Originally Posted by
Shiloh253
Out of curiosity, would an 8 speed shifter work on a 7 speed cassette?
No. You can find some exceptions that people with some MacGyver skills have figured out, but you generally need to match the number of gears between shifter and cogs for indexed shifting to work properly.
Originally Posted by
Shiloh253
I've seen a ton of 3x8 STI's at a decent price, but absolutely nothing for 3x7. Just wondering if they even exist, or if there's a way around it.
There are the Shimano Tourney ST-A073 shifters, but they seem to be getting scarce. Another option would be the Microshift SB-R473 shifters, which are compatible with Shimano drivetrains and can be found via Google or eBay in the $70-80 range.