Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
From 6-speeds to 10-speeds, all Shimano road groups (aside from 7400 Dura-Ace) had RDs that ran a 1.7:1 pull ratio. All MTB groups through 9-speed did as well. 10-speed "Shadow" type MTB RDs were a different pull ratio. But for 1.7:1 RDs, you have several decades and tons of models to choose from. There are many long cage Shimano road RDs as we know, but yeah, if you want to throw down on a 36T big cog, something like a 9-speed era Deore XT (M772) long cage RD works perfectly (I ran it with 7900 shifters)...
I had initially forgotten about the backwards compatibility of the RD. Opens up quite a bit more options. Heck, I can even do a 7-speed Uniglide-to-Hyperglide hub conversion to run with this if I so choose. Lots of options.
I'm not a fan of drilling out forks, but if you find a 60-63cm Cannondale ST
with the cantis, let me know - a friend is looking for one.
I'm thinking something out of the ordinary, really. This group isn't perfect, nor will my build be, but it's not C&V either. One of
Doug Fattic's older frames is on eBay at the moment, and though too overpriced (and a bit small for a North Road build), it fits the bill - cosmetically - for what I'm looking for. Black with English-inspired red frame panels. Perfect for a pair of red Bluemels Club Specials. Unfortunately, no eyelets (and I know they can be adapted, but I'm not keen on it).
Honestly, I may have to reconsider the brakes though. The DA's don't leave much room for fenders, even Bluemels Club Specials. But if I'm going to dump the 7900 brake calipers
and brifters, I just might as well trade the whole thing off and go for something more along my usual lines.
Incidentally, my Bottecchia ("Leo") currently has some slightly longer, no-name brand bars similar to the
Nitto B602 on it. Saddle is set much higher than it will be fitted in the pictures, so please take no notice of the disregard for French fit.
Leo is an IGH build though, so my shifter woes are limited to finding a Shimano ST-7S60 (there's one on eBay right now for a ridiculous price, unfortunately). Seeing as I'm after some 650B fenders for this, I think I'd rather save my money. Seems to be an impossible mission.
Originally Posted by
canklecat
I put Nitto albatross swept bars on my Univega (wider flare than North Road bars) along with and Shimano 8-speed bar-end shifters. Works great. Going on two years with that setup. Only change I might make is to switch from the original 7-speed rear derailleur to 8-speed. The 8-speed shifters can cover the full cassette in friction mode but won't hold the largest 32T cog reliably in index mode.
I have most of a 10-speed Dura Ace setup, including bar-end shifters, if I felt a peculiar urge to convert a carbon fiber road frame to a plastic fantastic path racer with flipped North Road bars. Although I'm leaning more toward bullhorns for the bar end shifters. Dunno, depends on how weird I feel when I finally assemble those pieces.
North Road bends are my preference, but I do prefer having a 35-40 degree flare on the bars. Sometimes a bit difficult to get them narrow though - I don't like going over 520mm. Makes it difficult to find bars with enough room for modern junk.
-Kurt