My newly acquired 2005 Specialized Elite (carbon fork) had its front derailleur, chainrings, and shifter removed. The missing parts were not included in the sale. The previous owner made a repair by eliminating the front derailleur and going to one chainring. It has the Originally Tiagra rear derailleur and 8 speed cassette and shifter.

Original equip. (reported by Bikepedia).
FD: Shimano Deore 8 speed bottom-pull/clamp-on 31.8mm
Shifter: Shimano R-440
Crankset: RPM Compact, 34/50 teeth


My question is - What are my options when choosing a FD and compact chainrings and staying compatable with the 8 speed drivetrain? I'm fine with ordering the Shimano R-440 front shifter to match the current rear shifter. I'd like to keep it a low budget and best bang for the buck under $100 total for the shifter, chainrings, and FD. I don't mind buying previously used and non original components but lack knowledge regarding compatibility with the 8 speed set-up - that is if I go outside of original parts listed above. I will be discussing options with the local LBS but would prefer taking the initiative myself.

The 1st pic shows current set-up. The 2nd pic shows an original crankset on a 2005.
Thank you in advance for any recommendations and I'll post any follow-ups if I progress with my goal.

Hopefully it's not a stolen one

Confirmed not stolen - but thank you for your concern.
I have place an order for all parts and total was $93

Looks like the original owner did a ghetto 1x "conversion." Dont forget a cable and housing. Might as well switch out the rear cable while youre at it

R440 is a "road" shifter and the Deore is a MTB model. They do have different cable pull.

While front derailleurs are the least picky items to mix and match, youre better off just getting a matching part when buying new parts - in this case, a 440 front der if running road gearing or a deore shifter and der with MTB gearing.

Sounds like an awesome deal. Enjoy your new ride!

Once you get it all put back together, you will love it! It really is a great bike!

thanks - never heard the term ghetto 1x "conversion" but makes sense. I was originally concerned about some things such as 2 vs. 3 speed compatibility so its a "try and see" for this - The original said "8 speed" and the 9 speed below did not specify if its a bottom feed but so I took a chance on it at $18. Shimano SL R440 trigger was listed as 2/3 speed $29. Outer Chainring $35, inner chainring $12. 3 week estimate delivery of the outer one. Since I later realized it had the original RPM crank it was a nice relief...100mm and 50/34.