brake shifters

10/2
10/2 Posts: 16
edited July 2007 in Workshop
a novice question.....going to get a set of brake/gear shifters and move the current ones off the down bar! but i cant seem to find a set for 12 gears? any ideas much appreciated please, thanks

Comments

  • starseven
    starseven Posts: 112
    Its all a bit much to explain (for me anyway) I would start with reading the sheldon brown website then decide how much you want to spend.
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    10/2 wrote:
    a novice question.....going to get a set of brake/gear shifters and move the current ones off the down bar! but i cant seem to find a set for 12 gears? any ideas much appreciated please, thanks

    You are trying to do a relatively complicated thing - I doubt you'll find sti or ergo shifters in 6-speed (assuming you have a double chainset and 6 cogs at the back i.e. 12 gears) as it is long obsolete (or pre-integrated shifters), so the option will probably be to replace the whole bike transmission to upgrade to 8, 9 or 10 speed.

    There is quite a bit of complication involved (e.g. rear hub type/width) and it isn't going to be cheap. Unless you have a frame that you really love and plan to keep for a long time then it will be a lot more cost-effective to get a whole new (or s/h) bike with a more modern spec.

    Neil
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,717
    The spacing is the same between gears on 6 speed as it is on 8 speed. This means that you can run 8 speed ergo/STI shifters, as long as you set the mech limits to prevent it moving too far. It's a bit of a bodge, but it will work, and give you the option of upgrading to 8 speed later more easily.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    8speed is almost obsolete now so will not be a good move. If your frame is 130mm across the inside of the rear drop outs then it will take the latest size hubs so you can run 9 or 10 speed. If not you will be struggling and any upgrade will only be a bit of a bodge job. To change to 9 or 10 sp you will need a set of STI/Ergo levers, rear hub/wheel, cassette, chain, front and rear mechs and chainset. You could probably pick up a fairly good bike for the same money and still have the old one for knocking about on.
    My Fleet.

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