Originally Posted by
shoota
Well, so, I've found out that 7s barend shifters aren't exactly easy to find or cheap. After tinkering with things tonight I'm half decided to go with the Schwinn Voyageur. I'm not sure the 3x7 indexed XT/Deore option you're talking about will be easy to find. And honestly, for the sake of ease a 2x7 drivetrain would be awesome, if I could find a period correct ~50/34 crank. 48/32 would be ideal. Did someone like TA make such a thing?
You should put up a separate WTB for the 7 speed bar ends. You'll find them. Also you might want to put up a separate WTB for a shimano indexing long cage rear derailleur. The Deore XTs are pretty bombproof and index great.
The triple you just bought is a 110/74. You can go 50/34 with the outer two. You could try running it using the middle and inner only in which case you can run as low as 24 on the inside. I've never set it up that way though.
If you want a vintage double that can go as low as 32 on the inside, you can look for a 50.4 bcd crank (TA is the most famous) (new chainrings are available on eBay) or an 86 bcd crank (Stronglight 99 is the most common but SR and other companies made a copy) (new chainrings are available from UK vendors like Spa cycles). Nervar 631 is a TA copy and you can pick one up for less than a TA. One good thing about Nervar is that you don't need a special chain puller. With an 86 bcd crank, you can go as low as 28 on the inside and with the TA (or TA copy) you can go as low as 26 if memory serves me right.