Originally Posted by
chrisx
I have a Fargo. Wider bars will help with ruts and bumps, is 46 the widest they sell?
Yes, they have 38,42,44,46 cm versions, measured from the center of the drop bend, so they stick out more. I was worried 46cm would be too wide.
Originally Posted by
chrisx
I have a long cage saint derailleur on mine. Shimano says mid cage is for 1 x 11 only. On a 2 x they recomend long cage. XT is only a little more, and you get something for the extra money.
The only SLX one I found was mid-cage and it says for 2X11. As long as the long-cage XT won't create any problems, I think I will get it for $18 more.
Originally Posted by
chrisx
XT is a better hub. I have 4 xt wheels and 2 slx wheels. XT is worth the $20 more. Can you afford DT 350 hubs?
Yeah, I guess I saved a lot on the frame. Maybe I should go for i9 hubs. November Dave said it would be about $250 or so above the SLX pricepoint for otherwise similar wheels.
Originally Posted by
chrisx
I know you did a lot of research on shifters. My Shimano bar end shifters have seen better days. Can you fill me in on the non bar end choices for drop bar bikes? I am using a 10 speed cassette, 11 36.
The TRP are probably the best deal available for hydraulic brakes, and the only option for non-STI drop-bar hydraulics. Best deal I found was Universal Cycles for about $260 (with hoses and calipers and rotors I believe). I would then use these with Shimano 11-speed mtn bar end shifters for about another $90.
As @
nickw pointed out, you can get a modded version of them from
Gevenalle in which Shimano mountain bike bar-end shifters are re-mounted on the front of these for about $500 (with hoses and calipers and rotors I believe). These get very good reviews.
The "suggested" option which left some of our friends scratching their heads were the Shimano 105-level Hydraulic road brifters (along with that Wolftooth adapter). These are hard to find after-market, but
ProBikeKit has them for $350 with calipers. These came with my kid's Diamondback bike we got at REI. They are ok, but not nearly as nice as Ultegra (which are $500-$600). (The Di2 version is the same price.)