Downtube - STI conversion

declan1 · October 2012

Hi everyone!

I may be purchasing some Shimano 2300 8-speed sti levers soon, and I was wondering whether they'll be compatible with my bike.

It's got a Shimano 600 Ultegra groupset (7-speed double) with downtube shifters (they click for each gear, which I presume is indexed).

Would the 2300 levers work? I know they're 8 speed but I've read that they're compatible with 7-speed (with an extra 'click').

Thanks for any help!
Declan

bobs bikes · October 2012

in a word, yes.
if the frame has frame mounted gear lever lugs, you can use old caliper brake adjusters as cable guides and outer stops to help with this, otherwise you will need some way of stopping the outer cable at the front mech.
i have done this conversion lots of times.

ugo.santalucia · October 2012

Yes, it is doable.
The advantage might be questionable though... STI levers are not cheap and not immune to problems and faults... they are also a lot more time consuming to fit (cables mainly) while downtube shifters are pretty much indestructible and changing a cable takes approximately 3 minutes. If you don't mind DS, I wouldn't bother

drlodge · October 2012

It works exactly like this! I'm using Shimano 2300 8 speed shifters on my 7 speed 531 bike, with STI cable stops from wiggle @ £10.79. Works a treat and so much easier to change gear, especially when doing a "double dump"

declan1 · October 2012

drlodge wrote:

It works exactly like this! I'm using Shimano 2300 8 speed shifters on my 7 speed 531 bike, with STI cable stops from wiggle @ £10.79. Works a treat and so much easier to change gear, especially when doing a "double dump"

Awesome! I can't get the 2300 shifters anymore, but I'm going to wait for the Tourney sti shifters to be released. They are 7-speed, so should work perfectly!

Thanks for posting that pic. My frame is also 531. I read that you can use brake caliper cable stops screwed into the downtube shifter bosses as sti cable stops.

ugo.santalucia · October 2012

declan1 wrote:

drlodge wrote:

It works exactly like this! I'm using Shimano 2300 8 speed shifters on my 7 speed 531 bike, with STI cable stops from wiggle @ £10.79. Works a treat and so much easier to change gear, especially when doing a "double dump"

Awesome! I can't get the 2300 shifters anymore, but I'm going to wait for the Tourney sti shifters to be released. They are 7-speed, so should work perfectly!

Thanks for posting that pic. My frame is also 531. I read that you can use brake caliper cable stops screwed into the downtube shifter bosses as sti cable stops.

Downtube cable stops are easy to find. If you don't find them, drop me a PM, I have a few brand new in a drawer

cycleclinic · October 2012

SJS cyles sell down tube cable stops. ugo.santiago has them and so do I. they are everywhere. I hope yopu are not throwing your 600 group away. They have value you know and I would agree with ugo.s I am not sure 2300 8 speed STI is really an upgrade from a 600 groupset. I have a 1055/6 8 speed D/T shifter group and it funtions so well I can't see any reason to change it. D/T shifters are simple, light, did I mention simple, industrutable, simple oh I said that already.

If you have a 600 7 speed group do you also have 7 speed free hubs if you do the an 8 speed cassette won't fit. You will need an 8 speed rear hub/wheel or you will have to use 9 speed shifter (sora for example) and 8 sprokets of a 9 speed cassette. In which case a 2300 group won't work. With a change of wheels you will be a able to fit a 8, 9 or 10 speed cassette on and just frition shift. Frition shifting 8,9 or 10 speed is entriely possible. I do it.

Also 2300 shifters are still available I can order them. Shimano did make some RSX 7 speed STI, you hunt some of them down on retro bike, LFGSS or ebay.

drlodge · October 2012

thecycleclinic wrote:

I hope yopu are not throwing your 600 group away. They have value you know and I would agree with ugo.s I am not sure 2300 8 speed STI is really an upgrade from a 600 groupset. I have a 1055/6 8 speed D/T shifter group and it funtions so well I can't see any reason to change it. D/T shifters are simple, light, did I mention simple, industrutable, simple oh I said that already.

Depends if the downtube shifters are indexed or not, mine were not so it was always guess work with hands off the bars to change gear swiftly. MY 600EX group set is now going on another 531 Nigel Dean Frame, there's a thread for that here viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12886699

thecycleclinic wrote:

If you have a 600 7 speed group do you also have 7 speed free hubs if you do the an 8 speed cassette won't fit. You will need an 8 speed rear hub/wheel or you will have to use 9 speed shifter (sora for example) and 8 sprokets of a 9 speed cassette. In which case a 2300 group won't work. With a change of wheels you will be a able to fit a 8, 9 or 10 speed cassette on and just frition shift. Frition shifting 8,9 or 10 speed is entriely possible. I do it.

6 or 7 freehub = 126mm OLN, 8/9/10 speed = 130mm OLN. I had 6 speed but converted to 7 with different spacers, and the 7 and 8 speed shifters are almost identical as 7 speed sprocket spacing is 5mm, and 8 speed is 4.8mm. I'm actually using sprockets from a 9 speed cassette with appropriate spacers to give me as close to 4.8mm as I can get. Its all in the fettling

declan1 · October 2012

thecycleclinic wrote:

SJS cyles sell down tube cable stops. ugo.santiago has them and so do I. they are everywhere. I hope yopu are not throwing your 600 group away. They have value you know and I would agree with ugo.s I am not sure 2300 8 speed STI is really an upgrade from a 600 groupset. I have a 1055/6 8 speed D/T shifter group and it funtions so well I can't see any reason to change it. D/T shifters are simple, light, did I mention simple, industrutable, simple oh I said that already.

If you have a 600 7 speed group do you also have 7 speed free hubs if you do the an 8 speed cassette won't fit. You will need an 8 speed rear hub/wheel or you will have to use 9 speed shifter (sora for example) and 8 sprokets of a 9 speed cassette. In which case a 2300 group won't work. With a change of wheels you will be a able to fit a 8, 9 or 10 speed cassette on and just frition shift. Frition shifting 8,9 or 10 speed is entriely possible. I do it.

Also 2300 shifters are still available I can order them. Shimano did make some RSX 7 speed STI, you hunt some of them down on retro bike, LFGSS or ebay.

I wouldn't even dream of throwing away the groupset - I love it!

I'm probably going to wait until the Tourney STI shifters come out. They're 7-speed so should work better.

rolf_f · October 2012

drlodge wrote:

Depends if the downtube shifters are indexed or not, mine were not so it was always guess work with hands off the bars to change gear swiftly.

I'd second what Ugo said re retaining the DT shifters. But as to indexing, IMO DT shifters are better unindexed. My Dawes currently has some Sachs DT shifters that are switcheable from index to pure friction. They are better unindexed. Really, indexing was an invention waiting for the STI shifter to come along. Once you have the hang of it, it is no quicker to change with indexed DT shifters than without and once you bin the indexing, the only thing you need worry about is the position of the stop screws. Simplicity itself!

Downtube - STI conversion

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