bikemig 

I'm rebuilding a bike with a triple crankset. I plan on using 8 speed brifters. The triple crankset I'd like to use is an old deore xt; the chain rings lack any ramps or pins. Will this work or is this a bad idea?

redlude97

The more important question is what FD you plan to use that is compatible with both the pull of the shifters and the chainrings

Dfrost 

We used derailleurs long before there were ramped and pinned chain rings. I've used rings of both types on my triple cranks with Campagnolo 8-spd brifters, and there might be a very slight advantage for the pinned/ramped version, but both work just fine.

BTW, TA rings are ramped/pinned and are available (for a price!) to fit 110/74 BCD cranks from Harris Cyclery and other places.

bradtx

bikemig, I had a non-pinned, non-ramped Sugino triple crank set shifted by RSX integrated levers and generally the bike shifted well and only once in awhile would the chain stall atop the teeth for a few thou. of a second.

Brad

FastJake

+1000

The most important question is what FD do you plan to use. You must use a Shimano "road" triple STI-compatible FD if you hope to make this work. That one that comes to mind is RSX, and in modern times Sora or maybe Tiagra.

What level STI are you using? Will the left shifter do a triple?

If you don't have the brifters yet, pick up some Campagnolo 10-speed brifters. You can get Veloce pretty cheap and they will shift an otherwise Shimano 8-speed drivetrain perfectly! The front shifter has lots of clicks and will shift pretty much any FD.

peterw_diy

UK sellers offer "triple" Veloce 10s. Are you saying "double" suffice?

FastJake

I didn't know there was a difference. I think all the Campy left shifters are the same.

You just don't want anything with the "Escape" mechanism they made for a few years. You want the "Power Shift" mechanism.

bikemig 

Yes, I have claris 8 speed brifters and claris derailleurs so I should be good on the derailleur and shifter front.

Fred Smedley

Is not Powershift and escape essentially the same thing. Ultra shift has multiple trim Powershift has fewer trim clicks.

Fred Smedley

I could not get a braze on Tiagra triple FD to work with a first edition XT 28-38-48 crank but a Dura ace 7400 double FD worked, go figure. I also had luck with Campy nine speed Ultra with a 28-38-48 biopace ringset on a Suntour XCcomp crank using a Shimano light action FD.

Tim_Iowa

Jan Heine wrote an article on why that combo doesn't work well.

The main reason is that Shimano STI brifters don't move the front derailers as far as Campy or SRAM ones do. Shimano gives about a 75% shift, and relies upon the ramps and pins to move the chain for you.

Use Campy or SRAM brifters for better results. Plus, they have better ergonomics (atmo).

FastJake

I think you're right. I think Ultra Shift is the good one. Escape is definitely ​the bad one.

bikemig 

Great article; what a drag. I don't have any campy or sram brifters lying around so I'm going to give this a shot with what I have. From the article, it looks like a derailleur designed for a double might just do the trick in any case.

Camilo

Late to the dance, but just another testimony for posterity:

I use Shimano 6503 shifters and FD (9 speed triple) with a Suntour (identical to a Sugino I also have) non pinned/ramped triple crank 48-38-28. It shifts "very well". If perfect Shimano ramped shifting is an "A", this is a "B+"