How do I source some 3x7 sti brake shifters, cant seem to find any, all advice would be useful

[Andy D]

looking for some brake shifters for my road bike, my wife bought me a road bike for my birthday, and bless her she doesnt know much about them, it came with revo-shifters on the handlebars, never seen the likes of this before, so i would like to change them for some brake shifters, it has 3 rings at the front and 7 speed at the back, dont know if its a freewheel or cassette,

 

[accountantpete]

Assuming you have a Shimano compatible 7 speed cassette??? you will need either Shimano Sora 7 spd or possible Shimano RXS 7 speed shifters. Ebay is going to be your best bet.

 

[amaferanga]

Don't 7 speed and 8 speed have the same cassette spacing? If so then you could get 8 speed (Sora) shifters and only use 7 of the 8 clicks (through setting the rear mech limit screws).

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Don't 7 speed and 8 speed have the same cassette spacing? If so then you could get 8 speed (Sora) shifters and only use 7 of the 8 clicks (through setting the rear mech limit screws).

They don't but are close (5mm vs 4.8mm), so if rear cable tension is set by centering rear mech on the 4th rear sprocket then the maximum error is 0.6mm, and IME works.

But aren't 8 speed new sora pretty much sold out? 2300 as well as Microshift 8 speed sti's are readily available, but I think they are for double front rings only while the OP has a triple. Incidentally I think there is a chance that the OP might have some tricky problems on his hands - i.e. problems associated with converting an originally flat bar bike to drop bars, when front mech cable pull and brake cable pull differences are issues that may have to be overcome. What front mech and brakes are there?

Assuming the bike had drop bars to start off with, for new brifters I suspect the best option is probably Campag 10 speed brifters, since they pull practically the same amount of cable per click as Shimano 8, can work on double as well as triple, and can be very reasonably priced.

Must say I am a bit surprised that the Revoshifters managed to fit on drop bars. Generally drop bars are too thick for flat bar shifters to go on without surgery - that is why you hardly see them together...

 

[TheDoctor]

I've seen a few cheap (and I mean cheap) road bikes with them.
Like this one. IIRC the bars are thin, and in two halves clamped together with a shim. Looks a bit iffy...
Oh, and I bet it's a freewheel.

 

[TheDoctor]

double-posted

 

[DCLane]

I'm looking for the same thing to convert the downtube shifters on the Ammaco Tony Doyle. eBay as well for me; we're both looking for triples

 

[Nebulous]

You do get shimano 2300 in a triple. I have this bike and it comes with it. I've found the gears pretty good as long as they are cleaned and oiled.

 

[dan_bo]

Don't shimano do a 7-speed tiagra set? I know they do an 8....

 

[TheDoctor]

Did, not do. 7 speed STIs haven't been made for some years

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

You do get shimano 2300 in a triple. I have this bike and it comes with it. I've found the gears pretty good as long as they are cleaned and oiled.

In case I didn't spell it out clearly enough above, the thing is Shimano front shifters are generally indexed, so if the OP's front mech is correctly matched to his Revoshifter then no drop bar Shimano road sti birfter, old or new, is ever going to pull enough cable to drag his front mech across the 3 rings properly without further change, change which can have other knock-on effects.

 

[Dave Davenport]

SJS have ST2303's (8 speed triple) in stock, but at £130 it sounds like a very expensive upgrade for a bike that probably didn't cost much.