usually one or two bucks per foot of cable housing... most shop guys will give you twice as much as they actually charge you for, though ;)

and I wasn't necessarily saying I "prefer the simplicity" of my 7 speed sti versus ten speed. I mean, they're both about as simple as each other, one is just twice as expensive (if not more). it's more that the "speed" of shifting is barely noticeable. especially for commuting duty. if it is well set up it shifts very fast. if I was racing a crit and need my upshifts to be as quick as possible that's one thing.

coming from the industry it's just so easy to see how everything is marketing and very rarely as much of a benefit as they make it sound. though three extra gears does make a big difference in using a wider ratio of gears. I think my seven speed is currently 13-26, smooth as butter IMO.

$180 to convert? Just buy a chromoly MTB, add drop bars and skinny tires. Instant poor man's Surly LHT for $150, 21 speeds.

Huh? Does not compute. Drop bars + shifters + bike= a lot more than just shifters.

Sure it does. Lets's say you live in Milwaukee. Get this Trek 4300 $110.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bik/4314998121.html

This bike has trigger shifters, which are worth keeping. You can get a dirt drop stem and Northwoods handlebars plus grips for $45. Mount the bars upside down. Buy some Panaracer Road slicks and tube from Nashbar for $30 total.


http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Categor...0545&pageView=

All in @ $185.

And mount the trigger shifters on the tops of the bars?

That 4300 is aluminum, not steel. But this Marin, in the OPs town is steel, and only asking $75.. Those trigger shifters should mount okay. But given the lower price, a pair of thumb shifters and a new quill stem can be added.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/4312763724.html

I converted this Miyata Terra Runner for about $180. $90 for the bike, $30 for tubes/tires, $10 for bar tape, $15 for stem, Tektro levers $25, and a bag of parts I got at a garage sale for $10, including the barcon shifters. I had the handlebars on hand.

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/u3hn32udgdx...2015.57.45.jpg

wait, why are we now recommending crappier options for the same exact price?

Even if the OP were to go the trigger shifter route, OP could do it for much less than a "new" bike plus drop bars. Plus, as AlTheKiller notes, this is not an upgrade per se. It would move shifting higher than the downtube, but I would not consider it, since it still forces one to move a hand into a less stable position. STI's or bar-end shifters would be an upgrade (at least in my experience).

+1. Suntour bar ends are on ebay for anywhere from 20-75 + new cables/housing. You lucked out and got $10 set at a garage sale, so he has to go rummaging around for how long until he finds a set? I have a drop bar MTB, it's not a road bike.

that bike would last me about half a year to a year at most. and looking at the condition of those chain rings i'd probably get chain suck on every other ride.

Don't know if you got 7sp STIs yet, but you could also consider Retroshift; you already have downshift levers, so it would be $129 for a set of specialty brake levers and you could move your existing shift levers up to the front.