Originally Posted by
pierce
friction shifters are a pain in the a-- with 8 or more gears in back, way too fidgety. I wouldn't even think of trying to use them with a 9 or 10 speed system.
you can't use mountain derailleurs with road index shifters, either, at least not in 9 or 10 speed, maybe 7/8 speed is OK but noone MAKES index road shifters in 7/8 anymore.
the hand positions are all wrong for using mountain thumb shifters.
oh yeah, road brake levers are strictly short pull, so if this bike has V-brakes or mechanical disk brakes, you're hosed. at least v-brakes could be swapped for CX style cantilever brakes. with disks, ugh. and if you have hydraulic disks? double ugh. maybe you can put a CX disk brake system on there, I dunno.
really, I think you'd be better off buying a suitable road bike, maybe a CX, or maybe something like one of the Surly touring bikes.
Uh, what? I use friction on 9 speed every day, and its no problem at all. Just let up a smidge on the pedals and the shift works well. The gears are so close together that you'll hit something :-). Of course, I ride a trike, with the shifter right at my fingertip at all times, so that does make it easier.
Cable pull on mountain and road dérailleurs are the same. There are only problems with SRAM 1:1 and Campy mechs, both of which have different pull ratios than standard Shimano mechs. I've set up brifters with old MTB mechs, and road mechs with MTB shifters in both 8 and 9 speed. Brakes are a different matter, of course.
Sunrace makes an 8-speed brifter. They're reasonably priced, and seem to work ok.
Drop bar conversion works best when the rider has a long torso, as the top-tube is proportionately longer for a flat bar bike than a drop bar.