Originally Posted by
SANDBORNSTEVE
I'm going to put riser bars on my road bike. It's a Felt and has 25 gears.I'm going to put Shimano 3x8 speed shifter/brake lever combo because the Simano 3x9 cost double the price on the 3x8 on Ebay is like $25.That would put me at 24 gears which is just fine.I don't need 25 gears.With that shifter missing one gear.Will it work? or will I just not have access to that last gear?
25 gears isn't possible. It has to be a multiple of 2 or 3 front chainrings x the number of rear cogs.
In general, compatibility depends on three things. Any of these can prevent the shifting from working correctly.
The spacing between rear cogs.
The cable pull distance per click from the shifter.
The amount of movement of the rear derailleur when the cable is shifted.
There are some workarounds to get non-compatible components to function. A few incorrect combinations will "kind-of" work, not quite lined up, but close enough for some riders.
So,
post your rear derailleur model, and the number of rear cogs you have.
You can post photos by clicking "Advanced" and use the paperclip icon to upload a photo.
You'll get more useful answers.