Please excuse the crosspost between here and the cylcocross forum but, I am just getting ready to collect parts for a cyclocross/Katy Trail Tourer bike build ( https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=267093)and I have a couple of questions.

1. Will any cantilver break work well with road levers?
2. Am I better off with a road triple or a mountainbike triple. (I am a clyde and all my rides have triples)
3. Should I go with barconns or brifters


Other than that I plan on using Lx/Xt level front and long cage rear derailurs. I will also probably also go 8 speed since I have a fairly good extra 700c wheelset with a good 12-25 cassette on it.

Thanks,

Mud

if you are going to use that rear cassette of 12/25 you'll prolly want a mtn triple, as alot of us use 22/32/42or44 front with a 11/32 or 11/34 in the back. Though I'm not familiar with the trail or intended load.

oh and canti's work great with any road levers that are meant for use with sidepull calipers (in my experience) just not the V brake speific one from diacompe 287-v or something?

Any cantilever brake will work with road levers.
A "trekking" crank would be ideal, 48/36/26. If you're planning on doing loaded touring a mountain crank would be better, 44/32/22. The Shimano Deore crank is available in either size.
Sheldon Brown said that mountain bike front derailleurs do not index properly with STI shifters.
So use a road front derailleur if you go with STI.
If you go with bar end shifters you can use either a road or mountain front derailleur because the front shifter is friction, not indexed.
I'd go with 9 speed shifters and buy a new cassette. Cassettes are cheap compared to shifters.

I'd try to find some used parts of you can, to keep the total price down. Here's a list of stuff I'd look for used, or new if you can't find it.

Sugino crankset 110 BDC, 48-38-28 or 46-36-26, square taper, JIS. Back in the 80's and early 90's these crank were on lots of MTBs, touring bikes, commuter bikes. Shimamo also made simular cranks (tourney) that work well. You might check out your local Goodwill or local used store for a parts bike.

The older smooth post style canti brakes are harder to set up than the new Avid Shorty cantilevers, but the old ones have about the same stopping power. The old Shimano LX cantis are great, with new pads.
Once again, look for an old MTB at Goodwill. If you're lucky, or dedicated, you should be able to score a bike with both the crank and brakes you need, as well as other spare parts.

As far as a rear derailer, think about a shiny new Deore. Shop around on line and you should find one for about $30. And new 8 speed bar-cons, for around $60. Becuase the front shifting will be friction, use any old front derailer.

There are a lot of misc. parts you going to need to finish the bike. Try to stay out of the bike shop! Something like a stem costs $30+ new. Shop around. be careful. and most of all, have fun.

Thanks for the reply's. Some good ideas and things to think about. It will definatly be looking to use as many good quality used parts mixed in with some newer essentials. I was out of town today and missed the frame delivery and now have to pick it up at the post office on Monday. I will then strip it and take it to the powder coaters and begin gathering the needed parts. Any other bits of wisdom and advise are appreciated.

Mud

I've heard nothing but good things about these Campy mini v-brakes:



https://www.campagnolo.com/groupsets....cid=10&pid=224

But not all cantis work well with all forks.

Are you sure, that Lx/Xt front derailleurs are compatible with 8-speed cassette? Width of chain is different for 8 and 9-speed drivetrains. It will be working, but isn't reliably.

Nevertheless, they aren’t compatible always. One must be careful about a proper chain line for the derailleur. As an example, a front derailleur Sora is not compatible with a crankset Tourney because of that, despite the cranksets have similar sizes. It is not always possible to choose a bottom bracket length to fix the problem.