Thanks! This was really helpful. As I suspected, getting the front shifter/derailleur/crankset combo just perfect can be a huge challenge when mixing Shimano road/MTN components.
But it also sounds like 5mm difference in chainline isn't a huge deal in real-world usage. Some bikes probably come with road front derailleur and 135mm rear spacing stock from the factory. I guess at this point I just have to experiment in order to get a proper STI brifter setup to work.
I definitely like the look of the silver Nitto UI-12 in 70mm at 0degrees on these vintage Treks. I'm actually running a similar stem on my Trek 520, a
Crust x Nitto UI. The main differences are longer extension and stem angle is 15 degrees. I really like the look of the silver better though. If only it had taller extension it would be the perfect stem. Another similar stem I have found is the
Discord Fingerling Stem, which essentially acts as a beefier Nitto Technomic with a 31.8mm bar clamp and costs a whopping $195.
Anyway, here is my vintage gravel bike on some Panaracer Gravelking SK 700x43c tires. Shimano 7-speed bar end shifters are mated to a Deore crankset (50-45-28t) and a 12-32t cassette which provides a pretty nice range of gearing. The 46cm Salsa Cowchippers also offer some control in the rough stuff! Steel is real but the newer bikes in this thread are so tempting haha
