FatBaldMen

I want to upgrade the rear derailleur and hub on a Mid 80's Paramount from 6spd Dura-ace set up to 11spd Dura-ace, can I keep the front derailleur and crankset or do I need to upgrade them as well for everything to work?

Also, has anyone here heard of operating a new rear derailleur using the old down tube shifter? I'd like to keep from changing it's overall look.

Thanks in advance.

icepick_trotsky 

It'll work, but I'm not sure you'll be satisfied with the performance. I've found it difficult to shift anything beyond 9 speed accurately with friction. The spacing is just too narrow. I know Shimano made 10 speed indexed Dura Ace down-tube shifters though, which will work well and maintain the look. I'm not certain about 11 speed.

keep in mind you'll need a new wheelset.

FatBaldMen

^thanks for the info.

I'm gonna lace the new hub to the old campagnolo rim it so it all matches

icepick_trotsky 

The other option is to get dura ace 11 speed bar ends (for triathletes) and just attach the shifters to the downtube bosses with using the bar end pods. It's the same lever.

Shimano Dura-Ace BSR1H1 11-Speed Bar End Shifters from BikeBling.com

jiangshi

Be aware that an 11s chain will drop between the rings in a 6s crank pretty easily. I don't thing the DA 6s DT shifters have enough range for 11s. You should also at least have the dropouts aligned for a 130 hub while you're at it. Just buy a Campy Chorus 11s group, and thank me later.

bikemig 

You might as well get new rims if you are buying a new groupset. 9 and 10 speed dura ace shifters are readily available both down tube and bar end.

FatBaldMen

Just so I'm certain I'm understanding you correctly, I can use the bar end shifter minus the pod on the downtube shifter boss? If so, can anyone else on this forum confirm this? It's not that I don't trust you Icepick, I just wanna make doubly sure before I order parts.

Otherwise, the same rear hub is 9/10/11 speed compatible so I was gonna look into just going 10 spd if I find the lever you mentioned instead since its still 8 more gears than I currently have. . . .I'm not a performance cyclist & ill never race I'm just looking to make riding this bike more fun.

icepick_trotsky 

Make that Athena, and I agree.

FatBaldMen

@bikemig, Just looking to buy the rear derailleur, hub & shifter, possibly even second or third hand . . Not the whole group, plus I like the old campagnolo rims, they aren't fancy by today's standards but have an old school appeal/aesthetic to em that works for me.

bikemig 

You can find the parts you need 2d hand pretty easily. I like old rims too but if I were going to the trouble of building new wheels, I'd go for a new rim. You can find new rims that will look right on a vintage bike like this H Son TB 14, H Plus Son TB14 Rim

jiangshi

I originally had that in the reply, buy saw it was out of stock most everywhere, and Chorus can be had at a nice price.

Henry III

I don't get why lace old used rims to nice hubs? Trust I like things the hard way but 5 his just doesn't make sense. It's like running a Corvette LS1 engine through a 3 spd tranny? All this just to say your running 11spd DA but still keeping it vintage with downtube shifters?

icepick_trotsky 

I'm with him on the downtube shifters, if that's what he's into. It has a great retro appeal. You don't really see them indexed anymore in anything beyond, say, 9 speeds, but they're out there.

OP, check into the bar end thing. All Shimano bar end shifters are just downtube shifters with adapter pods. It's always been that way.

if you do get new rims, I second the TB

Slash5

I've heard the bar end shifter will work but would look crappy - certainly not original looking.
Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 2x11 Speed Bar End Shifter | Chain Reaction Cycles
Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 10sp Down Tube Shifters | Chain Reaction Cycles

Homebrew01

I use 1980-ish Campy derailleurs on 2 of my otherwise "10-speed" drivetrains. One also has a mid-1980s crankset. No problems, although the wider FD cage means a bit extra throw need to shift to the large ring. If I slowly shift from big ring to small, I can make the chain ride on the small ring teeth, in between gears. But if I shift quickly, it's fine.
On my racing bike, I use all modern parts for optimal shifting. For training-riding around, my 1980 crank & FD is good enough.
Try it and see.

rccardr 

I've used friction shifting on 10 speeds by lacing a modern hub to a vintage rim and using the rest of the Shimano 6207 groupset with a 10 speed chain. Did not feel it was particularly fiddly in thr shifting department, in fact it was very nice after a little bit of practice. I was a fool to sell that bike...but I digress.

Have also built many bikes using Shimano 10 speed indexed downtube shifters. In fact I rode one today 108 miles, but it also has a DA 7700 FD and RD, not totally modern but still in the same neighborhood, period-wise. Very slick, dependable shifting performance.

While I've built several bikes using complete new Shimano 11 speed groups, have not done any mix 'n match builds with it. Certainly would want to use the correct rear hub and (if indexing) RD because the pull is different than 8/9/10 speed, as well as an 11 speed chain (these are directional, BTW). Have not had an opportunity to disassemble a set of 11 speed bar end shifters and would hope that they use the same square base mount as DT shifters, but...perhaps some research into a blow up illustration would be in order. Just to be safe. But by the same token, would be intrigued to try just the hub, cassette and chain installation and shift it with friction to see how well it would work.