Does anyone have a link to an online article that will show me, step by step, how to convert a 9 speed shimano 600 setup to have my shifters on the brake levers instead of the down tube?
I figure i will need to get a new set of cables and some 105 or ultegra break levers. i’m looking to do this on a budget because the bike is not worth a big investment.
9 speed shimano 600 ??
ehhh, i think so… Shimano 600 for sure…
If it’s actually Shimano 600 (and not Ultegra) then it might be 6 or 7 speed.
What is your frame made of?
Just went down and counted. it’s a 6 speed actually. It’s an old steel frame that still works great for my needs. Lugged construction, built with a mixture of old dura ace and 600. got it at a steal for 60 bucks! very happy with it aside from the shifters
upgrading your shifters is the least of your problems.
what bike is it? If its a nice steel frame, you may want to do it up completely retro. I’ll be setting my Serotta up that way as soon as I can find some nice NOS, mid 80’s components. Simplex retrofriction shifters, Modolo brakes, and a Campy 113mm BB needed
I did this with a very old frame I had setting around. I replaced the downtube shifter with a used a bar end shifter (left over from when I replaced them on my TT bike). I put the bar end shifter into the end of the handlebar drop. If you only have a six speed, you will need to keep it on friction shift. Pretty cheap if you have the shifter laying around.
Anyway, if you really want to switch to STI’s, you will need.
STI levers
Cassette
Chain
Rear hub or wheel
rear derailleur
possibly a new front derailleur
possibly new chainrings to accomodate the narrower chain in an 8 or 9 speed setup.
A much less expensive alternative is to get a set of bar end shifters. You can either run them in friction mode, or you may be able to put the 600 levers on the bar end mountings. Check that the cable groove on the level aligns correctly with the hole in the mounting.
well it’s a funny story actually. The bike has decals on it that say Marinoni, a small but very well respected italian frame maker based just outside montreal. But before buying the bike (second hand) i sent some photos to the maker to have it priced. As it happens the bike is a counterfeit. i don’t know what make the bike actually is.
for my purposes the bike is great. i can ride, train, and as a beginner i don’t look like another poser with a full team kit and an aero helmet. i’m more then happy with it, but i want new shifters.
That’s too bad it isn’t a Marinoni. Those are great bikes.
That doesn’t mean that yours isn’t a good bike also. As long as it is structurally sound and it fits reasonably well, then its a good bike.
sometimes the frame is too narrow to fit 9 speed, I did this with an older bianchi, and the rear wheel would not fit.
If the items I ordered are shipped till then, I’m going to convert my old Shimano RX100 / 7-speed steel bike with downtube shifters, to 9-speed STI this weekend.
The conversion idea was largely inspired by Sheldon Brown’s excellent article about Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html)
The following items are needed:
Note: Without major changes to the rear wheel (as a 7-speed axle/hub is shorter than 9-speed), it will only be possible to fit 8 sprockets out of a 9-speed cassette on a 7-speed hub (the last, biggest sprocket is left out) So, this is a 7-to-8 speed conversion, rather than a 7-to-9 speed conversion!
The 9-speed spacers are used between the sprockets, in order for the indexed 9-speed STI shifters to work properly.
The above conversion (new Ultegra 12-21 cassette, HG73 chain, shifter/brake cables and bar tape) costs around 70 EUR …and a bit of weekend time 
I had a 15 yr old steel frame, after reading up on Sheldon Brown, I switched to an 8 speed freewheel and kept the downtube shifters. Had no problem keeping up with the big boys on the fancy toys. I put an Arione saddle on it, it was worth more than the entire bike!
I converted an old frame also, using 7 speed Sora brifters after reading up on Sheldon Brown’s site. Actually, I built a homemade tandem, inspired by Sheldon. The front bike used was an old Centurion that had stem shifters, and the rear was a Huffy mountain bike found on a trash heap.
The shifters will be the most expensive thing to source, and the cable stops to replace the down tube shifters are hard to find now. Since I was welding a whole Frankenstein setup together anyway, I bought some new STI cable bosses from Nova Cycles and welded them on the downtube. I then spread the rear triangle to accept a modern 130 mm 7 speed freehub and my tandem now shifts nicely with the Sora brifters. A pic in case anybody cares:
The cheapest STI I could find was 105 for 9spd at $150…
http://comparisonpricing.com/shimano1054.htm
Secondhand/used STI probably isn’t a good idea, STI is famously unrepairable.
For 6speed, either use the barends as already suggested, or the Kelly takeoffs which simply mount the DTs on the handlebars, see the installation instructions at:
http://www.kellybike.com/takeoffs.html
Wow! I like your tandem. It sure is a one-of-a-kind beast.
Good color choice too!
My significant other shakes her head whenever I spend time and money upgrading old bikes or turning my road bike into a TT machine - but building a tandem is a project she would most certainly agree with :->