Reddit mentions: The best bike shifters

So /r/bikewrench and /r/bicycling are much more active sub-reddits that you may see more attention on, but I can try to help you out here.

Switching the bars could require a few things:


Stem Size and by extension handlebar size: the Escape has a stem made for 31.8mm diameter handlebars with pretty large bars actually. Most drop bars you find will be 25.4mm at the stem and 23.8mm everywhere else. Any discrepancy can be an easy fix with some shims (either bought or made). It is also possible (according to Sheldon Brown) that your current bars may have very similar sizing to standard drop bars. The stem may also need to be shortened or lengthened to comfortably accommodate for the new handlebars and riding positions.


Braking: As you may or may not have noticed most drop bars come with brake levers that allow you to access the levers while riding on the drops. This is important because it allows you more leverage at the moments when you are going the fastest. Check out this image stolen from 'Lovley Bike' that shows the typical 'breaking on the drops' position.

While it is not necessary to have these brakes and the 'hoods' that accompany them it is an excellent idea and gives more hand positions! Alternatively it is possible to use levers only on the flats of the drop bars (but not the ones you currently have may need the aforementioned shims).

Shifting!
I see the Escape has Shimano M310 trigger shifters. Those also may have to go. They, like the brakes, can be mounted on the flats of the bar but it is only very low end bikes that do this to their riders. There are an ungodly number of ways to incorporate shifting on a bike with drop bars. You can integrate them into the brakes with STI's, stick them on the end of the bars with Bar End Shifters, Get them onto the stem like many vintage bikes Stem Shifters or get them on the down-tube for a classic look Down Tube Shifters...

That aside the only real options up there that you have for a conversion are Bar-end or "Brifters" Brake/Shifters...reusing your old ones could work but it would be inelegant.

Geometry MOST IMPORTANTLY! Your bike was designed to be ridden upright, the stem, top tube, every inch of the bike assumes the rider is using flat bars. There is no telling really what the ride will 'feel' like after you start riding on the hoods/drops. Its not as bad as most hybrids with front suspension but I could not tell you anything about how it might feel once the swap is made.


For moving forward I see a few options

Option 1 Quick and Dirty Get some drop bars and some old cans. Strip your current bars of components and install the drops(don't forget shims), If sheldon is correct about the size of over-sized road bikes all your old components should slide onto the flat part of the drops and just fit. It would be a unique way to ride but mostly functional...Personally I would have concerns about how safe it would be.

Option 2 More hand positions!
If what you want is more hand positions don't overlook bar end attachments:
Bar end attachments
Orgin 8 might actually have the answer to your prayers: Bolt On Drops

Option 3 Dress her like a roadie
Trying to make your hybrid into a road bike is usually not the right way to go but...with $10-30 for bars, and $100 for Shifters and Brakes, plus $10-20 for complete re-cabling across the bike (MTB and Road bikes use different cable ends) and of course labor if you aren't that handy. Tack on $10 for bar-tape to make her pretty and comfortable and you aren't that far in the hole.
You don't get off any easier for Bar Ends once you get the appropriate brakes its about the same. All that and your former hybrid could pass any scrutinizing test of a lycra-clad cyclist, you'd have yourself a certified road-bike. No promises on comfort!


This is just a vague indication though! For a real in-depth price assessment and Q&A please visit your local bike store

For my $00.02...Don't bother trying to convert them. Ride the bike you have the way it was intended to be ridden. If after a while you still feel like its lacking, throw on some bar ends for more hand positions, Still feel like its lacking? Go test-ride some road bikes to see if riding on the drops is right for you. I'm not talking about a test ride around the parking lot either! No less then 3 miles on that sucker, get a real feel for it. Love it!? Sell the Escape and do a TON of research into inexpensive road bikes. They are out there waiting for ya.

The big thing about converting to drops is that they can add a lot of reach to your riding position. The second part of this guide can give you a good rough idea of whether you might need significantly more or less reach than you currently have, which you can adjust a little bit with different stems.

http://www.wikihow.com/Size-a-Road-Bike

Ultimately it's generally a lot of trial and error though. And it seems your bars are already 31.8mm so you might actually be able to use the same stem. At least for now.

I have absolutely no idea how much those origin8 parts would cost you. But you can probably get the bars themselves for less than $40, eg:

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1033658_-1_400213__400213

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1184245_-1_400213__400213

The main thing is the width, which largely depends on what sort of bike sizing you have and how big you yourself are, but since you're coming from super wide flats you could probably stick to 44cm regardless. The other difference is shape, which is largely personal preference. Doesn't help you much, but depending on what you want to use the bike for a shorter drop might be more comfortable. And at some point you just have to make the call on what looks most comfortable to you.

Your disc brakes are linear pull, which means it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use normal road levers with them. Tektro do a set of linear pull road levers which would probably be the simplest solution:

http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=10&sortname=Lever&sort=1&fid=3

Pretty cheap too. Shifting is a little more awkward, as your thumb shifter will probably have a diameter of 22.2mm and modern road bars are generally 23.8mm. But that shifting position itself is generally pretty awkward, yes. Your hand has to move quite the distance from the hoods or the drops to get there, around the bars themselves and often requiring you to change position. Short of using a road lever with a cable pull adjuster or something, which can get quite complicated and isn't generally the best, the best option is probably a bar end shifter. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/SUNRACE-SHIFTER-HB-BAREND-SLR96/dp/B00JVK5ZLY/

So all in all that'd be around $40 bars, $25 for the levers, $35 for the shifter, $10-15 for some bar tape and maybe $15 for a new set of cables;

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Brake-Cable-Housing-Universal/dp/B0050LUBZ8/

Basically something like that plus a new bit of gear cable outer, to cover the distance from the shifter to the first boss on the frame. Probably cheapest and simplest just to get something like that from an LBS. But all in all that'd be around $125-130, if you're lucky and it's comfortable as is. If you need a stem with a different length or angle, probably closer to $150. If you do the work yourself. But for that you could end up with quite a nice gravel/adventure type bike which could turn its hand to endurance road riding, cross riding or touring/commuting quite nicely.

Alternatively you could just get some bar ends, which can help even if your arms are quite spread out. But if you want to get into longer distance riding, you might feel the need to upgrade again before long. Bullhorns can be nice, but often have a lot of the same problems with different diameters, and you still can't brake from that position unless you had TT style levers which I don't think you can get in linear pull. And they'd still need bar tape and such. You can do the research yourself, I just think it'd be a large portion of the investment in an attempt to mimic the riding position of a road bike anyway.

Sorry not get back to you sooner was really busy yesterday. The 96 model think would have had cantilever brakes as stock, V-brakes were brand new when this came out, and prety sure the Indy forks didn't come out on bikes until 97 model year.

So parts list of stuff to buy

Cassette:

https://www.amazon.com/SunRace-8-Speed-Nickel-Plated-Cassette/dp/B00DI65HGU

Chain:

https://www.amazon.com/X8-99-Bicycle-Chain-32-Inch-Silver/dp/B0013BV540

You might want to buy two you will want to carry a spare chain on tour

Tires:

https://www.amazon.com/Maxxis-Crossmark-Black-Fold-Tires/dp/B00GHTQ7Q4?th=1&psc=1 (might find cheaper elsewhere, but you want the dual compound/DC ones with the EXO casing ideally - there are cheaper options for tires that would work than these but I think it's one area it's not so good to cheap out on)

Shifters:

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-SL-M360-Acera-Shifter-Speed/dp/B001ON6VIW

(or find some vintage 8-speed XT/LX ones from eBay, they are a little nicer)

Brake pads:

https://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Compound-Mountain-Linear-Threaded/dp/B001CLSWKQ

These should make a decent improvement to braking power especially in the wet, you could bring the old pads on the tour as spares/backups if they still work OK and have life left (always want to have at least a pair of spare pads)

New cables:

https://www.amazon.com/JAGWIRE-MOUNTAIN-SHOP-KIT-Derailleur/dp/B01DJGUEE8

You'll need at least new inner cables to install new shifters, and probably a good idea to replace the housing too, though you need either really good cable cutters or a Dremel/rotary tool with a cut-off wheel to cut housing, or get a bike shop to cut it to length. Not suggesting white colour that was just the first link I saw though it might look pimp.

Tools:

You could get a tool kit like one of these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CW911XW/ref=emc_b_5_t

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CW911XW/ref=emc_b_5_t

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nz/en/x-tools-bike-tool-kit-18-piece/rp-prod40997

Or you could buy a multitool that would be good for bringing on the tour

https://www.amazon.com/Vibrelli-Bike-Multi-Tool-V19/dp/B06XGWMGB9

And extra stuff like cassette tool and chainwhip and tire levers individually:

https://www.amazon.com/Oumers-Freewheel-Sprocket-Lockring-Maintenance/dp/B07GSRJGP3

https://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-1847-Bicycle-Tire-Levers/dp/B000UAQL6C

That might be the way to go.

That's not everything you'd need to go touring and stuff like the bars and saddle are a lot about personal taste but should be good to get you started.

Apologies for using amazon.com links I'm too used to helping Americans on here but hopefully can get them on the .ca site. Chain Reaction that I linked the toolkit from (would be confident that's the best out of those three kits I have some of the tools from it) in the UK can be a good place to order stuff from

The cheapest option to get the shifters up to the bars is to use old-school stem shifters. There are plenty of idiots that think they're amateur and will tell you silly things like they impale people in crashes or whatever but it's just more cycling-culture snobbery. Bar-end mounted shifters are nice but if you don't ride on the drops they can still be a reach... and it would cost anywhere from 30-100$ to get them. Brake-shifters are at least 100$ and you'd need to convert to 7 speed at least to use them. Personally I love DT shifters and would encourage you to try and use 'em, it'll become second-nature before long.

I've worked on heaps of bikes just like this at our local co-op and they do indeed last a long time with minimal work. Learn to measure your chain for wear (check the Sheldon Brown link or Park tools) you only need a ruler to do it. Plain old 5/6/7 speed chain is around 10$ for a new one, same with freewheels.

I would buy stainless cables and new housing for the brakes, as well as new pads. The brakes themselves look decent and can provide more than adequate stopping power, the only downside is that they sometimes tend to end up out of centre after a while.

I'll also agree with all the other postsers that Paselas are probably the nicest tire in 27", I have two bikes them and they are pretty good all-around. Continental Gatorskins used to be easy to find in 27" but I haven't looked in a while, they are more flat-resistant but offer a harsher ride because of it.

You definitely need something there in order to get the shifters going. You can either use the drop down shifters, which I have found for decent prices on ebay, but also some at exorbitant prices. Like I have bought some 105 7-speed and dura ace 6-speed each for less than $10 but some people slap 'classic' or 'rare' on it and charge $50-100. You can also get some of these without buying the shift lever bosses, but it has to be the right diameter for the down tube, and I'm thinking the r300 tube is too narrow for that bike. But, measure so that you know for sure.

Also, what type of rear derailleur is on there? This will determine the type of shifters you get. The ones linked are 8-speed shifters, but I use with a 7-speed rear derailleur by locking out the last cog. It looks like you have an RSX on there that is 7-speed, but if you can find the model number, you can confirm this for sure.

Also, you can get these that screw on to the shift lever bosses so that you can run brifters like these. I did this on an old bike that had shift bosses for drop-downs, and it worked out nicely and was relatively simple, and the linked brifters came with cables. Or, you could always change the bar to a flat one and get something more economical from the mountain line, and the flat bar may be an easier ride if your dad is older.

Hope it helps!

Halfords are more like Kwik-Fit. They do the same job as an independent garage, but charge more because they're a known brand and depend on people not knowing the difference/not caring.

If you want to outsource, go to a local bike store, or even Evans or Cycles UK.

Best approach I think is to just buy the tools, and do it yourself - bleeding brakes can be done with a £20 bleed kit(but please double check brand before buying anything), adjusting gears can be done with an £8 set of replacement gear cables and a multi-tool. All info can be found on youtube, manufacturer's guides etc.

You'll end up with more familiarity with your bike, and can save the money for a bigger tune-up for the larger jobs that are beyond your abilities.

I built up a Disc Trucker last spring. I stuck closely to Surly's build in the gearing department as it mainly is a touring bike. I went 9-speed because the chains are a touch more durable and when you get into 10-speed, Shimano's road and mountain offerings start having some incompatibilities. With a 9-speed drivetrain, you can mix and match road and mountain to whatever extent you like.

I actually have two different gearing setups. One for true touring with a mountain rear derailleur and an 11-34 cassette and another with a road rear derailleur and a 12-26 cassette.

Here's relevant parts off my list:

|Part|Model|Other|Notes|
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|Crankset|Shimano Deore M590|175mm arm length|Has the trekking gearing 26/36/48 and Hollowtech because why not.|
|Rear cassette|SRAM PG-950|11-34 for touring, 12-26 for commuting|Yes, as far as casettes go, it's a heavy bugger. But when we're talking about LHTs, who really cares overly much about weight? As a side note, you'd need a mountain derailleur to use the 11-34, but you'd be just fine with the 12-26 for your 105.|
|Shifters|Shimano Dura-Ace 9-speed bar-end||If you're using this for touring, I'd recommend the bar ends. Otherwise, get whatever brifters you like, use a couple of Travel Agents and get some V-brakes.|
|Brake levers|Tektro RL520|Long-pull|Those guys are long pull, so they work with V-brakes and mountain-pull disc brakes. Ergonomics are decent, if a tad too pointy for my tastes.|
|Handlebars|Salsa Bell Lap||No longer being produced, sadly.|
|Saddle|Brooks Champion Flyer||I've put thousands and thousands of miles on this saddle. Love it. It's a little heavy if you're doing light commuting. For daily commuting and touring, though, it's hard to beat.|
|Pedals|Shimano M520||They're pretty low on the totem pole as far as component level, but I've had nary a problem with multiple sets. Clipless that won't break the bank.|
|Chain|SRAM PC-951||It's a cheaper chain more than adequate for commuting and touring.|

All the drivetrain stuff is 9-speed, but you can find the 10-speed equivalents rather easily. In your case, if you're not setting off across the country or across the world on your LHT, I'd say go for a set of brifters. If you want to go 9-speed, I'd look for an older set of Ultegra shifters. For 10-speed, I'd keep it 105 or above...or Rival or above for SRAM. SRAM has a lot more tactile feedback on the shifts while Shimano tends to be smoother. I prefer SRAM, but to each their own. Bar-ends are great and low maintenance, but not being able to shift from the hoods can get a little annoying after a while.

As to online retailers, a lot of parts can be had reasonably from Amazon. I also use Jenson USA. They ship fast, have free shipping on orders above $50, and price match on parts. I use Nashbar occasionally, but their shipping department is woefully slow and I avoid buying from them whenever possible.

Just ride it til it breaks, then if you like it and maybe have gotten in better shape a little you can buy a nicer bike. In the end you will need something like a trail or all-mountain bike.



If this is your bike



http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2001&Brand=Raleigh&Model=M40&Type=bike



or close, and its the right shifter thats busted you could probably try this



http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Acera-SL-M310-Shifter-7-Speed/dp/B003ZM9RX6



Your local bike shop could probably help you too. I am not talking about some big chain shop, I'm referring to a good mom and pop or small local chain.


Good Luck

First off love your bike dude

Second off i love this $8 shifter set from amazon. Not bar end though, but work great on all shifters https://www.amazon.com/Sunrace-SLM10-Friction-Shifter-Set/dp/B007QMJH86/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1501644368&sr=1-1&keywords=friction+shifters comes with cables n housings too

not really bar end but maybe you could mount them on the bar end?

Either way love the bike just htought i'd mention it because you said you are $ conerned

I recently just did exactly what you want to do. I'll link the parts I used and bought off of amazon. Bar end shifters, drop bars and drop bar brake levers for V brakes. I bought cable and housing for brakes and bar tape from LBS but you could just get that from amazon as well. The shifters come with cable and a few pieces of housing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5EFOC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IORJVU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C4UHF6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Edit: just noticed you said you needed 9 gears in the rear so the shifters I linked wont work but you should be able to find some that would on amazon. My Sirrus only has 8 gears in the rear.

I did this with my 1983 Cannondale a couple of years ago. It's pretty easy.

First, locate some bar end shifters. These Shimanos will probably be your only option because you'll have a 5 or 6 speed rear hub. The package says that they are for an 8 speed cassette, but you will need to flip them into Friction mode. I've tried, and they almost but not quite work in Index mode.

The package will come with new, longer cables, new cable housings, and most importantly, cable stops that will bolt onto the boss on your frame - the section left on your downtube when you remove the d/t shift levers.

There should be some directions in the package. You will need to unwrap your handlebars, remove the shifter from the shifter housing, then insert the shifter housing into the handlebar ends (I snuck the bar tape end along with it) and snug them up. Replace the shifters, feed the cable through , put the first set of cable housing on, and run the rest back to your derailleurs like you would for any other shifter.

They will friction shift, so the adjusting should be easy. Wrap the bar tape so a little housing rides up to the first bend (there might be some plastic stuff to make this easier), and finish wrapping.

Here's what my ST500 looked like when I got it, and here it is with the new shifters and brake levers being installed.

Bike originally retailed for $1,129.99 source

He does say that the shifters need replaced, which is going to run you about $40-$50 for the parts, if you can install it yourself.

I'm a fan of the pedals on the bike, although they aren't that expensive to pick up, about $40. If he isn't selling cleats with the bike, and you don't have cleats, they are going to cost you about $16. I can't tell what kind of bike computer is on there, but low end bike computers can be had for $10-$20, so they usually don't drive up the bike price.

It is nice that it was overhauled recently, but the items listed sound like the bike has not been used gingerly, however that is the norm for mountain bikes. The bike seems reasonably priced, but if you are looking to talk him down I would quote the "scratches and stuff", shifter replacement, possible lack of cleats, and the fact that the drivetrain is previous generation 9 speed, not 10 speed. From the unwillingness to ship and the overall state of the bike, especially the lack of cleaning prior to picture taking, I would bet that the seller is largely trying to get rid of it, as he quoted, "I am buying a new bike & do not have room for a lot of bikes".

My personal strategy, were I negotiating on this bike, would be to cite the problems with the bike, give a lowball offer at $300, and be happy if you were able to scoop it up for $350, though $400 does not seem unreasonable considering the equipment.

Overall I have found that X-7 and X-9 perform well, and personally do not mind running 9 speed kit in my mountain bikes. I have had a lot of success picking up older bikes on craigslist / ebay, and the huge cost savings far outweighs the fact that your bike isn't as shiny.

Yeah, I've decided to go that route. It's significantly cheaper and way less effort to just get friction shifters and new brake levers (since the current shifters are a combo). I just wish I could find a set of friction shifters I like :-/ Amazon is lacking in their selection. I want something that's of decent quality no more than $20-30 and grey/black. I've got these in my cart, and they look like they may be kindof cheap (though they have good reviews) and I don't have red anywhere else on my bike so it kindof bugs me that they're that color. I'd like to find shifters that match my new brake levers.

I was a student too, but I forked out a bit of money for shifters like this: https://www.amazon.ca/Shimano-SL-BS64-Ultegra-Shifter-8-Speed/dp/B000F5EFOC/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540826780&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=bar+end+shifters+7%2F8+speed


I found some non-indexed shifters for less than $80 on sale and you might be able to as well. They are a LOT nicer than downtube shifters IMO, and they are compatible with any cassette or freewheel (up to a point).

Those shifters likely won't work. I'm guessing they are indexed since they specify 7 speed. You can usually switch between 5/6/7 speed freewheels pretty easily, though you may need to play with the axle spacers a bit.

I'd probably do something like these: http://www.amazon.com/SHIFTER-ROAD-ACTION-STEM-CABLE/dp/B001CZQR86

They are non-indexed and will work with just about any derailleur.

yeah, with the road link PLUS a long cage rear derailleur, you could run something like this for a low gearing cassette: https://www.amazon.com/cassette-Freewheel-derailleur-extender-JGbike/dp/B01MTX8J3H/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1525739460&sr=8-19&keywords=9+speed+cassette


prob overkill! lol but it's doable, just gotta find a long cage rear der that plays nice with your shifter. Totally doable though.

Ooooooh yeah! You did well. That's not a bad frame; it's not a great frame but it's not bad at all. That bike has the same geometry as the touring bike "Trek 520," but it has a flat bar. The brazeons aren't as nice either, but oh well. That's one of the few bikes you can convert to a drop-bar bike where it makes since because the fit isn't compromised and you don't have to make a bunch of compromises with adapters and stuff. You can toss a drop bar and brifters on that bike if you want if you put a different stem on it. Or you can put on drop bars and bar end shifters for around $50 (used.)

If you stick with the flat-bar 7 speed stuff replacement components are cheap as hell. Upgrading to trigger shifters is like [$36 a pair](https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Acera-SL-M310-Shifter-7-Speed/dp/B003ZM9RX6] as an example. New chain is like $8. A new RD is $17 and it's one of the best you can buy

Adjusting the brake pads is an absolute nightmare though; no other brake system even comes close to the difficulty they present. The bike has low-profile threadless post cantilevers and they're the absolute single most difficult brake to adjust. I'm pretty close to spending the $50 myself for something easier.

I got some downtube shifters from amazon pretty cheap, and they've been working great for me so far.

They look cheap, because they are cheap, but I liked them more than my stem shifters. I didn't want to disassemble my stem shifters to put on this bracket, but you probably could if you wanted.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunrace-SLR03-Friction-Stem-Shifter/dp/B0084UHAJM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449807462&sr=8-2&keywords=Downtube+shifters

EDIT: they even came with cables

If it's using bar-end shifters and doesn't have bosses for downtube shifters, your best bet is going to be to use some friction thumb shifters. Unless it already has indexed shifting, the chances of an indexed shifter working on the existing derailleurs is pretty low.

Ya you either need a new 700c rear wheel or to lace a new rim to the current hub. . Not sure if your bike has a cassette or a freewheel. It says 6 speed gearing so my money is on a 6 speed freewheel. If that’s the case you need a wheel set up for a freewheel and also a freewheel remover if you are gonna do it yourself.

I’m gonna throw an upgrade at you to consider.

29er wheelset (same size as 700c but called 29er because it’s a mountain bike rim.)

Mountain bike wheels are a little beefier and will take more punishment. This one is cheap and comes with tires already.

Mavic Rim 29er Mountain Bike Wheels with Disc Brake Shimano Hubs PLUS Free Continental 29x2.2" Race King Tires and Tubes! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDTR27Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SlF9AbR7A1F1B

9 speed cassette
Shimano HG400 9 Speed Mountain Bike Cassette - CS-HG400-9 (11-36) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073CFBPF9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_boF9Ab48BVPKH

SRAM X.5 Rear Trigger Shifter for 9 Speed Drivetrains, Black, 9 Speed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0063HG45Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bpF9AbA9TRZ94

SRAM X5 Medium Cage Silver 9 Speed Rear Derailleur https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00554231U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QqF9AbC18FV41

KMC KMC023 X9.93 Bicycle Chain (9-Speed, 1/2 x 11/128-Inch, 116L, Silver/Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYJF2E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lrF9AbDFWEG5T

So basically $280 would get you new wheels that are tougher and come with bigger cushier tires, and allow you to upgrade to disc brakes in the future. Also we’re scraping the terrible 6 speed freewheel and upgrading to a 9 speed cassette. It will shift better, give you better low end torque and high end speed. The wheel set also allows you to upgrade to 10, 11 or even 12 speed but 9 should be sufficient.

Upgrading it will be quite expensive. However, it'll provide you with a wealth of knowledge, frustration and, at the same time, fun.

Depending on your existing hub, you may or may not need a new hub to put your new cassette on.

With a wide enough range of gears on your rear cassette you can get away with a single chainring, so there will be no need for a new crankset/front derailleur/front shift lever.

As /u/fclbr said, you can choose downtube shifters in order to keep your existing brake levers. There are also bar-end shifters, and if you go for a single chainring, it won't be that expensive.

All-in-all, consider if this bike's right for you, size and geometry-wise, as your decision may be a bit rash. If it is, then I'd say go for it.

Rear derailleur - $20

Cassette - $20 - I recommend going for the 34t max sprocket. It'll allow you to stick with a single chainring

Bar-end shifters - $55 - they are 9-sp indexed, but they also work in friction mode, which allows you to freely adjust your gear

Downtube shifters - $14

Cables/outer cables are negligible costs.

>How are you going to run a 10sp. cassette with barend shifters?

This is the sort of issue I was hoping to get feedback about. What is the difficulty with that? Thanks for reading.

EDIT: just realized the shifters are 9-speed. is this true of all bar-ends? if so I will probably modify the cassette choice

another edit: changed the shifter choice these. Seem ok now?

As far as quality, that shifter will probably break soon, and the freewheel might fail (it probably says DNP on it somewhere).

Neither is a particularly expensive replacement with better quality parts though.

SRAM 7 speed twist grip is $13

A real Shimano 7 speed freewheel is about $15 or so. I don't know what size, you'd have to count the teeth (i.e. does the big cog have 28 teeth or 30?)

Actually just changing those 2 things out would go a long way to helping the bike shift smoothly and for a longer time. You need a special tool to change the freewheel though - Park FR-1.

It's a huffy bike with shimano derailers.
I was considering this set of shifters as I'm almost positive they're the ones I liked in my buddy's Gary fisher.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001NVAI7U/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A7W90RMKTHOTS

I just turned a road bike into a commuter and ran into problems with the actuation ratio difference on a shimano road shifter vs a mtb shifter. IMO, the best/cheapest solution is this SRAM gripshift for the following reasons: I trust it more than the thumb shifters and allows micro indexing for $9. Good reviews, too.

There are downtube shifters that clamp on around the frame rather than bolting into it, sounds like these are your best bet. However, if the cable guides get in the way you might have to cut them off or place the shifter in a less conventional spot on the downtube.

Check out the link for an example. These simply clamp around the tube.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0025UJXLK?pc_redir=1396336051&robot_redir=1

Any shop can build up a 3 speed fixed wheel for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Sturmey-Archer-S3x-Fixed-Gear/dp/B0042R50QQ

It would help us understand your options if you could point out what your dropout looks like from this image.

http://sheldonbrown.com/images/dropf-short.gif

You can get a friction shifter, which is non-indexed. That way you can use whatever number of gears you want without having to worry about it again.

Shifting is more clunky with a friction shifter, but once you get used to it it's fine. As a bonus it's easier to sweep gears faster.. so if you are in a high gear and need to come to a quick stop, you can shift all the way to the lowest/tallest gear really quick.

I use this style:

https://www.amazon.com/Sunrace-SLM10-Friction-Shifter-Set/dp/B007QMJH86/

They use a cheap and ugly clamp, but you can take it on and off without removing your other stuff. Also works with whatever style of handle bars you have.

THE WRENCHER: buy some cheap friction shifters. Use the brakes levers in the kit. Be happy.

The shifter (on the handlebar) was your issue, not the derailleur. if you don't want to clean out the shifter (it's easy, I promise!), you could use these shifters with this derailleur.

or better yet, get the Shimano Tourney A070

These shifters(www.amazon.com/Sunrace-SLM10-Friction-Shifter-Set/dp/B007QMJH86/) will work fine assuming that there's nothing wrong with the derailleurs. As the previous reply stated, it could also just be friction between the cables and housing.

> they wouldn't work as fixed.

oh yeah?

http://sheldonbrown.com/asc.html

http://www.amazon.com/Sturmey-Archer-S3x-Fixed-Gear/dp/B0042R50QQ

I want to get a 3 speed fixed hub for my commuter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0042R50QQ?pc_redir=1395216240&robot_redir=1

You may want to look at getting these to replace your shifters. I know that I had issues with the A050 shifters in that my knees were hitting them, and changing gears on me, whenever I would stand to climb.

LHT Frame - $520 after tax

Chukker Wheels - $85 x 2

Tires Schwalbe Marathon Plus RLX 700 x 45 C Bicycle Tire - $54 x 2

Alloy Headset Spacers - $7.89 x 2

Shift Levers - $60

Chain - $10

Brake Cables - $10

Brakes - $15 x 2

Extra Long Shift Cables - $6

Derailleur - $24

Cassette - $17

Crankset - $40

Spindle - $24

Headset - $45

Seatpost - $20

Brooks Saddle - $145

Rack - $35

Brooks Panniers - $150 x 2

Brooks Bar Tape - $65

Tools

Saw Guide - $41.36

Starnut Setter - $22

Shimano SL-BS64 Ultegra Bar End Shifter Set (8-Speed)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F5EFOC/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-A070-Shifters-7-Speed-Black/dp/B007Q4MM1I

They still make them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5HXFA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are you talking about stem shifters?

Sunrace cassette 9-speed 11-40T CSM990 wide ratio (Sliver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTX8J3H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_E5aLEH7DMDO1P

> I figured adding a Drop Handle Bar will help me but don't wanted to spend more $

Depends on whether you think buying bars, cable+housing, possibly a stem, and these shifters:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-A070-Shifters-7-Speed-Black/dp/B007Q4MM1I

is low cost enough.

Probably need more information on the bike. Assuming that the reference to downtube shifters means you have drop bars, which means thumb shifters are out.

If it's 7sp or 6sp, Shimano make stem shifters for indexed 7sp (I think 6sp are also still available, but you'll also need Shimano downtube cable stops for the cable housing from shifter to downtube which then guides the shift cables to the bottom bracket cable guide.

If it's an 8sp you could probably make these SunRace work with a shim on the stem.

I did not expect that your lever literally broke off. In my experience, most people who complain of broken shifters have either a bent derailleur hanger or really weirdly routed cables.

Those are simple thumb shifters that you have, and any community bicycle cooperative will have used ones for a dollar or two in a bin.

https://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organizations

But they'll probably break the same way.

If you're out to spend minimal money and get something new and serviceable, here are a set of SunRace aluminum shifters. They're friction shifters, so they don't click into gear. Judging by the dials on your shifters not numbering the gears, I'd assume your current shifters do a micro-clicky motion when you change gears; the SunRace ones would be a more fluid motion.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunrace-SLM10-Friction-Shifter-Set/dp/B007QMJH86