Hey guys. New to this part of town. I'm usually creeping around the SS/FG side.

My friend recently picked up a used '80s Nishiki International. It's got the bar end shifters but he doesn't like it and would like to switch to the ones built into brake levers for drop bars. Are there any cheap but decent ones he could use?

Short of a deal on ebay the cheapest new ones are the microshift which are also available at nashbar an performance as their house brands. But the cassette speeds need to match the shifter speeds so he may need to replace more than just the shifters. He would also have to see if his derailleurs were compatible.

Yes. He'd most likely need a rear wheel, cassette, chain, rear derailleur & shifters. Front derailleur & crankset optional for "ideal" setup, but my old parts work fine. I converted mine for about $350 with careful shopping for new and lightly used parts.

He has two chainrings in the front, and five in the back. Does that make it a 10-speed bike? Original front derailleur and a new one that a shop put on the back. I'm not sure what brand and model it is.

Yes, an old school 10 speed. Now 10 speed means 10 in back and 2 or 3 in front.

It also means he would need a new rear wheel plus all the parts mentioned above. He would also have to stretch or cold set his frame and if the old wheel was a 27" he will need new brakes. Unless he has a real attachment to this bike it is not a good candidate for an upgrade to brifters as it will not be cheap.

Ooh. I found something like this.
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...1_10000_202346
Nashbar's microshift levers.

So that, and a rear wheel + 10 speed cassette? Would any 10 speed work? Why and how would he stretch or cold set his frame? It's got 700c wheels so I think that and the brakes are fine. I'm not sure about attachment. First road bike and hes in love with it. lol

5 speed is typically 120mm, 8, 9 and 10 is 130mm. I run a 130 wheel in a 126 frame right now with out cold setting, but I've never tried 120-130.

So he needs the shifters, a 10sp cassette, a wheel that takes a cassette, derailleurs that are compatible, a 10 speed chain and possibly a new crank. Microshift works with shimano standards so the wheel, cassette and derailleurs must also.

8 and 9 speed cassettes and chains are generally cheaper than 10 speed so your friend may be happier with something like this:

https://cgi.ebay.com/MicroSHIFT-SB-R0...#ht_3760wt_989

Awesome. Thanks for all the info! I'll pass it on.