Couldn't you use a 7 speed brifter (or some other brifter, really doesn't matter)? Set it up so some brifter position, such as 4th, is perfectly adjusted for 2nd gear; downshift as far as you can, and you'll have first; upshift as far as you can, and you should have 3rd. The only problem I can think of is if the spring in the hub isn't strong enough to pull the cable for upshifting. If that's the case, you might want to put a stronger spring into the hub. Or just take the spring out, it's about 1.5" long; stretch l it out to 2" and put it back in.
A left side brifter--if it's a triple-- might do the job even better.
If you have the extra parts, it's worth a try. If you don't have the parts on hand, maybe not.
Originally Posted by
Ol Danl
Will the old-school trigger fit okay on 23.8 mm dia. bars?
No. Depending on the model, you may have to find a longer bolt and do some fettling. It's easiest to do this with one of the older triggers (like what you saw in nlerner's photo above). But one way or another, with a little ingenuity, it can be done.
Worse case scenario, there are plenty of 22.2 mm bars out there... love that chrome!
Another option is a different bar shape. I have a bar on one of my bikes that's a pretty close copy of a 1930's Lauterwasser bar:
Soma makes a pretty good copy as well, which they call a Lauterwasser bar. People mistake it for a mustache bar, but it is a different shape, much more like a drop bar, but it takes upright style levers and, crucially, it measures 22.2 mm. Here's the Soma bar on my commuter bike:
