Microshift Advent 9 speed / Shimano Compatibility
 

OOPS, I should have included "Sram" in the title

I know that the Microshift Advent 9 speed shifters and rear derailleurs are marketed as being incompatible with Shimano stuff, but they don't mention Sram. I have a couple of questions from actual users and/or mechanics. I'm talking about the Advent 9 speed drop bar 1X9 group.

Brief background. Considering this group for an inexpensive gravel bike to leave somewhere so I don't have to schlep the "good" bike back and forth so much when I travel. Thinking about replacing parts if/when I have something break when there might not be Microshift stuff readily available either locally or quickly online.

It's a little confusing: I'm assuming that the Advent 1X9 shifter and RD are compatible with any 9 speed Shimano/Sram-compatible cassette. For instance, I can use a Shimano-Sram-Sunrace with a similar range if I couldn't find an actual Advent? From what I've seen, this wouldn't necessarily be a cost-saving thing, just availability.

As for the shifting: Has anyone actually tried and succeeded or have any words of wisdom on the actual compatibility:

(1) Using the 9 speed Advent drop bar shifter with a Shimano MTB RD? Sram MTB RD? If so, what "speed" of Shimano or Sram RD?

or the opposite:

(2) Using a Shimano 9 speed STI shifter of any kind with the Advent 9 speed RD? (doesn't apply to any Sram *****r since they have never made a 9 speed drop bar shifter).

I'm mostly just curious. We've seen, especially with the old Sheldon Brown wealth of knowledge, that incompatibilities can be overcome, sometimes very easily, sometimes with creativity. JTek, etc. is an example of how to improve compatibility with engineering but sometimes stuff like cable routing etc. can work it out.

Maybe this will be a new area of kludging and innovation since Microshift Advent stuff (9 and X) seem to be well received and increasing market share, but have abandoned the previous full Shimano compatibility.

Thanks.

Here's a chart listing Shimano and Microshift pull ratios for the rear derailleurs. Looks like most, if not all 9sp Shimano have a 1.7 pull ratio and Advent uses a 1.1 so not interchangeable with shifters/derailleurs. I didn't check the SRAM stuff but most are also listed on the chart. Bicycle Cassettes & Drivetrains - Google Sheets You could use the R9 Microshift 1x9 levers which are Shimano compatible and just don't tell them you're going to be using them in the dirt. R9 Drop Bar Shifters 1x9 | microSHIFT

Thanks. That helps a lot and very intersting. Most new Sram MTB RDs are 1.12 or more. Some of the old ones are 1.1 but that really wouldn't help as far as being readily available. Getting a Microshift replacement shifter or RD would probably be easier - and probably will be. Like I said, this is all theoretical. I'm trying to forsee trying to get the bike back in service while traveling.

Re the R9 suggestion. If I have an Advent 1X9 and the shifter breaks, the R9 wouldn't work unless I replaced the RD with a Shimano anyway.

I'm still interested in hearing if someone has figured something out like the cable routing workarounds I've seen from time to time. But like I said, this is mostly just curiosity, not actual need.

Keeping a bar end friction shifter in the bag of supplies might be the easiest and smallest way provide an easy temporary fix if the shifter went out or if I had to replace the RD with some Shimano MTB RD in stock at an LBS. And I already have one!

What can I say, I'm a planner.

9 speed drop bar inexpensive -

consider Shimano Sora

The problem you might have is that no one makes a bar end shifter that will pull enough cable for a 1.1 derailleur. Diacompe does make this:
ENE 11S THUMB SHIFTER | Diacompe

Doesn't Microshift make a wide ratio derailleur in the old Shimano shift standard?

and / or Shimano Tiagra 10 speed

fair amount of Sora and Tiagra NOS and new/takeoff stuff avail (at reasonable prices)

Tiagra 10 speed will provide the option to go hydraulic disc if that’s your thing - but that could also bump the cost up and above ‘inexpensive’

Unless you already have 4700 Tiagra (the only current version of Tiagra available), would stay well clear of it, it's an orphan groupset soon to be discontinued, with no real compatibility out of it's own groupset.

agree - but to a point

recommend 11 speed over Tiagra 10 speed - but when other options including 9 speed and 10 speed are in the fold Tiagra can be one of the better options

Tiagra 4700 parts work well - and are plentiful and inexpensive

and the orphan / black sheep group 4700 Tiagra shifters use ‘11 speed pull’ - and therefore are compatible with 105 and Ultegra 11 speed - so that includes 5800, 6800, R7000, and R8000 - plus some 10 speed mountain bike and GRX stuff

That means you have derailleur options, but those shifters have no replacement.

???

the replacement would be another Tiagra 4700 series shifter

in the event a shifter would need to be replaced - which should be rare (?) - I would replace with another Tiagra 4700 shifter

or maybe a GRX 400 shifter - if I had trouble getting another Tiagra 4700 shifter

or maybe a Microshift shifter - if they make a replacement for the Tiagra 10 speed shifter

The point was that 1.4 ratio Shimano 10 speed compatible shifters are relatively rare, compared to old 1.7 10 speed shifters or 11 speed stuff. So if you are traveling, as the OP mentions, you might have trouble replacing it with any speed, and you might have trouble finding one of those three in a few years.

Couldn't you just replace the broken shifter with an 11-speed Shimano road shifter and cassette (assuming the wheel supports 11-speed)? The 4700 RD wouldn't care.

10 and 11 speed cassette spacing are different.

I know that 10-speed and 11-speed spacing is different. But above, I did say replace both cassette and shifter.

Sorry, I missed that. If you replace the shifter and the cassette and the chain, you can reuse the RD.

Yep. Have a ST-4700 shifting a 10-speed cassette via a RD-R7000 on one bike; it works flawlessly. The "mirror image" combo should work equally well.