left hand shifter compatibility

[Ben M]

Right... This is turning into a bit of a saga. Following on from my last thread (in the accessories forum, whoops) I've decided to go for sti levers and some problem solver travel agents.

now that the brakes are no longer the problem, the gear shifters are.

I have a shimano 21 speed bike. I can find a shifter for the rear on its own. I am having more of a problem finding one for the front.

Would a shifter that is intended for a 9 speed system work correctly on my dérailleur? i.e. can I use this:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=29060

and this:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=45708

to work on my 21 speed

I'm thinking that the front dérailleur shouldn't be that big an issue it being for the wrong speed, would I be right?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

The front and rear gear setups are independent. Shimano's ST-3400 front shifter is indeed compatible with 2 or 3 speed chainset.

A 7 speed Shimano rear shifter will generally be compatible with a Shimano rear mech and a 7 speed Shimano-spaced cassette whether they are MTB/road spec.

Regarding your brake issues, have you tried different brake pads (e.g. Kool Stop salmon)?

Do you happen to have stainless steel (rather than alloy) rims at the moment? If you do your braking issues may well not go away until you change them.

IMHO a cleaner alternative to using travel agent is to use cantis that are specifically designed for road/drop bar brake levers/stis, such as these. They are tried and tested in cyclocross (and of course will also work with most cross top levers).