Originally Posted by
dddd
That's news to me, but good to know.
The special front derailer for flat-bar road use is, I guess then, essentially an MTB derailer but with a road-style cage for bigger rings(?).
It makes sense from the standpoint of the mtb shifters having perhaps a different spool diameter and/or lever throw than road-STI shifters.
I had recalled once not being able to get MTB shifters to work with a road crankset, but maybe it was an XC-Pro derailer that I was using. It wouldn't index right.
Why then does Shimano offer a dedicated shifter R440/443 instead of using the Deore shifter?
Yes, the "flat-bar" front derailleur uses the "mountain" cable pull with a "road"-shaped cage. This is useful for whackdoodle bikes like my recumbents:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/jeff-grr/index.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/diane-grr/index.htm
Shimano offers "flat-bar" shifters because "hybrids" are a different from "mountain" bikes. This means Shimano sells more parts. Shimano likes selling more parts, especially when they don't have to retool (much) to make them.