MTB Drive Train on Road Bike?

[djnotts]

I want to 1. flat bar and 2. gear down my Planet X SL carbon "race" bike. I assume that there are snags of which I have not yet thought in simply rebuilding with e.g. a "Shimano Deore M610 10 Speed Triple MTB Groupset"?

All advice and thoughts welcome!

[531colin]

You need levers compatible with dual pivot sidepulls
You need shifters and mechs. to be compatible....10 speed MTB rear is a law unto itself, it won't play nice with anything else....MTB and road fronts are different cable pull.
when you move your hands back and un-weight the front wheel, the steering feels (even) lighter.

[Brucey]

It might be a lot easier to simply fit a shorter taller stem and keep the drops...?

cheers

[djnotts]

You need levers compatible with dual pivot sidepulls
You need shifters and mechs. to be compatible....10 speed MTB rear is a law unto itself, it won't play nice with anything else....MTB and road fronts are different cable pull.
when you move your hands back and un-weight the front wheel, the steering feels (even) lighter.

Brake levers, yes obviously. The complete groupset approach is designed to eliminate compatibility issues - essentially an mtb with 700c wheels, dual pivot calipers and a carbon road frame!

Riding on the tops as I do nearly all the time, the weight distribution won't alter with flats. Bar ends will replicate riding on the hoods. I NEVER use the drop bit.

However much I could raise the drops (not by much without new forks) would not be the same as flats - apart from the position I find the mechanical performance and ergonomics of drop bar braking very poor. Nor would it solve the lower gearing issue.

[Valbrona]

Do you ever think that you are perhaps riding the wrong bike? Like, completely wrong?

Nor would it solve the lower gearing issue.

You can have gears pretty much as low as you want on a road bike. My smallest front chainring is 26 (but I could go smaller) and my largest sprocket at the back is 28 (but I could go a little bigger). Just like you can get handlebars pretty high with a sticky up stem.

[djnotts]

"Do you ever think that you are perhaps riding the wrong bike? Like, completely wrong?"

No, not in the slightest. Must have had at least 60 bikes of every sort over last 10-12 years. Rode fixed most I suppose until about 5 years ago, but shot lungs made hills unrideable. All I can handle now is LIGHT (max 20lbs) and LOW geared (20" - 80" fine). Preferably carbon. Oh and less than a grand. Point me where to look and I will.

Or if you have a 20lb mtb to hand let me know!

[djnotts]

WHAT I used to like riding!

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/ap ... nother.htm

[mrjemm]

WHAT I used to like riding!

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/ap ... nother.htm

What are those bars on the grey one, please?

Too narrow topped to be On-one or Salsa as far as I can tell, so perhaps something nice'n old?

[djnotts]

And weight wise if I still had this 16lb-dead lovely and tripled it it would be fine!

[djnotts]

WHAT I used to like riding!

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/ap ... nother.htm

What are those bars on the grey one, please?

Too narrow topped to be On-one or Salsa as far as I can tell, so perhaps something nice'n old?

The On One Ti one speed crosser (only 3 ever made) is wearing genuine old school WTB Dirtdrops. None of the copies ever came close IMO.

[Brucey]

if you use a set of On-One mungos (or snorkys perhaps) you can keep the STis and have 'flat bars'. http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/components/finishing-kit/handle-bars

A handlebar extension like this one



or similar will help with the riding position.

You don't say what gruppo you have at present but a cassette, rear mech and spa triple* /bb will be about £100 all in.

(* fitted with just an inner and a middle if that is all your shifters will cope with)

With the handlebars + stem you are looking at £130 all in, job done.

cheers

[djnotts]

Thanks for all the input. I've settled for the cheap and easy for now - should last me another 6 months or so! A 24T inner. I had an annoying, tiny, intermittent "click" which I thought might be from the b/b - so I stuck a new Stronglight Twister (less than 1/2 price from Spa if you need a 118 Isis axle) in while the cranks were off and that seems to have done the trick.

A black 24T would have been better but not too obtrusive.

Next step I guess will be 32/34T rear and a 9 speed XT mech!

[djnotts]

Off original Subject line, but a Footnote!

Tiagra 10 speed FM spec says 20T capacity, 50T max big ring. My FSA were already outside this - 53/42/30. And with a 24 now 29 capacity (and still a 53!). And while not the slickest of changes, does work at near 50% beyond spec!

I suspect that 48/38/24 will work - and suit me - better. Not sure how well non-Shimano rings will work, but I think a couple of new Stronglight rings worth testing....

[ratherbeintobago]

You need shifters and mechs. to be compatible....10 speed MTB rear is a law unto itself, it won't play nice with anything else....MTB and road fronts are different cable pull.

Not necessarily; rumour has it SRAM 10-speed road & mountain have the same cable pull (IIRC Salsa spec the 2014 Fargo with SRAM drop bar levers and X-series mechs).

Shimano cable pull is different, however. While it doesn't help you, supposedly a 9-speed mountain mech will index correctly with 10-speed road levers.

[djnotts]

Thanks.

Yes, as above "Next step I guess will be 32/34T rear and a 9 speed XT mech!" I don't think going lower is a huge problem - simply a question of working out the best cost/benefit balance. No particular reason to stick with "10" if doing the wholesale switch. For now I can go down to c. 23" for the hill home! But I'd prefer an overall lowering - I don't exactly need the 130" top end!