Originally Posted by
dynaryder
I'm thinking about converting my Defy into a flat bar. The only thing missing from my parts bin is the shifters. It's currently all Shimano 105,road triple front,10sp rear. Pricing shifters I found a listing that claims Shimano's flat bar 10sp's will only work with two specific front derailleurs. Can anyone confirm this? I'd like to have triggers,but would go with thumbies rather than swap the front der. I've also got an X-9 rear,so I could go with flat bar doubletaps,but it's a short cage so I don't think it'll play well with the road triple. Any insights? TIA
Yes, you need the particular front derailleur to make "flat-bar" shifters work with your crankset. "Flat-bar" shifters are identical to mountain shifters, which pull more cable than road brifters. If you combine the longer pull shifter with the 105 derailleur, the shifter tends to jam before it completes the shift to the big chainring. (A couple people have reported that it can be made to work, but I've never managed to do this.) For a triple crank, the FD-R453 derailleur should work perfectly and it's pretty economical.
Thumbies are friction shifting on the left side- that's a pretty good option.
I've run similar setups on my recumbents for years. They work pretty darn well.