Originally Posted by
desertdork
For your 9-sp conversion: Shimano SL-R440 shifters & FD-R443 front derailleur. The FD-R443 has a 10t minimum difference, which should match fine with your 52/42/30 cranks.
Thanks, DD. As it turns out, if one googles "flat bar road bike" a lot of good info turns up. I discovered
this page of Shimano Flat Bar component tech docs. In addition to the FD-R443, which is the correct derailleur for my application, I also found the SL-R660 shifters, which are "Ultegra level" Flat bar road shifters. Paul makes some good looking
flat bar road levers. They're a little too pricey, though. But as luck would have it Shimano makes their own flat bar road levers - BL-R550.
Have you looked at Nitto Moustache bars? Interesting looking bar with lots of fans using them for commuting to touring. Plus, you could use your current STI levers as
this person did on his. Or you could use road brake levers with barend or downtube shifters. No need to replace the FD in any case.
I've always liked the look of the Moustache bars. With regard to using STI levers with them, it's always looked a little awkward to me. In terms of function, that setup puts the controls at the farthest point on the bar away from the rider. My goal is a relatively upright seated position. I'm looking at a couple of Civia bars: the Loring, which has a decidedly Dutch-bike look, and the Colfax, which is a flat bar with a mild sweep.
Thanks for the head's-up on the Nitto dirt drop.
And thanks to everyone for your advice. This is going to be a fun bike!