Bar end shifter compatability help!
 

I've got a Raleigh Technium 440 I'm looking to outfit with bar end shifters. Two chain rings in the front, and a 6 speed cassette in the back. The bike is outfitted with unlabeled Shimano FD + RD and stem shifters. Is using some sort of indexed bar end shifters a possibility here? What should I be looking for?

Thanks


Edit: would something like this work - http://cgi.ebay.com/SHIMANO-ULTEGRA-...item439dde0e44

Buy any good nonindexed barcons you like and appreciate the reliability, durability, and adaptability of friction shifting.

I think Shimano 6 speed indexed shifters were the same as 7 speed shifters but had a modified or added piece of plastic. Sounds like a total bodge. Suntour barcon shifters are the classic way to go...Velo-Orange also has a new DiaCompe bar end shifter that also ratchets.

Indexing is for wusses!

You are correct. There was never a "6-speed" Shimano indexing bar-con. The 7-speed units came with a plastic shim that fit in the cable groove to make them work with 6-speed. As you said, kind of a kludge.

It might be possible to remove the 6-speed shifters from their stem mount and put them on Silver mounts: http://www.rivbike.com/products/show...-mounts/17-068 , but that takes a pretty intimate knowledge of bike parts. I'd try it, but then I've only been doing that kind of thing for 30 years.

And no, the 8-speed (SL-BS64) shifters on Ebay won't index. You could just set them to friction, but then what's the point?

I converted my Nishiki Olympic 12 to indexed bar end shifting using Shimano 105 6sp downtube shifters (http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi...d=137978525403) and bar-end shifter pods (http://www.rivbike.com/products/show...-mounts/17-068) with optional Shimano spacers (part #17-135). Those shifter pods are currently out of stock at Rivendell, and I don't know where else to obtain them.

The converted downtube shifters stick out a bit farther than dedicated barcons but work just fine. They can switch from indexed to friction mode, in case--like me--you occasionally want the retro experience.

I assume you'll also need a set of downtube cable stops (such as http://www.rivbike.com/products/show...e-stops/17-045, though these are fairly widely available). My Nishiki lacked downtube shifter bosses (the shifters were clamp-on), so I needed clamp-on cable stops instead.