Shimano XT STI conversion

philkeeble

I have a Trek 8000 of 2005 vintage with the ridiculous MTB STI 9 speed shifters. A blind alley Shimano rode up where the brake lever is pushed down to shift to a smaller cog. I asked what the advantage was when I bought the bike and was told it was so you could change gear whilst braking. So why would you want to change to a higher gear whilst braking?
Anyway, I’d like to change to regular shifting pods so as the thumb change reverts to a standard downshifts. Does anyone know if the shifter component can be removed from the combo and thereby leave the brake in place and usable? I could then retain the hydraulics undisturbed and fit a new shifter pod.
Thanks

tom_howard

edit, misread

No is the answer, you need new levers and shifters