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I would like to convert flat bars of my MTB (old one: ATX 770 Giant, 7 speeds cassette with Deore DX derailleur and 3 chainrings crankset with probably DX as well) to drop bars, for touring purposes (I do not want STI shifters, and even less rapidfire system).

I am running into the following problem:
- Are Dura Ace downtube shifters compatible with the MTB derailleurs? If yes, how can I possibly set them up on the bike?
- OR would you think Deore XT thumb shifters somehow mounted on the drop bars are best (I guess it could be a bit tricky on a 40cm wide drop bar, with the necessary front light mount and handlebar bag mount)?
- OR do you think this is all silly and I should get a proper touring bike?

Criggie
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Lucile
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    I always vote for the new/next/additional bike. – zenbike Jun 28 '16 at 23:02
  • We have a wide range of questions on why you shouldn't do this (the geometry generally changes in an unfavorable manner). Are you using the existing drivetrain or upgrading that as well? – Batman Jun 28 '16 at 23:35
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    I'd vote a proper touring bike as well. If you do it anyway, you might look into either indexed bar end shifters or a set of friction shifters similar to these: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B007QMJH86 mounted near the ends of the bars similarly to bar ends. – renesis Jun 28 '16 at 23:58
  • I was looking at some drop bar bikes at the big box store and was surprised to see twist grip shifters mounted on the tops of the drop bars. They were about 1 inch away from the stem. The rest of the bars were taped in the conventional method. The ultimate mixing of road and mtb components. – mikes Jun 29 '16 at 01:47
  • @mikes sounds like the ultimate BSO made of whatever was cheapest. Shimano Revoshift is pretty much the lowest priced shifter about. – Criggie Jun 29 '16 at 04:43
  • @mikes - from what i've heard, its actually a drop bar cut in half and the gripshifts slid in from the center. – Batman Jun 29 '16 at 04:57
  • @Batman: I didn't make it clear. I do want the geometry to change in that way. My question is only related to the compatibility of derailleurs. – Lucile Jun 29 '16 at 06:30
  • @renesis: thank you for the link. I am fine with friction for the front derailleur, but not so sure about the rear derailleur. Why would you vote for a proper touring bike? The real main difference I find between "proper touring bike" and such a conversion is ... the number of spokes (36 vs 32). Not a big argument to me. Otherwise good "proper touring bikes" have XT derailleurs, with bar ends shifters on drop bars. I do not want bar end shifters (because of the sensitivity to travel by plane and to falls). The geometry is a non argument in my case, I got fitted and the measurements would be ok – Lucile Jun 29 '16 at 06:39
  • I only suggest purchasing a new bike due to cost / what you get for the investment. – renesis Jun 29 '16 at 14:27

1 Answers1

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I think it's silly and you should get a touring bike. However, if you run Dura Ace with those derailleurs, the front derailleur will work like normal. For the rear derailleur, you'll have to give a little slack and instead of pulling it straight out to pinch, you have to bend the line to a 90 degree angle and then pinch. If you have more questions, check out Sheldon Brown's website. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Manda
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  • You are totally correct in your statements, but we try to not answer duplicate questions. – Criggie Jun 29 '16 at 04:42
  • @Criggie: then maybe you could point at the other questions? I could not find any on that. – Lucile Jun 29 '16 at 06:27
  • @Lucile http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/38960/should-i-get-drop-handlebars-when-im-converting-my-mtb-to-a-road-bike or http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/28603/converting-my-old-mountain-bike-to-a-cyclocross/ or http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/8577/converting-a-mtb-to-a-road-bike/ – Criggie Jun 29 '16 at 06:52
  • @Criggie: I know those. Geometry, tires.. (all that, I am not asking) and the closest I could find was actually the mention of end-bar shifters and STI (which I don't want). – Lucile Jun 29 '16 at 06:56
  • @Manda: I know the website, and read the articles about shifters/derailleur compatibility. The different cable routing is an option, but I would rather not use that. Now I could not find much information on the XT thumb shifters, even on that website – Lucile Jun 29 '16 at 07:16
  • @Lucile the point was it gets real expensive real fast to start changing significant parts of the transmission. If you got the parts for free or already had them, its a different matter. Financially, its better to leave your bike as-is and add a second that is set up as you want it. That way you have two bikes rather than one plus parts. (my N is 4) – Criggie Jun 29 '16 at 09:51