Bicycle Mechanics - Replacing suicide shifters with STI Shifters?

After I bought the STI shifters, how much does it usually cost to have them take off the downtube shifters and install the STI Shifters?

Did you buy the shifters new with cables, housing and barrel adjusters? If so, then all you'll need is some new bar tape. Install and adjustments should take an hour or less. What's the going labor rate at your local LBS's?

55/Rad

I've never heard down-tube shifters called that and I can't think of any reason to do so. The only thing I could think of was stem mounted shifters which could impair your ability to have children at a later time.

To answer your question, it should cost as much as a library card. Borrow a recent bike maintenance book (like Zinn's) and figure it out as you go. Have fun.

Danged you must be young...of course they are "downtube shifters"..they shift..they are on the down tubes.

if they come in a kit, they come with everything you need to do ot the instruction can guide you through it...we will help.

If you bought them from a LBS they will put them on for a nominal fee.

You will enjoy the difference.

suicide shifters is a motorcycle trem... :) don't you watch American Choppers? :) LOL

Called up there earlier. $40 bucks if already have all the things needed( shifters, cables, handlebar wrap )

that's a little steep for something that you can probably do yourself if you have the tools and a couple hours to figure it out...then again...it's not that bad if you've got the money, and would rather not do it yourself. hmm...it's a toss-up. i say, do it yourself if you feel confident, and if you get stuck, take it to the LBS and have them do it.

Build bike yourself = Priceless! :)

Danged you must be young...of course they are "downtube shifters"..they shift..they are on the down tubes. Re-read the post; he said he'd never heard downtube shifters called that (meaning "called suicide shifters").

If by "suicide shifters" the Original Poster means stem shifters, then I'd say Forget STI.

Stem shifters were installed on bikes in the mid 1970s, and the CPSC declared them illegal in the late 1970s early 1980s. If you ride while sitting and if your stem is high enough to be higher or level with the top of the shifters, then they are safe. Otherwise, you should think of replacing them.

But...
- in those days, we had 5-speed and 6-speed freewheels, now it's 9-speed and some 8-speed cassettes; spacing is different;
- cable housing is different;
- derailleur movement is different; current Shimano and Sram derailleurs are compatible with 7, 8 or 9 speed shifting (depending on the shifters you install), but not with pre-1987 (+- 1) derailleurs;
- indexed shifters exist in 7 speed (almost extinct), 8, 9 and 10 speed.

So you would need to spread the frame, install a wheel with cassette, get a new rear derailleur, new cables and shifters... and probably a new front derailleur too.

Better to simply find a set of modern shifters that work in friction, like Shimano Bar-end shifters or the old Sun-Tour stuff sold by Rivendell.

i put together two bikes today with 6-speed freewheels and indexed downtube shifters. one was a bridgestone, and the other was a panasonic...both pretty nice bikes....but yeah, if you're gonna switch to STIs, you're gonna need to also upgrade your rear wheel and derailleur, unless you already have 9 speed downtube shifters...which is unlikely, unless it's campy, or dura ace...and even then, very unlikely.

From Rock The Bike~~~~ (http://www.rockthebike.com/node/1494) Suicide Shifters


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/372540109_40a54f9ee7_m.jpg

This bike is just one of the antique racing bikes hanging on the wall of my neighbor Gian Bongiorno's shop. It's one of Campagnolo's earliest shifting mechanisms. Apparently Fausto Coppi won the Tour on it. To operate it, you pull one lever to undo the axle quick release. At this point, the axle is immobilized in the dropouts only by notches in the dropout! Then you pedal backwards, using the other lever to change gears. Once the chain has moved to the new gear, you redo the QR for the axle, then pedal forward. Apparently these were popular because they were light weight, but they caused many accidents.

After I bought the STI shifters, how much does it usually cost to have them take off the downtube shifters and install the STI Shifters?

Your thread title did not quote, so first thing--it's about twenty years too soon to call downtube shifters 'suicide.'

On to your question. A typical shop will charge you for a tune-up + some time to install levers and wrap the bars. But my bike doesn't need a tune-up, you say, and you MAY be right, BUT no point in having fine new brifters if the wheels aren't true and no point in truing the wheels if the bearing adjustment isn't right. Even if the LBS doesn't have to do all this stuff, they've still got to check it.

That said, I used to figure 1 1/2 hours for a job like that, and my shop rate was $40/hour (ten years ago). If I liked you and everything was perfect, I might just charge for time spent. Still at least 45 minutes.