I have a 6 speed older cassette with a double 52/42 from my old bike. I recently got a Cannondale CAAD8 frame and everything is fine, except my braze on shifters. The new frame doesn't have downtube bosses. Can I substitute a brake lever/shifter (9 speed) for now, until I change my drive train? Will it work? I can't afford to buy a whole new wheel set and drive train all at once.

Hello,

it's been quite some time since you posted your question, but maybe an answer is still helpful...

It's highly improbable that any 9 speed shifter would work with a 6 speed drive train - as I see it, you have basically got two options:

A) If you use drop bars, install bar end shifters (like these ). They can also be used with 9 speed drive trains if you don't need the indexing.

B) Try to find a clamp that substitutes the bosses on the down tube ( example ) and use your current shifters...