[Mudu93]

I am just getting ready to collect parts for a cyclocross/Katy Trail Tourer bike build ( http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=267093)and I have a couple of questions.

1. Will any cantilver break work well with road levers?
2. Am I better off with a road triple or a mountainbike triple. (I am a clyde and all my rides have triples)
3. Should I go with barconns or brifters


Other than that I plan on using Lx/Xt level front and long cage rear derailurs. I will also probably also go 8 speed since I have a fairly good extra 700c wheelset with a good 12-25 cassette on it.

Thanks,

Mud

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[MrCjolsen]

1. Will any cantilver break work well with road levers?
2. Am I better off with a road triple or a mountainbike triple. (I am a clyde and all my rides have triples)
3. Should I go with barconns or brifters




Yes, but V brakes will not work with road levers without some kind of brake booster thingy. Cantis and road levers are no problem.
I like the older mtb triples - 46-36-26 or therabouts. I'm also a clyde. I've often considered putting on an mtb triple and seeing how it does. Your standard road triple - 52-42-30 or 53-39-30 - is great for road racers, but the huge chainring on the front is quite useless for mere mortals.
I like barcons because they are compatible with just about any gearing setup, especially in the front. DA 9 speed barcons are most precise shifters I've ever used. And I've used STI. I llike barcons better.

[thatguy]

2. Look for the XT with 48-36-26 rings. I think they call it a "trekking" crankset. It should be just what you're looking for. Shop around. I bought a new XT hollowtech crankset for <$200. Not sure if they make an LX version with those rings, but there is a Deore version:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CR407A06-Shimano+Deore+Fc-M530+Crankset.aspx

3. Racing = brifters, touring = barcons.

[MrCjolsen]

Also, if you are going 8 speed, then the Ultegra barcons will work much better than the Sora STI shifters. And much, much cheaper, even when you add in the cost of some Tektro or Cane Creek levers.

[cs1]

Yes, but V brakes will not work with road levers without some kind of brake booster thingy. Cantis and road levers are no problem.
I like the older mtb triples - 46-36-26 or therabouts. I'm also a clyde. I've often considered putting on an mtb triple and seeing how it does. Your standard road triple - 52-42-30 or 53-39-30 - is great for road racers, but the huge chainring on the front is quite useless for mere mortals.
I like barcons because they are compatible with just about any gearing setup, especially in the front. DA 9 speed barcons are most precise shifters I've ever used. And I've used STI. I llike barcons better.

Probably the best bit of advice I've heard. I have always liked old school MTB cranks with their 48/46 tooth big ring. The Shimano crank is getting hard to find. Try a new Sugino XD600. It comes in 48 or 46 big ring and 170, 172.5 and 175 lenght. It uses a square taper BB. Bensbike, ebay seller, has them for $80 they are an EXCELLENT crank. I am going to transplant a set into my Campy Veloce triple bike. I hope the patient won't have an organ rejection problem. :D

There aren't many really high quality cantis left. Paul's are a thing of beauty and should be at over $100 a pair. I don't want to spend $200 on brakes. I'm using a cheap pair of Radius brakes from my LBS at $40 a set. They were a pain to set up but work OK and don't squeal. Shimano makes the beautiful BR550 cantis at a third of the Paul's. Good deal IMO on some very nice brakes.

I agree on barcons. Had them on my last 2 all purpose bikes. Shimano are very reasonably priced. I ride Campy and they are on the expensive side. Well, everything Campy is on the expensive side. Which is why my next ride will be 105 or Ultegra.

Last, even though this is a cross bike, this should be posted in the Mechanics forum. They give the most detailed answers I've ever read.

Good luck on the bike. It sounds like a real nice machine.


Tim

[Michel Gagnon]

Barcons vs STI is a bit personal, but barcons are definitely cheaper. Barcons are also more durable, have a fail-safe setting (i.e. if the indexing doesn't work while you tour, move it to friction) and since the front barcon shifter works in friction, you have many more options for non-standard gearing.
The only drawback with barcons are if you install them on narrow handlebars and like to stand a lot. Some people hit them with their legs when they climb off the saddle. Since I have 46-cm handlebars and never stand, it's not an issue for me.

BTW, I do prefer barcons and hate STI. I like to set my bars rather high and prefer to ride on the drops, hence the barcons are literally near my palms.


Gearing. What are your current gears and which ones do you use the most? Are you longing for higher gears or lower ones?
I would stay away from the standard Shimano setup (52-40-30) and recommend these (from the best to the least interesting):

– Use a mountain crankset. An LX crankset with 44-34-22 (standard mountain gearing) will give you all the ratios you want, unless you are a really fast guy and/or like fast peloton rides. With a 11-25 or 11-28 cassette, you will have fairly close ratios going from 21 or 24 gear-inches to 108 gear-inches. And if you like to climb slowly, a 11-32 cassette will allow you to climb a wall.
At the other extreme, spinning the 44/11 at 80 rpm would mean you are riding at 41 km/h.

– If you are a faster rider, use a "road compact" crankset or "hybrid" crankset (5-arm 110/74 mm Bolt Circle Diameter). Your granny can be as small as 24 and the middle ring as small as 34. In practice, using 46-36-24 with a 11-32 cassette would work fine, though I prefer the closer ratios of my first example. Or you could make your own cassette like Sheldon Brown's Cyclotouriste 13 or 14 to get closer ratios near the top range.

– If you already have a Shimano road crankset (ex.: 105), install the smallest rings that fit: 48-38-24.

Front derailleur
In theory, you should use a mountain derailleur if your crankset has a 42-46 chainring as its largest one.
In practice, if you go STI, you will have to use a road derailleur. If you go with barend shifters, you have a choice, but I know that a 105 derailleur will work perfectly with 44-34-22.

[endform]

Also, if you are going 8 speed, then the Ultegra barcons will work much better than the Sora STI shifters. And much, much cheaper, even when you add in the cost of some Tektro or Cane Creek levers.

I currently own much higher end bikes than ones that come with sora, but I've borrowed a friends sora equipped bike and was astounded at how well they shift. Super accurate, snappy shifts, I was blown away. When I build a new commuter this is probably what it'll have as far as shifters (cause chains and cogsets are so cheap for 8 spd). I've also heard reports of their suprising durability. The thumb button is also nice if you're into that kind of thing.

[Mudu93]

Thanks for the food for thought. I was out of town today and missed the frame delivery. I have to wait and pick it up at the post office on Monday. I will then strip it and send it off to a powder coater and start gathering the prefered parts. Any other advice and tips are welcome and hopefully I will have a new build to show off in a couple of months. Of course if anybody has any spare parts they would like to donate to the cause, I am all ears.:D

later

Mud

[cs1]

I currently own much higher end bikes than ones that come with sora, but I've borrowed a friends sora equipped bike and was astounded at how well they shift. Super accurate, snappy shifts, I was blown away. When I build a new commuter this is probably what it'll have as far as shifters (cause chains and cogsets are so cheap for 8 spd). I've also heard reports of their suprising durability. The thumb button is also nice if you're into that kind of thing.

I use Campy on my road bikes. Once you get used to the thumb shifters they make a lot more sense.

Tim