STI Shift Lever Dillema

That is Sora for you. They differ from the other STI models in that respect.

I thought most people did shift from the brake hoods with STI shifters.... my Sora 8 speed shifters have been fine for me because I ride mostly on the hoods.

bigwillfrisco said:

My 7 speed ritchey roadbike currently has downtube shifters. I ordered the shimano 7 speed sora sti shiftlevers, excited to uprgade to the sti system. However, when I took them out of the box and held them, I noticed the shift lever on the hood is right where my thumb would go (I have big hands) and it seems like it will be quite awkward to put my hands on the hoods when I'm riding. Does anyone have any ideas of other 7 speed STI shift levers I could get, or should I maybe just turn my bike into an 8 or 9 speed, would that be possible? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. -Will

bigwillfrisco said:

My 7 speed ritchey roadbike currently has downtube shifters. I ordered the shimano 7 speed sora sti shiftlevers, excited to uprgade to the sti system. However, when I took them out of the box and held them, I noticed the shift lever on the hood is right where my thumb would go (I have big hands) and it seems like it will be quite awkward to put my hands on the hoods when I'm riding. Does anyone have any ideas of other 7 speed STI shift levers I could get, or should I maybe just turn my bike into an 8 or 9 speed, would that be possible? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. -Will

I don't know how large your hands are ... and, I've never compared SORA levers with Campagnolo's, but I have to tell you that MOST people (and, I can count myself amongst those at one time) have reservations about the Campagnolo shifters because of the thumb levers.

Well, I think for most people, the location of the thumb lever on the Campagnolo shifter is NOT an inconvenience by any means ... and, I suspect that after you install the SORA shifters on your bike, you will find that the thumb levers do not intrude.

FWIW. The 8-speed spacing is essentially the same as the 7-speed, or vice-versa ... you can use a 9-speed STI shifter with an 8-speed (and, therefore a 7-speed) by using the Shimano-designated (in their "instruction" sheet), ALTERNATE rear derailleur cable anchor position OR you can, of course, track down an 8-speed shifter on eBay.

Quoted post said:

Well, I think for most people, the location of the thumb lever on the Campagnolo shifter is NOT an inconvenience by any means ... and, I suspect that after you install the SORA shifters on your bike, you will find that the thumb levers do not intrude.

I am a Campy ergo user and I like the thumb shifter. I have not found it gets in the way at all. I think the Sora is actually down lower and a little smaller then the ergo's, so I would imagine it is even less of an intrusion.
One other thing, in my opinion, the Sora thumb shifter feels stiffer to shift and a little bit more wiggly then the Campy on a bike I test rode. But if your OK with that, go for it.

I have all shimano components, can I use a campy shifter with shimano, or, could I change my cassete and then just get a 8 speed shifter?

thanx for the help

bigwillfrisco said:

I have all shimano components, can I use a campy shifter with shimano, or, could I change my cassete and then just get a 8 speed shifter?

YES. Just get a pair of 10-speed Campagnolo shifters (get the FULL "set" with the cables/etc.) == about $130US+shipping on eBay for a set of Veloce ... sometimes less (sometimes, around $100US-or-less without the cables) ... more at your LBS.

Hook it up to your 8-/9-speed Shimano derailleurs ... and, you're good to go ... this is what I have previously referred to as the Feng-variation whereby a 10-speed Campagnolo Ergo shifter is mated with a pre-10-speed Shimano rear derailleur to an 8-speed Shimano cassette (and/or Campagnolo cassette since they have essentially the same spacing) ... which should therefore be good for a 7-speed cassette/freewheel.

In the past, when cyclocross riders (in particular) wanted 8-speed indexing, they would unnecessarily change the index wheel in their NEW Campagnolo shifters ... undoubtedly, some still do.

The hubbub.com variation mates the same 10-speed shifters with a Shimano 8-/9-speed rear derailleur to a 9-speed Shimano cassette.

If your current rear derailleur is STI/SIS compatible (there may be some exceptions), then you should not need to change anything (i.e., the rear derailleur) unless you want to.

Pre-2007 Veloce is essentially the same as Centaur. Pre-2007 Mirage is essentially the same as Veloce except the shift blade & brake lever are composite instead of alloy.

Pre-2007 is subjectively better than 2007 Campagnolo components because they function the same as the Record/Chorus shifters because the innards are essentially the same as (i.e., interchangeable for the most part with) the inner workings of the Record/Chorus shifters.

With minimal effort, the 10-speed Campy shifters can be made to work with most current drivetrains.

apparently the best kept 7-sp secret, RSX STI levers...

they run around $100- used on ebay... dont know if they are still available new...

good luck

all's'miles

curby

Since you already own the Sora shifters, why not give them a try? That's what I would do. They are a very common low end road bike component and few, if any, folks seem to have the problem that you are fear.

At the very worst, even if you decide they're not for you, all won't be lost because you will have learned what works or doesn't work for you. Knowing that first hand is more valuable than other people's opinions.