going back to downtube shifters

[Paulus]

I am attempting to put my 1980's Dawes tourer back to near original condition. At the moment it has Tiagra 9 speed STI shifters, triple chainset, front and rear mechs and cassette. Would downtube shifters work with the mechs? I have found some Dura Ace 9 speed shifters on Ebay that i am interested in. Originally the bike was fitted with Deore 8 speed. Your thoughts please.

 

[Biker Joe]

My son had Sora 9 speed and changed the shifters to downtube ones with no problems. Actually prefers them to bar mounted shifters.

 

[Ed no-more-lemons]

I am attempting to put my 1980's Dawes tourer back to near original condition.

Old or new a freewheel setup with vintage calipers need not be too difficult or expensive.

Maybe thats just me though, soon on the Dawes Renown done that way.

 

[biggs682]

cant imagine too many issues

 

[Gravity Aided]

Nor I, about to put a Schwinn Voyageur back together with downtube shifters. Thought about bar-end or handlebar shifters, due to the size of the frame. But I like the feel and immediacy of downtube shifters. Crisper shift, for sure.

 

[Smurfy]

The amount of cable the shifters pull per click needs to match the requirement of the rear mech and the cassette.

The following links should keep you busy for a while

http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml
http://sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html

 

[Smurfy]

Here's another mix and match guide specific to dura-ace

http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html

 

[robgul]

No problem at all (I've just reverted on one of my bikes) ... and don't mess with clicks and indexing - just friction works perfectly ... letting you "trim" the mech positions for perfection (and compensate for any cable stretch or distortion)

Rob