ronin4740

I recently upgraded bikes from a 2004 Fuji Roubaix to a Giant TCR... The Fuji is a 56 and at my age and midsection size it's too long for me to comfortably reach the hoods even with a 30 degree 80mm stem...

I was however thinking that if I replaced the drop bars with a flat mountain bike bar I could turn it into a serviceable commuter bike. To that end I'm curious if anyone knows if a 9 speed Deore shifter will properly index/shift the front and rear derailers? The Fuji has a triple in the front...

I've seen a few posts regarding people putting drop bars onto mountain bikes but not so many the other way around. Thanks for your comments and experience.

Retro Grouch 

Nine speed will definitely work at the rear.

The front answer is a little more interesting. I'm told that indexed mountain shifters use a different amount of cable pull than road derailleurs. Never-the-less, during the late 90's era mountain indexed shifters and road front derailleurs were a common factory spec for tandems and higher end hybrids.

KCT1986

If the RD is the stock from 2003 (RD-5500 GS), then it should be fine. I've used a RD-6500 GS, which is essentially the same with a ST-M570 9 sp shifter with no issues on a mountain bike.

You should read up on front derailleur compatibility and brake lever/caliper pull compatibility. Or hopefully others will post their experiences.

Wilfred Laurier

I could be wrong, but I believe those FDs were flat-bar specific and were compatible with flat bar shifters, either the road-group flat bar shifters (do they still make these?) or mtb shifters.

ronin4740

Thanks all! Really wanting to do this on a shoe string budget... I'll see what parts will cost and perhaps update the thread with results if it doesn't run into too much money to do!

Bill Kapaun

I "think" you need a FDER similar to this to use a flat bar shifter with "road" rings because of cable pull/ring spacing differences.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Shimano-Tiagr...ProductDetails

I think they came in various versions such as 44x, 45x.

ronin4740

Thanks for that. It looks like buying a Sora shifter set and brake lever set might be the way to go.

Shimano made a triple FD Sora shifter and paired it with a 9 speed RD shifter... Any thoughts on whether a set of Sora SL-3503 shifters would do the job with the 105 FD and RD?

Seems like the Shimano Sora R3000 be the brake levers to pair the shifters with?

...I can't post links yet as I don't have 10 posts but I have found sources for both items...

If all is correct then I think I can get this done for under $200 and am probably willing to try the conversion.

Jeff Wills

Exactly. The triple front derailleur used the same cable pull as the mountain bike front derailleurs so any set of mountain bike shifters are usable. You want to find either a FD-R443 or FD-R453 front derailleur (not a FD-4403 or FD-4503). I have used the FD-R443 front derailleur on several different recumbent bikes and it works perfectly with "road" chainrings and "mountain-bike" shifters. They are out of production but you can still find them on Ebay or through online shops catering to the recumbent bike crowd.

The "flat-bar" shifters designed for double chainrings are another animal entirely.

ronin4740

Found an FD-443 on eBay and ordered it up. The majority of the parts - the bar, the shifters, the new derailer cables, etc... should be here today. If I'm feeling up to it after a 58 mile ride Saturday I'll work on the basic conversion stuff Sunday. Won't have the front derailer or the brake levers for a while but that's okay... No real rush doing this project.

davidad

The 105 front der will not work with mountain shifters because of the different cable pull.

bakerjw

I've mixed mountain and road components before with good luck. e.g. Claris shifter with 105 RD. The only time that I got bit was with Dyna-Sys.

Jeff Wills

Make sure you are getting a FD-R443 and not a FD-4403. The FD-R443 is compatible with "flat-bar" shifters, the FD-4403 is not.

ronin4740

Thanks Jeff! I double checked and verified that the item is indeed an FD-R443. I'd post the link but I'm still under the 10 post minimum needed to do so.

Chris

ronin4740

First photos of the bike... Still waiting on the brake levers and front deraileur but thought I could remove the drops and mount the new handlebar and shifters.

Not certain I'll like the riding position - when standing over the bike it still feels like there's a lot of weight on my hands... Will have to wait until the brakes get here as I'm not so good at stopping like Fred Flintstone!

ronin4740

Build is coming along .

Question - do Sora shifters go on in the inside or outside of the brakes ?

Thanks!

dedhed

I'd think inside/outside would be a personal preference thing. How it feels for you and your anatomy.
FWIW my Deore of similar design are mounted inside.

LesterOfPuppets

Inside.

The last pic shows rear shifter on left side, which is odd.

ronin4740

Whoops! Fixed that!!!

Now I just need to borrow a bike shops cable cutter and cable cap crimp tool. Then it's a waiting game while the FD is in transit from Poland to the USA...

ronin4740

Cables cut and heat shrink used to seal the ends.

For a lark I connected the three speed Sora FD shifter to the 105 FD and was able to adjust it to shift through the triple properly on the bike stand.

Didn't test ride it as the tires are really dry rotted... Have a new set arriving Sunday. Will test it then.

Will be really happy if I don't have to replace the FD!

Jeff Wills

It might work on the stand, but the shifter could jam or the chain might overshift off the big chainring. If it works right 100% of the time, well, I've learned something new.

Bill Kapaun

I didn't realize they made a Sora flat bar shifter, but I don't do "road".
Since Sora is "road", I'd fully expect Sora shifters to shift a "road" FDER.
The OP was about Deore shifters with a "road" FDER.

ronin4740

Wel ... I replaced the bottom bracket and now I can't get the FD to index correctly. Pretty sure I got the pedals and front chain rings assembled righ ... Guess I'll wait a few more daysfor the sora FD to show up.

Here's the assembled photo. I rode it down the street and other than the FD shifting incorrectly it felt pretty good.