I agree with everything with the following modifications
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
1. Tiagra is good.
Tiagra shifters/brake levers are good and rugged. The Tiagra triple front derailer is probably one of the best front that Shimano makes. Much better than their higher end equipment. Better clearance. I'd opt for a mountain bike rear derailer since they have a wider capacity. Deore is very good and very cheap.
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
2. Also a good idea. If you can, get some older mtb cranks or a "touring crankset" with 48 36 26 gearing.
A Shimano Trekking crank is an excellent choice.
JensonUSA has them for $75.
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
3. Yes.
Or just run 35s all the time. Speed difference isn't that great.
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
4. You might want rims on the wider side so that you can take advantage of the bikes ability to use fat tires.
Salsa Delgados or Mavic A719 touring rims or Velocity Dyad would be good choices. 36 spoke is better than 32 if you want to do touring. Not enough weight penalty to worry about. Match them to XT hubs for a really good wheel.
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
5. Get cantilever brakes. V brakes (as sold on most mtb's and hybrids today) don't work with road bike levers.
Cantilevers are good but probably not Avid Shorty. They tend to squeal. I have a set running with Koolstop Dual compound pads that haven't squealled yet but with stock pads expect to wake the dead
Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
Stem - Make sure it works with road bars and fits on a 1 1/8 steer tube.
Headset - Sealed Cane Creek headsets are cheap and work well.
Bottom bracket - English threaded, 68mm shell. Spindle must fit cranks be they square taper, ISIS, Octalink etc. NOTE: Crosschecks often have crank clearance issues at the chainstays. For example, Shimano 105, Ultegra, and DA double setups don't work with 109.5 mm spindles. I don't know about triples.
Seatpost - Any 27.2 will work.
Saddle - Crosschecks like Brooks 17s.
Bars - any road bar works.
For bars and stems, Salsa Bell Lap and a Salsa stem are good choices. The Salsa Shaft post is fairly easy to adjust, however the
Race Face Cadence is slightly easier and a good post.