Tech question about shifter and brake cables and WTB

[Mark Taintor]

In the vein of there are no stupid questions: My son recently bought a new Handsome Cycles Devil and is thinking about switching from flat to drop bars. He's wondering if he'll need new brake and shifter cables.  I told him that I thought he'd probably need new cables for both since he'll be switching to new brake levers and a new rear shifter. But I don't really know.(It's an 8-speed bike.)

In the Wanting to Buy department, does anyone have a surplus pair of shifters suitable for drop bars? Also, looking for bar end shifters.

My son lives in Brooklyn, so if any of you are somewhat local to him, that would be ideal.

Thanks in advance,

Mark Taintor

Chanhassen, MN

[Ben Mihovk]

Hey! I'm not an expert at all, but I did successfully swap out bars and change out a trigger index shifter for a friction thumbie this summer. My answer would be that yes, it would be a good idea to get new cables and housings for the drop setup. The incidentals kits that Riv sells are great, btw. Could I have reused the shifter cable? Maybe...the issue, though, is that even a VERY clean snip of a cable could have a frayed wire...a frayed wire will not pass through a housing when it comes time to set up the brakes and shifters. I actually REALLY screwed up with my first attempt (wrong cable pass under the BB) and had already snipped and capped the end of the derailer cable)...so I had to pull it back out and redo it...capping the cable caused it to fray a little, so I I trimmed it again to get a clean cut, crossed my fingers and held my breath, and re-routed the cable through the shifter, front end housing, and through the derailer housing and it thankfully worked. 

The bigger issue is he might need more cable in a drops setup than in his current setup...and that calls for a new cable. 

I'm rambling...but I just think it's better to have a fresh cable that will definitely be long enough.

[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

I've got drop bar sized Paul thumby mounts that fit the 26.0 bar sleeve/bulge or Shimano bar end mounts. What I don't have are any indexing shifters I want to free up. I've got some friction options though... 
-Kai