bellweatherman

I'm an old timer and have an old bike built up with Dura-Ace 8 speed. I want to keep what I have and not upgrade to 9 or 10 speed, but I have to get some replacement STI shifters. Is there anything out there that is compatible?

evblazer

When I looked last week ebay seemed to have alot of STI Dura-ace shifters for 8 speeds or are you looking for something more modern that will backwards compatable?

Al1943

Dura-Ace 8-speed has a proprietary cable pull and the rear derailleur has a proprietary throw ratio. There are no fully compatible replacements. But derailleurs are relatively inexpensive, you could replace the shifters and compatible rear derailleur. The 8-speed D-A cassette is compatible with other Shimano 8-speed shifters. But quality 8-speed shifters are becoming rare. The good news is that you could upgrade to 10-speed Shimano with new shifters, rear derailleur, cassette, and chain. The most expensive component is the shifters and you say you need to replace them anyway. I think this would be a good time to upgrade to 10-speed.

Al

canamdad

Shimano still catalogs an 8 speed STI shifter- the ST- R500 https://bike.shimano.com/catalog/cycl...=1199898855362

HillRider

Yes, but they would be compatible with 105 or Ultegra 8-speed, not Dura Ace.

bellweatherman

That shifter is really cool looking, but ahh. I think the other guys are right. Shimano non-Dura-Ace 8 speed shifters are not compatible with Dura-Ace deraillers.

Al, some great advice there. I actually considered doing the upgrade to a 9 or 10 speed shifter and also upgrade the rear derailler to a 9 or 10, but in the end I axed that idea. I really just want to keep my ultra-cool looking Dura-Ace 8 derailler. If only I could make something work.

Gonzo Bob

The cable pull on pre-9-speed Dura-ace is different than all other Shimano so non-Dura-ace 8-speed shifters will not work. *But* all Shimano 9-speed shifters actually have the same cable pull as Dura-ace 8-speed. So you can use Dura-ace 8-speed shifters or any Shimano 9-speed shifters (and just ignore the extra click). If you get 9-speed shifters, you can later upgrade to 9-speed by getting a new rear derailer and 9-speed cassette and chain.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html#indexing

bellweatherman

Neat! Now that is a really good idea. Thanks Bob. So, speaking of doing something similar to what you propose... Instead of using a DA 8 derailler + Shimano 9 speed STI levers to get 8 gears...Can I use a DA 8 rear derailler with Shimano 9-speed STI levers + 9 speed cassette and get 9 gears???

Gonzo Bob

No. The Dura-ace 8-speed derailer will move too far (it will index at 8-speed spacing) with 9-speed shifters. To get 9-speed with 9-speed shifters, you need a 9- or 10-speed Dura-ace rear derailer (7700 or 7800) or any other Shimano rear derailler.

But there is one other way to get 9-speed that I just thought of. Since the Dura-ace 8-speed derailer moves futher per shift than Dura-ace 9- and 10-speed, you can get 10-speed shifters and use them with your Dura-ace 8-speed derailer to get 9-speed indexing. Man, I think I just thoroughly confused myself with that one.

tellyho

I think 9 spd shifters + new 9 spd cassette = 9 spds.

squirtdad

Just a note....but from a lot of recent looking around......it looks like 9 speed shifters/brakes are going for more on eBay than the the 10 speed stuff at least at for ultegra.

Phantoj

This guy seems to have a business reconditioning old Shimano STI, maybe ask if he could refurb your Dura-Ace?

https://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-STI-Shif...QQcmdZViewItem

urbanknight

I'm not sure how well these things work (and I imagine they use friction instead of indexing) but it seems like a pretty cheap fix.
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5144