Shimano R600 shifters and XT rear der
 

I'm thinking of taking my cross bike that currently has flat bars and putting drops on it so I can use it as road bike because I can run lower gears for big mtn climbs. Does anyone know if the Shimano short reach levers will properly shift an XT derailleur on a 11-34 cassette?

Thanks for your help!

Many a touring bike has a Shimano STI shifter shifting a Shimano MTB rear derailuer.

Thanks, Dan. I have no experience with Shimano road components. I've ridden Campy on the road for the last 20 yrs but they just don't make cassettes to climb cliffs. It's going to be interesting to see whether my hands will remember on the fly which brand they're shifting.

The difference between Shimano and Campy shifting isn't that big a leap. The small lever shifts to smaller cogs and rings, while the larger lever shifts to the larger cogs and rings.

Thanks, I'll do my best :) but you're talking to someone whose body tends to have only longterm memory. My feet still think they have Suntour XCPro on a mtb not this slow Shimano stuff. Geez, that dates me.

Feet or fingers? I really loved my old SunTour XC-Pro thumbies.

Both! The cogs were different also. I thought it shifted faster and you didn't have to wait for the ramp to spin around to the right place before the chain would move.

Yes. Before the age of *-Glide/Drive/whatnot, you could force the shift in either direction. Actually it wasn't so much forcing because that concept only really originated after ramped teeth and pins, as it was just shifting. That was par for the course. So today, in the spirit of smoother shifting, we have given up a little bit of expediancy. The chain has to follow a certain path in the rotation. You can still force a shift in the "pull" (increased tension) direction of the derailleur but on the release, you're left to the mercy of the shift gates. This is why I dislike low-normal/Rapid-Rise rear derailleurs as seen on the newer Shimano XTR and XT drivetrains. The lag happens in the direction which you most need quick-shifting regardless of smoothness... the downshift.