I'm plotting out my plan of attack to continue modernizing my Pinarello road rocket and would like to know the feasibility of converting from the DT shifters (all Pinarellos of late '80s through mid-'90s vintage seem to have come with them by default) to more modern, 10-speed indexed brifter shift levers. The only technical problem that I can see is there's no "cup" for the cable shroud to sit in at the top part of the DT. Well, that and there will be two "holes" in the side of the DT if/when I remove the existing DT shifters.

What recommend ye? I suppose I could braze on a cup for the cable shroud someplace or (even better) it'd be really slick if someone knows of anyone making a conversion piece that maybe plugs into the existing DT shifter location (once the shifters come off) and has them built into those "plugs" for exactly this kind of conversion - anyone know of anything like that? Otherwise I'll have to sand down the paint and braze those suckers on, which I'd rather avoid (implications for frame strength, etc.) I think I can do it pretty cleanly, but the less I molest the frame the better I figure. . .

No need to do anything crazy to convert. If you buy your brifters new, they should come with the needed cable stops, but if not - you can easily find them:

https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1737

Does your downtube have shifter bosses brazed on already?

Audioel is correct, if you buy new STI shifters, they will come with cable stops or guides that fit on bosses where your downtube shifters now connect. That is all you will need. I had a mid-80s Bianchi converted from Campy downtube shifters to Ultegra 9-speed, and it worked just fine with no modifications needed on the frame.

Best source for cable stops is to just ask at your LBS. Mine just gave the Campy stops to me & wouldn't let me pay!

Fantastic guys - that looks like exactly the thing I was looking for - I sorta' figured someone had to make something like that. I'm off to order a couple. Bwahahahahaha!!! Crisp, smooth, ergonomic shifting days ahead! Whoopie!!!

Be sure to turn in your membership card to the Downtube Shifting Hairy Chested He-Men's Club on your way out the door.

If one owns a fine old steel frame but dislikes downtube shifters, it makes alot more sense to me to follow 2WheelFury's drivetrain update path than to set the calendar way back with a fixed-gear conversion.

I don't mind downtube shifters, but I've recently done a fixed gear conversion on one bike ('83 Le Tour), and will soon be doing the ergo shifters conversion on another ('84 Trek 760). After I can lay hands on a proper 20" unicycle and a tandem, I'll have wheels for every occasion.

What about Campagnolo? Anyone know which of their shifter lines might include the DT conversion stops?

I'll check with the bike shop later and hopefully they'll know, but I want to know if I've got an option to go with the Campy Record shifters (not that I dislike the Shimano STI ones, they're fantastic, but I've ridden a friend's bike with the Record stuff and was blown away with how nice they were).

I guess it becomes part of an overriding philosophical question also - do I keep the bike "true to its roots" by using Shimano components (the Pinarello used Shimano 600 stuff stock) or go into "viva Italia" mode with all Campy stuff (that entitles me to pull up at any Italian Restaurant and get free vino and pasta for the rest of my life, right?)

i just restored a late 80's benotto with shimano 105, 600, and sante stuff fron the era and it runs great. plus, you could easily run brifters or 9/10 speed with most of the old shimano stuff if you wanted to semi- modernize

or bar ends are another option

That would be my personal preference, but chacun a son gout.