STI levers for touring bike

[woodman]

Hi all,
I need some help deciding what gear levers to buy. I am building up a touring bike and am getting the components together.
So far, I have the frame, wheels, Deore 44/32/22 chainset, LX 8 speed cassette 11-30, Deore M591 front mech, Deore M591 rear mech and Tektro cantilever brakes.
Can I use STI levers for the drivetrain ? Do I need a different front mech ? I have held off buying the brake levers until I am sure the STI levers will work with the front mech.
Shimano seem to recommend rapid fire levers. I am not too mad about these though. I want to use dropped bars also. Are rapid fire levers for straight bars only ? I would prefer the STI if they are compatible, but obviously want what will work best. What about down tube and bar end levers ?
Also having second thoughts on the chainset. I could have bought 48/36/26 instead of 44/32/22 and am wondering if I have too low a gear now. I will have loaded panniers etc., but do you think the middle ring is too low for the majority of the pedalling.
On my road bike, I have a compact 50/34 and am thinking it might be a bit too low with 32.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards,
woodman.

[reohn2]

Road STI's won't work with MTB front mechs,you'll need a road front mech,or you could use these with a pair of DT shifter:- http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html they work well and are much better than DT levers or Bar ends.Rapid fire shifters are for flat/straight bars only.

I think you'll find the 44/32/22 will be a good choice of c/rings when loaded and with an 11t, 108inch, cog on the cassette you'll have a high enough top gear when unloaded too.

[Edwards]

R2 you forget you rode next to a bike with Campag Ergo shifters and a MTB drive train including mechs. We talked about my Thorn being Alvio parts and them being reliable.
I even said I should thank some of the forumites for claiming the shifters do not work thus reducing the price.

Woodman to do what is referred to as Shimergo with 8 speed shimano drive train you need Campag 10 speed shifters. I use 10 speed Xenon shifters which are quick shift, when I purchased them I did not know that "they did not work" for use with Shimano front mechs. So I fitted them and have found them great.

I you can get to Brum you can try the system. I would have asked R2 but he is over 6ft and I am 5ft 4. I could have done with his Gabardine mack when we met.

[reohn2]

R2 you forget you rode next to a bike with Campag Ergo shifters and a MTB drive train including mechs. We talked about my Thorn being Alvio parts and them being reliable.
I even said I should thank some of the forumites for claiming the shifters do not work thus reducing the price.

Woodman to do what is referred to as Shimergo with 8 speed shimano drive train you need Campag 10 speed shifters. I use 10 speed Xenon shifters which are quick shift, when I purchased them I did not know that "they did not work" for use with Shimano front mechs. So I fitted them and have found them great.

I you can get to Brum you can try the system. I would have asked R2 but he is over 6ft and I am 5ft 4. I could have done with his Gabardine mack when we met.

Quite right I totally forgot the Shimergo solution

PS; My mac would have been trailing on the floor if you'd worn it,anyway I don't think you suit biege

[woodman]

Thanks for suggestions so far.
A couple of things I'm puzzled about.
Does it matter if one has either an 8 speed or 9 speed cassette for the campag levers to work, and also I have just looked at the campag levers on the internet and see they are 9 speed. Is it important to get 10 speed levers or 9 speed levers ?

If I were to change the front mech to a "road" front mech to suit the STI levers, (scenario no.2), what are your suggestions for this, and would it work well withe the deore triple chainset without causing hassle. If it does cause hassle, I will get the campag levers but not sure which to get: 9 speed or 10 speed levers. What is the difference ? I live in Ireland, so Birmingham is a tad too far to check out the campag levers !!

Thanks anyway.
woodman

[Edwards]

Front shifter cable pull is Shimano road 13.5mm Mtb 19.5 and Campag 18mm. So if you try to use a Shimano road lever with a Mtb mech it will not pull enough cable to get the mech across the triple. If you use a Campag shifter with Shimano road mech the lever does not match the mech thus the shifting is heavy. The Campag matches (near enough) the Mtb.

The reason for Campag ten speed is to get the cable pull of the lever to match exactly the Shimano rear mech and 8 speed cassette.

On the main CTC if you site do a search for Shimergo and you will get an article written by CJ. There is a table there that shows tho different cable pull also mixing and matching.

R2 do you remember the song
Give me back my Gabardine mack it looks drunk on you
Here am I over six foot high and you are only 5 foot 2oo oo
If you should refuse then our love is through
Give me back my Gabardine mack it looks drunk on you

[Wesh-Laurence]

My "touring bike" has drop (road) handlebars with Shimano Tiagra STI gear/brake levers.

I couldn't get up a lot of the hills with the 30 tooth smallest chainring. I have now fitted a 48/36/26T front (MTB) chainset and M591 front derailleur. To get the left hand STI lever to operate the new front (MTB) derailleur I had to fitted a "Jtek Shiftmate" which increases the cable pull of the road type lever.

Others on this forum said I could have used my original "road" front derailleur with the 48/36/26T front chainset. I couldn't get this combination to work smoothly and consistently whereas with the "shiftmate" the shifting is perfect.

The left hand STI road Lever will work properly with a MTB rear derailleur and cassette. I use a 9 speed 11-32 cassette to match my 9 speed right STI Lever.

The gearing you put on your bike is a personal choice depending on your strength and fitness.

[reohn2]

.................
R2 do you remember the song
Give me back my Gabardine mack it looks drunk on you
Here am I over six foot high and you are only 5 foot 2oo oo
If you should refuse then our love is through
Give me back my Gabardine mack it looks drunk on you

As I recall you sang it to me when we met,the result of which I'm still suffering the trauma of, but despite that I've determined to over look it as otherwise you were a nice chap

[uphillbothways]

Shimergo has become a much less attractive option because of Campagnolo fiddling about with their design. See CJ's post in this thread. If you're going to go for Shimergo, you'd be advised to track down an old non-QS pair of ergo levers.

[CREPELLO]

I thought CJ sounded inconclusive about continued Shimergo viability. There were others posting about success with using current Campag in Shimergo. Powershift (Veloce, Centuar and Athena) doesn't sound quite as good as Ultrashift (Chorus and Record). Eleven speed ergo's also mean a straight fit with a Shimano 9 speed cassette. Only the question of which front mech remains. I would go for a Shimano R443 and modify the operating arm, if that's necessary - a little judicious filing with a needle file should do it. They also still come in 28.6mm clamp size AND my preffered colour - silver, which is a double bonus.

[woodman]

Hi all,
Just after going through the replies, and am thinking on simply using a different front mech.
I was looking on the internet at say, the Dawes galaxy and similar bikes to see how they cope.
They are all using STI levers, but with various front mechs, none of which is the Deore that I am after purchasing.
You have the Tiagra and 105 being used on these bikes.
Do you think this is both the simplest and most cost effective way for me to be able to use the STI levers, and do you see any potential difficulties with my chainset? If this is the best way forward, then I will simply return the Deore front mech for either the Tiagra or the 105. Any final opinions?

Thanks for suggestions to date.
Woodman.

[reohn2]

STI's will work with either Tiagra or 105 f/mechs but won't with you'r Deore chainset as the chainrings are too small you'll need atleast a 46/34/24 such as a Stromglight Impact triple for the road front mech/STi's to work.

[Redvee]

Road STI's won't work with MTB front mechs

In my experience the opposite was true. Years ago I had an RTB, an MTB frame with drop bars and STI levers. For the first few months of riding with the front mech matching the shifters, Sora, the front mech shifting was terrible. As soon as I put a Deore LX front mech on the bike the shifting was perfect.

[reohn2]

Road STI's won't work with MTB front mechs

In my experience the opposite was true. Years ago I had an RTB, an MTB frame with drop bars and STI levers. For the first few months of riding with the front mech matching the shifters, Sora, the front mech shifting was terrible. As soon as I put a Deore LX front mech on the bike the shifting was perfect.

That'll be a first!
MTB front mechs have different cable pull(19.5mm) to road (13.5mm) to match their respective shifters.

[woodman]

STI's will work with either Tiagra or 105 f/mechs but won't with you'r Deore chainset as the chainrings are too small you'll need atleast a 46/34/24 such as a Stromglight Impact triple for the road front mech/STi's to work.

So it appears my choices are as follows:
1. Buy campag xenon 10speed levers.
2. Buy a tiagra or 105 front mech, which would also entail changing my Deore chainset from 44/32/22 to a Deore 48/36/26, in order to make the new front mech work.
There is no problem exchanging the front mech and chainset at this point as they are still in the boxes.

Maybe the campag 10speed is the way to go, if It was a sure thing they were going to work perfectly.

woodman