I have the original Ultegra 600 components on my 92' OCLV. The brifters are in near-serious need of replacing ... they have been overhauled and maintained about as far as they will allow according to my LBS. Given I don't want to replace my drivetrain completely and go with 9sp or 10sp ... what options do I have to obtain new 8sp brifters besides going with USED 8sp Ultegra shifters on eBay? Does anyone know if there are any 8sp 105 Brifters in stock anywhere for a reasonable price that would work?

Shimano makes these, they're similar to eight speed Ultegra from the mid/late 1990s... 8-speed right hand indexing. Model is ST-R500 , any bike shop should be able to order some from a distributor catalog.

https://bike.shimano.com/catalog/cycl...=1147879695916

Thanks thewalrus! I had no idea these existed.

If your buying a new brifter, upgrading to 9speed is getting fairly cheap. Ultegra brifters are around $180 and a cassette around $30.

In this case, I would need a new RD also wouldn't I?

Going up in gears I thought required: Brifters, Cassette, and RD. Can someone confirm?

No, you need a new cassette chain and brifters. I'd just say forget about it if the 8 is working fine and just get the 8 speed Shimano STI shifters.

Probikekit has those for about $200 CAD shipped. 9 speed stuff wears out faster than 8 anyways.