Originally Posted by
fas2c
I was thinking that vintage Suntour Barcons can run on a modern 9 speed system. It would have to be run as friction though right? I sure hope so.
or I'll be
OK- assuming they're indexing Barcons and not older Power Ratchet Barcons, they're designed to pull a derailleur across a 7-speed freewheel, which is 32.4mm* from first to last cog. A 9-speed cassette is 36.5mm* , so your arrangement will need to move the derailleur an additional 4mm, plus whatever wiggle room is needed to make the shift. In other words, it might work, it might not. I think it'll work- in friction mode.
*reference:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.html