Sounds like they might be friction-only barcons, and the OP is concerned that they might not shift over a nine-speed cassette.........If that's the case, then no worries, they'll shift nine-speed with a friction setup just fine. And if you want indexed nine-speed barcons, those are available, too, not terribly expensive. If the current barcons are indeed indexed for a seven-speed, then no, they won't work with a nine speed cassette in index mode, it'll have to be friction only.