paddleknut said:....gotta fix it cheap. I need the outlet of riding cause with a new baby I don't have time to head to the rivers to kayak....and it keeps me sane an hour at a time.
so I have an old cannondale from '94 or '95 I'd guess. The deltavee frame, light and stiff..I love it. Has a 7 speed rear cassette and I've busted the shifter. It is one of the two lever styles with a push and a pull and it mounts to the same clamp the brake lever is on. Nearly everything these days has a 9 speed cassette...will a 9 speed shifter work on a 7 speed cassette? Can I spread the rear triangle to accept an upgraded cassette? What are the chances of finding a used shifter that will bolt right on? It's deore lx by the way.
Thanks,
matt
You should not spread your frame ... aluminum frames are not very forgiving enough in that regard.
You CAN probably use a 9-speed shifter with a 7-speed cassette ... others may disagree!
The anchor plate on most Shimano rear derailleurs allow for two different anchoring positions -- one attaches the rear derailleur cable at 6 o'clock (the "normal" position ... the factory-engineered alternate position at 9 o'clock will modify the indexing.
7-speed & 8-speed cassettes are fairly close in spacing, so if you were to install a 9-speed Shimano shifter AND use the alternate anchor position, then you should be able to mate everything in a workable configuration ... that is, 9-speed shifters with your current 7-speed cassette. You will, of course, have two extra index "clicks" ...
Either a 7-speed & 8-speed shifter should work without changing the rear derailleur cable's anchoring. Some people disagree.
If you are moderately patient, you should be able to find a used 7-speed shifter on eBay ... AND, you may be able to find a NEW 7-speed shifter on eBay, too ... simply input "Shimano right" into eBay's search box.
