even with the handlebar so you don’t need to reach down to shift them. They only cost $12.95.
http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi?d=single&c=Shifter&sc=Road%20Shifters&tc=Friction&item_id=SR-STEMF&id=80451801839

http://www.loosescrews.com/Product_Images/SR-STEMF.jpg
operator
02-23-07, 08:39 AM
You're best bet is those Sora 7 speed stis. If it were any other situation I would say save your money - there is also the other possibility of flat bar with girp shifters. I'm not sure which would be easier for your relative - twisting motion or a lateral movement for the Sti.

Sheldon Brown
02-23-07, 09:19 AM
Another newbie question. I'm trying to help get an 80s Specialized Sirrus ready for riding for a relative that has very limited range of motion. We know he can't make the reach to downtube shifters. So, we're thinking of taking a set of 2005 Ultegra brifters that we've got left over from another project and simply putting them on the current set up, which is Shimano 105 7 speed from the 80s. Is this possible? I'm thinking it simply means pulling off the DT shifters and current brake levers and replacing them with the Ultegras. Am I being too simplistic in this?

Assuming your bike has a cassette Freehub (most likely it does) this should work fine using the "8-of-9-on-7" trick explained at http://sheldonbrown.com/k7

If the brifters are 10-speed, you might need to try the "alternate cable routing" trick as well:

http://sheldonbrown.com/alternate

Sheldon "You're In Luck!" Brown