geoGraphicFTD

thought I'd take all my confusion to the forums....

I moved to Montana a few months ago with a road bike, a SS Crosscheck and a fixed-gear. Now seems like the only bike I'm riding here is my roadie, cus this place isn't flat like Philly. So it's time to put gears on the single speed.
I originally just assumed I'd put STIs on it, but those are so f-ing expensive. But, they're what I'm used to.
My friend recommended downtube shifters, which seem pretty outdated to me. I mean, if I'm not gonna use STIs I'd go with bar-end shifters, right?
The guy at my LBS suggested I try some sort of moustache bar (Soma Sparrow? On-One Mary?) with LX Dual Control mtb shifters. This sounds neat, but I'm kinda worried that that set up will be too wide for me and not give me a forward/reach position like drops with hoods do. He's got a Bridgestone with a similar set up though, so I'm gonna try it out next time I'm there.
My last thought is, what about some sort of bullhorn bar? I'm not sure exactly what kind...there are a ton out there but maybe an mtb-specific one (Scott AT2?? who else makes similar ones??) would be best. And what kind of shifters/brake levers can I put on them? Bar end? or what about LX shifters on the flats of the bars?

oh, and my other "concern" is that I already have canti brakes but I can only use mtb shifters with v-brakes, right? wtf is up with that...I don't want to buy more new parts than I have to.

ok, I know that was a lot of confusing options, but if you have any advice it'd be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

knobster

You could use bar end shifters with bull horns. I've seen people do it and they say they work great. Canti brakes work fine with STI and just about any other sort of brake lever out there. Most cross bikes come with canti and STI.

flargle

Lots of folk use mini-Vs with road levers and no travel agent.

Another option for shifting is a bar-end shifter with Paul thumbie, which mounts the shifter like an old-school mtn bike thumb shifter. It comes in two different clamp diameters.

Below are some links, if you haven't seen them:
https://www.63xc.com/mattc/midge.htm
https://www.stanford.edu/~dru/moustache.html
https://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1993/pages/30.htm
https://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1993/pages/31.htm

climbhoser

I went with DT shifters on my Xcheck for several reasons:

-They look classy and classic
-They don't have housing everywhere, making the bike look like some kind of bionic bug
-There's a mechanical advantage to their simplicity...it does from shifter, under BB, back to derailleur and that's it
-It's WAY cheaper than any of the other options. You can find friction DT shifters at bike shops in parts bins for $10, sometimes free if you're a regular.

Barcons are ok, I guess, but I don't think they're any more useful than DTs. Lance uses a DT shifter for his front der.

isotopesope

i had dt shifters on my road bike for a few years, but really got tired of them. especially climbing. i do like the simplicity and they looked classy on my lugged frame, but i upgraded to sti's and haven't had a shred of regret. that said, sti's are f-wording expensive. i think barcons would be a better option than dt shifters, just due not needing to take your hand off the handlebars to shift... which would be especially helpful in offroad riding or cross racing.

sounds like you already have bars, brakes, and levers you like and are comfortable with? why complicate it beyond adding a geared drivetrain? i see why some people love the moustache/dirt drop setup, but it's not for everyone. a few of my friends run "wierdo" bars and they're fine and comfortable and all, but i prefer drops on my road/cross bikes and risers on my mtb. i'm boring i guess.

lancey pants runs a front dt shifter only for climbing stages as it is lighter.

M_S

Where in Montana are you? If you're close to Missoula at all, you should come out for some of the local races this fall.

I vote Barcons, especially if racing is a non-priority. You get nice, crisp shifting in a relatively convenient location for not much $. I just gave away a set of old ratcheting suntour bar-ends. Those are really nice if you can score a pair, but even brand new Dura-Ace stuff is pretty cheap.

I also think barcons work well with a drop bar that's on the shallow side, like the ritchey biomax.

flargle

Bar-end shifters are substantially more convenient to reach than downtubes. Which is why they were especially embraced by crossers (plus a small number of road racers) until STI took over.

If downtube shifting is so great, Lance and Pantani would have used it on both ders instead of just the front. In truth, nothing beats STI for convenience when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle.

geoGraphicFTD

I'm in Big Sky. I've never been to Missoula. but I've hears it's a town I should see.

unless I like these mustache bars I'm gonna see this week, or come up with some good way/reason to use bullhorns, I'll probably end up with shallow drops and bar end shifters. Those Ritchey bars look nice. or maybe the on-one midge? on-one makes a lot of neat bars but I don't want to order something funky and end up not liking it.

justinb

I've got a lot of bars of all kinds of shapes in my parts bin, and keep coming back to classic drop shapes.

Midge is nice, especially on singletrack, but they seem too wide, too shallow, and are mounted too high to get out of the wind on the long paved road to my nearest trail.

I like the long drawn out position for cruising on the 'Stache bars, as well as the climbing leverage on the ends, but don't feel comfortable descending all stretched out, where you have to be to reach the brakes. Maybe the stem is too long.

I had some Bell Laps for a while, which are just about right, except that "ergo" bend in the drops is anything but.

Randonneurs feel nice in the drops, but too narrow in the tops and I don't like the cant of the hoods.

Bullhorns are comfortable for shorter runs, but you are compromising either a true wind-cheating position by having them too high, or long ride comfort if you have them too low. Not enough positions for me.

All bars are a bit of a compromise between one thing or another. I found that something like the Deda Newton Shallow or the Ritchey WCS Classic was my personal favorite compromise.

geoGraphicFTD

thanks for your take on all those bars.
I am worried about something like the midge or mustache bars being too wide. I know wider is better for off-road, and I have wider-than-average shoulders for a girl, but I don't want to be too stretched out, be it to the side or forward. So probably something like the ritchey biomax or salsa poco.

justinb

You're welcome. If you don't have a problem with the ergo reverse bump, the Salsa Bell Laps in the appropriate width are a nice choice. The Biomax looks very similar.

geoGraphicFTD

ok, I think I've decided on the Ritchey Biomax bars. I tried out the mustache ones, and they were cool, but I think I'd get sick of them fairly quickly.

so...for shifters do I just want to go with dura ace 9sp bar end shifters? are there any other bar end shifters I should consider?
and does anyone know of a factory-built 700c wheel with a mtb hub?

justinb

You mean like this?

Also check places like Excel Sports and Colorado Cyclist in addition to your LBS... you may be surprised how cheap handbuilt wheels are. I'm nothing but thrilled about both of my CC wheelsets.

For example, an LX/Salsa Delgado 32 spoke rear wheel from Universal Cycles in Portland: $137, and likely to last a very long time. You can get cheaper by going with a Deore hub or a Sun CR18 and still have a very nice wheel.

geoGraphicFTD

yeah, I guess I can just look for a 29er wheel.
I don't mind paying around $135. my ss wheel cost more than that. that said, I could have my ss wheel rebuilt. it's a Delgado laced to a Surly ss mtb hub, which I've already had rebuilt with a new hub once, but I don't see why I'd need to have a ss wheel lying around...

M_S

The crosscheck can use a 130 or 135 hub though, right?

Oh, and I'd stick with cantis if you haven't decided on that yet (I sort of skimmed the newer posts). Mini vees are probably great and you can use them with road levers, but part of the beauty of the x check is the ability to run big rubber, but mini vees are, well, mini, and may limit tire clearance.

I occasionally run a panaracer Fire cross 700 x 45 on the front of my cross bike and really wish I could run somehting that big in the back.

geoGraphicFTD

yeah, it can use both sizes. and I def want to stick with cantis. I already have them, and I like them. trying to limit the parts I have to buy... cool about those tires. I was wondering who makes 700x[big] tires. I have Michelin Cyclocross Jets on there now and I really like them, but they're only 30s. I'm a big fan of Michelins.

rickyaustin

Wide tires I know of that will fit on a Cross Check

Bontrager 700x1.8in
IRC Mythos 42c wide
Panaracer Fire Cross 45c wide
Schwalbe Big Apple (smooth tire) 50c wide
Mutano 44c
Ritchey ZED Pro 42c

Umm - that's what I found thru a few searches on bikeforums.net and mtbr.com

For some real big-tire motivation, search "monster cross" at both forums. Just be prepared to drool.

M_S

The monster cross thread at mtbr is indeed awesome.

geoGraphicFTD

man I didn't even know monster cross existed. but looks sweet.

so I got bars and shifters down.
I'm all confused about wheels though. as I said before, I could have my delgado rebuilt (again) with a new hub. or buy a new rear wheel or a new set. do any of these look good? I can't seem to grasp the difference of all those rims/hubs. I also saw a cheap rear wheel on ebay.

LBIkid

I built up a X-check last year and had a heck of a time choosing the right bar/shifter combo. In fact, I ended up tweaking it a bit after it was built. The final product consists of an old school Scott AT-4 bar (the one that wraps all the way around with the scott bridge), dura ace barcons and pauls thumbies to mount on the bar as previously suggested. It works well for me, but I don't ride it more than 20 miles at a time. Still, it offers several hand positions to vary the grip. I originally started with straight bar, but scrapped that early on. I ahd drops, but my legs would hit my belly.

geoGraphicFTD

well I got the bars/levers thing figured out.
I ordered a low-end wheel (should be good enough, I'm not gonna beat this thing up, at least not anytime soon).
Now I have derailer issues. I know nothing about derailers. mpy friend sent me some old Shimano Acera parts. I know Acera isn't anything great, and they are used, but they'll probably get me by for now (til I have more funds...), right?

M_S

Sure. I'd rather have nice shifters than nice derailleurs anyways, and you've got the former covered.

The Acera may be 7 or 8 speed but it shouldn't be a problem as the gear range is the same (assuming you;'re using 9 speed). 10 might be a stretch.

geoGraphicFTD

It's done!

justinb

Nice work, and nice mountains.

M_S

Any close up pics? What parts did you end up using?