jhboyy7

well for those who are looking for some cheapish brifters check out micro shift

wrk101

1. I like them.

2. Cost.

3. I have other STI bikes if I want to go that way.

4. Would require a change on the FD (from MTB to road) to match the front STI (mtbs FD have different cable pull).

5. As much as I like STI, the perfect setup to me would be friction front, STI rear. Would look pretty weird, otherwise, I would set one up that way (use the front STI for just brake control, with a friction bar end for the front). Now that I have typed this, I may just try this out. Stay tuned.

frantik

doesn't campy have a friction front ergo shifter? i thought i read that on a page about "shimergo"

hairnet

With friction I can use any derailers I want and can usually make weird chainring combos work. Plus, I just like them more than STI or downtube.

Some models have many clicks so it resembles friction more than index.

dphilips

I've had a bike setup this way (friction bar end w/ Tiagra front, Tiagra STI w/ Deore 9-speed rear) for a few years. It works great and it doesn't even look that weird; instead of the left side cable looping out of the brake/shifter it loops from the end of the drop.

pcdmiele

I really like my copy of the RETROSHIFT levers. I've put about 500 miles on them commuting and they are very nice. and I can switch from STI to Friction on the fly.

hairnet

Done it and didn't really like it. I set it up in preparation for a double century, rode it on a century, and decided two bar ends are better than one. Now I'm using 9sp bar ends.

dphilips

Nice work. It could be the photo but it looks like your mount combined with those longer downtube levers might make shifting from the drops feasible; my understanding is retroshifts don't work in the drops (their lever looks higher than yours).

likebike23

I'm planning the same thing on my Nashbar touring bike. I'm currently running 7sp DT shifters with a Deore LX front derailleur and compact(34-50) double. I bought a single left 7sp shimano sora rear brifter from Bikewagon on Ebay for around $40. I've got Tektro canti levers currently, which are an ok match to the Shimano brifter, I'll just replace the rear with the brifter. The only issue besides the mismatched levers, which is no big deal, is the DT shifter running the LX front derailleur. It requires quite a bit of lever pull to shift and I'm not sure how well it would work with a triple crank. I'm running a double, so it's not a problem for me.

neo_pop_71

The front derailleur is almost always the hang up with this set up as it really depends on the crankset you are running. You can get away with a "mountain" (XTR, XT, LX, etc.) front derailleur if you are running a compact mountain crank. However, if you are running a chainring larger than 44T (typically), you will need a "road" (Dura Ace, Ultegra/600, 105, etc.) front derailleur because the length of the cage and the curvature of the cage can handle the throw of the chain without binding up on the larger diameter rings. It really doesn't matter if you are running a double or a triple crankset, the limit screws can be let out to handle either but the size of the cage is the sticking point. When I set up my '88 Cimarron LE with the Sugino Super Maxy double (48/38) crank I had to run a 105 front derailleur, this proved helpful later when I decided to run a STI brifter.

andyfloyd

I run a Deore DX 46T on my Univega with a STX FD that was designed for 42T. It does work but probably only because I run DX thumbies and the friction on the FD makes it easy to keep the FD in the "sweet spot". You could maybe get away with a 46-48T if you run a DX, or early 90's XT FD since those large rings were 46T....before Shimano went to standard 42T.

neo_pop_71

That's true, the early XT and DX were not considered compact drive like the later XT and LX were that ran a 42 or 44 tooth big ring. The early XT and DX cages would be slightly more generous and move a 46 and possibly a 48 tooth but forget about moving a 52 tooth road crank without a road specific front derailleur. Good catch andyfloyd!

likebike23

I'm running a deore lx front derailleur on a compact double road crank with 50/34 chainrings. The derailleur is from the mid 90's, when 42 or 44 tooth large rings were the standard. The cage definitely handles the 50 tooth large chainring, it probably was designed for 48 teeth. What I'm saying is that the front road shifter doesn't pull as much cable as a mountain shifter, so you have to pull the shifter almost all the way to shift my 2 ring setup. If I had 3 rings, I'm not sure the road shifter would be able to pull enough cable to move the derailleur for all 3 rings.

rodar y rodar

Thanks for that pic, Lester.

Aemmer

Back in the 80's the big ring on a Mtn bike was usually a 46 or 48 tooth from Shimano, so M730 and M732 would have been designed for this.

Usually 26/36/46 or 28/38/48

I believe my tandem came new in 1990 with a M732 XT drivetrain and a 52 tooth big ring. Kinda fuzzy memory, that was 23 years ago.

Chrome Molly

Hmmm, contemplation, planning, solitude.... Do I keep this as a heavy MTB with comfy swept back bars, or drop bar convert this thing. I'm getting splatter paint fever here, and going to do something soon...

Sugino compact double just sitting around here, veloce brifters under $100 at Ribble this weekend...

So what's our collective opinion about how much seatpost is too much on a drop bar MTB conversion?

plodderslusk

A japanese made Kona-frame, sweet ! If the toptube is not too long I would go for the Veloce setup. Love to see what you end up with !

Italuminium

No such thing as too much seat post.

likebike23

From my understanding of fitting a dirt drop conversion, it depends on the usage. If you are going for a drop bar bike that you want to ride on challenging trails, you are going to want your drops to be at the same height of your "normal" mountain bike handlebars. If you have a lot of seatpost, you're going to need a really long quill stem with a rise to get the bars up there. Also, a short reach stem is desirable to compensate for the longer top tubes that mountain frames usually have. If you just want to go for a touring setup with light trail usage, you can set the bar height and extension to match your road/touring bikes.

frantik

for a while i had a 52t ring on my univega and it shifted ok with a deore mt60 FD

Chrome Molly

Yep, you got it right. I'm slowly figuring that out. The Croll has a big drop, which puts a lot of weight on my wrists when I'm on singletrack MTB trails with it (even with good balance, you pitch forward off so many of the obstacles that it happens). I've twice had to reposition the left brifter back up the bars (it drops down and then slowly locks up the front brakes due to the bar tape tensioning the casing so there's an open bit between that and the crosstop lever that expands. Hopefully with the cranking I gave it yesterday to retighten, it will not drop again. Can't blame the brifters for hitting a tree though. Interestingly, after a half hour, I don't notice the weight on the wrists. I like the big drop on the Croll, since I ride it 8-10 miles out to the trail on roads first (better in wind). Wish the Croll frame were 1 inch bigger, but it's not going anywhere...

In the case of the kona frame that I have, the bars would already be higher, but with the sloped top tube (and having to get a 26.4m post anyway), I'm just trying to figure out if I want one without any setback (for drops), or with (for normal mtb bars where I'll be more upright). It will be less post than some bikes I've seen for sure, but still a good 8 inches or so. With the kona, I'd be thinking I'd need to tilt the brifters upward just a bit more than the croll. Ideally, the drops would be comfortable enough for the road riding, and the hoods high enough for the trails (without maxing out on my wrists). Some esperimintin is going to occur for certain.

rockpilex

That Croll is pretty sweet.

" Wish the Croll frame were 1 inch bigger, but it's not going anywhere..." Why do you have the saddle slammed all the way forwards?

Chrome Molly

It puts the blade of my knee over the axle of the pedal when the crank is horizontal. For MTB, I'm more comfy a bit more rearward than that, but it is a carryover of my road set-up to my "cross bike".

You're probably right that my top tube is about maxed out for me. Just wish it didn't have so many spacers above the headset, yet the stem seems slammed (still just fine for road/light trails though).

dphilips

Finished the Alpina. It's no longer naked and no longer under 30 lbs.

Chrome Molly

^ Your Alpina looks really great. Class and utility together. What's the crank, and the fenders if you don't mind my asking?