Originally Posted by
Staggerwing
(4) I wouldn't be surprised if the Suntour bar-cons worked just fine with a modern 9 speed rear end, if you don't mind friction. For touring, it really shouldn't matter much. In fact, it is one less thin to worry about and adjust, and you can always get a silent driveline with a little trimming. Don't know about the derailleur, but it wouldn't be a big deal to try it.
I use Suntour barcons with a 9-speed rear (135mm XT no less) and everything works ok. It doesn't have quite the travel to shift smartly onto the biggest cog. It will shift correctly seven times out of ten but occasionally I'll have to stop, get off the bike and manually give it that extra nudge to get it onto the big cog. Luckily I rarely need that low a gear.