KristianMaar

Hey everyone!

I'm currently in the process of building two touring bicycles, and I could use some advice. We've bought the frames - Surly Deluxe trucker (one size 62 cm and one size 52 cm), and now I'm looking at the components and wondering what to put on them. I've come up with a list:

Headset: FSA headset Orbit Equipe
Pedals: SHIMANO pedals SPD PD-A530
Stem: Xtreme Pro stem Adjustable
Handlebar FSA racing handlebar Omega Compact
Seat post - Xtreme Pro seat post XXL
Saddle - Brooks b17

Gearing

Cassette: CS-M770 9-speed cassette, 11-34
Crank: SHIMANO Deore crankset Hollowtech II FC-M591-S (48-36-26) - Including bearing Cups
Chain - SHIMANO chain 9-speed Dura-Ace CN-7701
Rear derallieur - SHIMANO Deore rear derailleur - Shadow - RD-M592-SGS
Front derailleur - SHIMANO Deore XT front derailleur - Standard - FD-M771-6
Shifters- SHIMANO Dura-Ace handlebar end shift levers SL-BS 79
Brakes - SHIMANO Deore XT V-brake BR-T780
Brake handles: Dia Compe racing brake levers for V-brakes

Wheels (26 inches)

Hubs - Shimano Deore
Rims: Mavic a 719
Spokes: DT Swiss Alpine 3
Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme - 26' by 1.60' (we'll riding almost exclusively on asphalt)

Racks

Tubus Luggage carrier
Front rack? You know a good one with a platform on the top for carrying sleeping bag?

Does it seem to be compatible? And would you choose the same? I would like to stay in the same pricerange as the components above, but please tell me what you would prefer!

I can't quite figure out if it's better to go with the sqaure taper BB units from Shimano. The hollowtech is easier to take apart, wich is an advantage as we we'll be disassembling our bikes frequently for travel.

Thank you so much for your advice!

Best Regards

Kristian from Denmark

mulveyr 

Why do you have a nine-speed cassette but ten-speed shifters? If you're going to use friction mode, you may as well get less expensive bar-ends. If you're using indexing, then you have a mismatch.

Why would you be taking apart a BB unit for shipping? That's a part that you would be least likely to ever have to worry about disassembling unless you planned on regularly using boxes so incredibly narrow that you need to pull the cranks. And really, who does that? :-) Generally you would just remove the pedals, so you'd either want a pedal wrench or, even better, pedals with a quick-release.

Anyhow, using the Deore components should be just fine. Personally, for racks on a totally loaded touring bike, I like the Tara on the front and a Cargo on the back. The platform for the Cargo is more than large enough for a 2-3 person tent and a sleeping pad or two, while the sleeping bags go in waterproof panniers on the Tara.

LeeG

Pedals, I had Shimano A530 pedals on a couple bikes and they really don't do well as conventional platform pedals compared to the more conventional M324 pedals. The 530 look snazzy but are too narrow to comfortably support regular shoes. I've got size 11 ft and it's noticeable how the outer part of the ball of your foot is hanging off the pedal. I've got three different pair of spd touring shoes, two that are narrow and it's barely adequate. With regular street shoes, sandals or tennis shoes you'll have the inside of the shoe wearing the crank arm trying to get support while the outside of the ball of your foot is falling off.

The other funny thing is they put this shiny chromed spring in the spd mechanism, gotta be pricier for a reason, compared to the unfinished spring steel in the 324. In salt water environment living near the water, going on boats, ferries, the fancy chrome spring on the 530 completely shed it's chrome like snake skin while the regular spring on the 324 only rusted where there was no oil covering it.

Re.front platform racks. Look around for one designed for 26" wheels, no need to have the platform high off the wheel. A platform is my preference for 26" wheels as low riders put panniers way too low to the curb/ground. If you get panniers for the front get adjustable hardware position so the panniers can be shifted back over the v-brakes near the line of the steerer tube.
Blackburns are affordable but the one I've got is an Old Man Mtn Sherpa with the axle hardware removed and the rack mounted directly on the top eyelet of the fork eyelet. From there it's supported by mid fork mounts and right angle brackets at the cantilever bosses. Pretty light and very solid. This is the rack you'd get if you ever need to carry heavy loads, if you're looking just to carry 10lbs and need something that can break down or smaller size there are others.

mulveyr 

I have entirely the opposite feeling about the A530's; I use them on all of my bikes. My feet are size 9-1/2, and the platform size works very well for me. The only footwear I bring on tour are Shimano SPD sandals, which in spite of being on the wide end of the spectrum, fit the pedals well. I definitely prefer to use SPD/Platform combos as it allows me to just throw on a pair of street shoes when I'm at home and just need to zip out to the store to get something.

FWIW, my wife has the M324's on her bike and they're fine for her as well, though she hasn't done nearly as much riding and touring as I have.

xyzzy834

I use A530's on my touring bike with size 12 shoes. I'm clipped in for all day riding. The platform side is convenient when I'm in my off-bike shoes around the campsite and I want to ride to a bathroom/shower or another short distance. If you aren't taking clipless shoes, you might as well go whole hog with the platform pedals and get a pair of MKS Touring ones.

The outboard bearings of the Hollowtech crankset are superior to square taper cranks for lateral stiffness in the bottom bracket area. I use the same Deore crank on my Soma Saga, only I swapped the small ring for a 22 so I have an 18" gear available. (BTW, I index shift it with Tiagra brifters very successfully. You can see how I did it here.)

LeeG

Maybe this is one of those things where the width of the ball of my foot takes me to the edge of the bell curve for those pedals. The dual sided 324 will definitely clip on corners which is why I got the 530s but I just couldn't use them for the range of shoes I was wearing on any ride more thana half mile. I would end up riding with the pressure entirely on the ball behind the big toe and next big toe.

KristianMaar

Thank you for the great replies, they have been very helpful.

We will be removing the crankarams for treavelling as the frame is taken apart, otherwise it will not fit in a standard size luggage for airtravel.

@ mulveyr, I have decided to stick with the 10-speed shifters as there's no 9-speed barend shifters available in my area. Therefore I have upgradet to the following gearing:

Cassette 10 gear HG62 11-36 tooth
Crankset: SHIMANO Deore crankset Hollowtech II FC-M591
Chain: HG74 10 gear
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Shadow Model RD-M593 Shimano Deore RD-M593
SHIMANO Deore XT front derailleur - Top Swing*5 - FD-T780


I think this should work better. Do you know if I need a HG-X chain for these parts or is the standard HG okay?


Kind Regards


Kristian

Bekologist

Kristian -

you may not have to remove the crank arms, a lot of SNS bike packers find it possible to pack the bikes into the cases without removing the cranks.

however, if you do, i would go with the Hollowtech-II much easier to pull and reinstall crankarms, you don't need a crank puller.

I have a 700c Surly Travelers check and don't remove the crankarms to pack the bike, even fit folding racks and mini fenders in the case.


check the SNS coupler website for links to a lot of SNS bike packing methods, a lot of people have uploaded the way they pack their bikes and there may be a way for you to avoid removing the cranks.

good luck, have fun!

fietsbob

sleeping bag on the front, over the wheel, rather than on the back rack-top?

fuzz2050

I think that those bar end shift levers don't have a friction option. Because they are permanently indexed to 10 speeds, that will cause you some trouble. I would look into an alternative.

Chris Pringle

I would go with 9 speed for simplicity and a little more durability. Can you source the 9 sp bar end shifters from North America or Asia? Lots of online shops ship worldwide. If you still want to stick with 10 sp indexed, I personally would go with brifters. Ah!... And don't forget to get the S&S cable splitters for brakes and derailleurs.

Bekologist

i have 10 speed shimano barcons that are friction as well as indexed mode.....

juggleaddict

I like the rivendell shifters I have, the silver ones have a little ratcheting mechanism that works very well to keep them in place over bumps, they aren't indexed, but work very well. They come in downtube or bar end, though the bar end ones are on par with shimano prices.

as far as stems go, I have tried an adjustable and it just didn't feel as stiff as a normal stem. Jenson had some a while back for 2 or 3 bucks a piece (easton ones, old stock) so you could get a few different sizes to try. I could have just gotten a crummy stem though.

think about handlebar width, the wider they are, the easier it is to breathe in my opinion. I like narrow bars aesthetically, but like to ride with wider ones. I also like a flat top. (I have the dimension flat-top shallow reach.) You can't mount as much on the top of the bars in certain areas with a flat top bar.

sram or kmc chain may knock off a few dollars, I wouldn't get a high performance chain, I don't know enough about the shimano chains to know which one that is, but I wouldn't get a hollow-super-mega-awesome-extreme-superlight chain. To each their own.

I support V-brakes and wish I had gone with them. hard to find good hoods on a drop lever designed for v-brakes.

Looks like a good build to me regardless. : ) I wouldn't have caught that the shifters didn't match. That really looks like the only thing not compatible.

fuzz2050

I'm sorry, you're right; I just remember hearing a lot of hullabaloo about how the new generation of Shimano bar end shifters was going to be indexed only, and how the Mayans were right and everything. I guess it was only a rumor.

Nephtys

I have a trucker deluxe (54cm) and do have to pull at least one of the crank arms if not the whole crank to get it to fit right. I watched all the videos but still have to - I'm sure others do not. That is a reason to go with the hollowtechs. It takes a wee plastic tool to undo it that weighs nothing and pulling the crank takes a couple minutes max.

I would use a Tiagra front dr. and make sure that the shadow pull is OK for the rear. I use STI with mine and the XT front dr is not compatible with road cable pull - so you'd be using both your shifters in friction if you went with the setup you suggested. Otherwise I would get an XT (non-Shadow) or LX (what I have - works great) medium cage dr for the back and tiagra road for the front with dura-ace 9 spd bar ends so you have the best of both worlds. Otherwise go 10spd on the back - also works and the 10spd dura ace bar ends.

Why V's over canti's?

Think about getting cable splitters like the kind they sell at Co-Motion. Makes it super easy to get up and go when you get to your location.

Enjoy it - they are great bikes.

juggleaddict

here comes the argument : P

I wasn't pleased with the stopping performance of my long reach tektro cantis after 5 or so adjustments and dual compound koolstop pad upgrades. I switched to shimano and again went through adjusting (still with the kool stops) I could throw myself, but it would take a hercules grip. My caliper brakes on my road bike could throw me without breaking my fingers doing it. V-brakes just feel like they have more power to me. I feel like if I really got in an emergency where I had to stop fast I'd want that. . . but I frankly can't afford to keep trying different upgrades. Maybe canti's are supposed to feel that way.

Oh, and having to raise them up over fenders reduces that power as well.

and yes I realize power is not the correct term. Leverage more like.

stevo9er

I have a 56 Trucker Deluxe and it fits fine without removing the cranks.

https://imgur.com/a/umk9F

Also the S&S travel backpack works great.. I padded everything with foam, stuffed clothes in all the free space and clothes in the outside pockets and nothing was damaged going through three airports.

tdister

HG chain will work just fine, from what I understand. I wouldn't choose the higher-end chains mentioned in the OP for a touring bike.

More than one person has broken an XTR/Dura-ace chain. Not by my skinny legs, mind you, but it does happen.