chrisx

In 2009 the fargo was the only wide tire touring bike. It was a drop bar bike. The krampus and all the others did not exist back then. I wanted flats. Rolling around green lake it seemed fine. In the mountains I learned a few things. The front wheel starts to hop off the ground before I run out of gears, 22 36. To counter this I got a longer stem, 135mm. Which means moving the seat forward. The seat to far forward means knee pain. We ride our touring bikes all day long, right? What happens when you ride down the mountain with an extra long stem and a forward seat. Bad news. Crash. We are not rolling around green lake any more Toto. I walked for 2 days without seeing anothr person. 2.55 x 29 inch Weirwolf tires can go the places I like to go. I had to second guess the frame design. Maybe the frame builders know somethings I do not. You bought a drop bar frame, put drop bars on it. My fargo now has woodchipper drops. I was replaceing parts on my old 26 inch bike faster than my $3,000 Bike. Comfort. Bike touring is supposed to be fun, not a military expidition. I had to buy a new fork with longer tube, because drops sit higher than flats, shifters, brake levers, stem, tape. I ride it more with the drop bars on. I Learned the limits of a drop bar bike, and take my flat bar bike down the back trail from the observatory now

Take a good look at the complete seldom seen. Buy similar parts. I wanted nicer parts than the complete Fargo came with. That is why it cost twice as much. All that money, and a second guess of the design made it uncomfortable and incapable

Cyclist0108

So did you get rid of it?

chrisx

I edited and added more while you were asking

Cyclist0108

Yeah, it looks like the flat-bar version is basically SLX group-set, which is about what I want (I cannot tell the difference between it and XT without looking). They haven't posted anything about the parts for an assembled drop-version. This is where I begin to wonder how I am going to deal with the shifters, if for example I have an SLX (or XT) mechanical derailleur set, will this work with 105 or Ultegra "brifters"? (That is also part of the motivation for wondering whether I could use butterfly trekking bars or Jones bars or something that would be mountain-bike shifter compatible but work better with this frame than a flat-bar.)

chrisx

Butterfly bars are made to replace flat bars. They would bring your hands back a few inches from where they would be on the drop bars. Butterfly no. Jones? Some people say yes. I have not tried them and can not say. Many people say they are comfortable as replacements for drop bars. I use bar end shifters. They work with xtr double and xt 10 speed cassette. Brifters no. Late model road and mountain shifters do not cross over.

chrisx

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=49993
They have shifters for drop bar mt bikes, one of many

What brakes will you be using?
bb7 mountain?
Cane Creek Drop V Brake Levers
and
Tektro RL520 Brake Levers
both work for drops and mt brakes

Here is a threadaboutmt drop bar bikes
https://forums.mtbr.com/salsa/salsa-f...467422-58.html

alan s 

You can mix Shimano road hydro brifters and MTB rear derailleur/cassette by using a Wolftooth Tanpan. Did this on my Ti dropbar gravel bike and it works perfectly.

Cyclist0108

I'd like to use XT (or SLX) brakes. The wolftooth thingie might be the way to go, unless I decide to use this as an excuse to build it with Di2. Or if I get non-canonical bars that let me use mountain levers and shifters.

alan s 

Don’t think you’ll be able to use MTB hydro brakes with road shifters/drop bars, but the road hydro brakes are probably sufficient. Use of a MTB RD and cassette with the wider range is the goal.

Cyclist0108

In the case of Ultegra hydraulics, the calipers are the same as XT. (I have a warranty-replacement of one of my Ultegra calipers and it actually is an XT caliper. The only difference is one has a slot-head bolt to hold the pads in place, and the other has a hex-head bolt.)

I don't think I want to spend the money for Di2, but you can in principle use road controllers and mountain derailleurs (as long as both front and back are the same, like both are XT). Your Wolftooth idea sounds much more cost-effective.

alan s 

You’re right. You can even use the new 4-piston calipers with the older levers.

chrisx

I clicked on some wheels. So easy to click someome elses money away.
https://www.lightbicycle.com/Hand-bu...ompatible.html

Cyclist0108

It is a lot of money but it looks like a lot of wheel for the money (and lack of designer label to induce Enve enve). With the options I selected, it came out a bit over $1K.

Not sure if I spend that much, but would this be a better option, than, say this Chris King (who have previously treated me very well) wheel-set:
https://wheelshop.chrisking.com/stans...k3-27-5-32-32/ ? It says "up to 2.8".

Assuming the hubs are comparable, is this carbon rim as reliable as the Stan's aluminum?

Cyclist0108

It arrived today. It is supposed to be a Christmas present, butI took it out of the box for a quick inspection and measurement. The fork is non-tapered, with a 30mm steering tube. The head tube has an inside diameter of 44mm. It didn't come with a headset. I took a few photos, but none really merit posting. I'll have better photos, and weights, when I properly unwrap everything. There appears to be no damage, and the frame is surprisingly light.

Cyclist0108

I forgot to weigh the fork. The frame comes in about 5.75 lbs, maybe 5.5 with the packing stripped off.

Cyclist0108

Here is a tentative list of components I am thinking about (I haven't purchased anything but the frame yet, and unless something is on sale, probably won't even buy any major part until 2018):

Feel free to suggest better alternatives:
Bonus points if you can somehow manage to keep right-wing reactionary political drivel out of it.

nickw

If you wanna run MTB der w/drop bars this is probably the best solution out there now...which uses TRP hydro drop bar brake levers:

https://www.gevenalle.com/product/gx/

Cyclist0108

Thanks. This one is the (more expensive) hydraulic version:

https://www.gevenalle.com/product/hydraulic/

nickw

Thanks - that was the right one to link...

Cyclist0108

It comes in at the same price as Ultegra Di2 hydraulics, which means that for about $500 more I could solve the problem that way. (If I can figure out how to put the battery in the seat tube and get the wire out, I might do this.)

nickw

I'd be surprised if it was only $500, I'm guessing once all said and done it's going to be more than that...

Also, there are not any elegant solutions for frames that are not setup for DI2.

Cyclist0108

Sorry, I meant the cost difference between the remaining Di2 parts (cables, derailleurs, junction boxes) and conventional derailleurs along with those integrated brake/shifters, would then come to about $500.

Cyclist0108

Got the headset installed at a shop, and I am getting ready to start building it up.

In particular, I'd like a reality check on the handlebar width (my road bikes have 42cm and 44cm), and the 11-speed bar-end shifters.

Here is my latest shopping list:

1. Ritchey Comp Venturemax Road Bar. 46cm x 31.8mm Bar Clamp (Black)
2. TRP Hylex Road Disc Brakes. (160 mm f/r )
3. Microshift BS-M11 11-Speed Bar End Shifters. 2/3 x 11 Speed (Pair)
4. Shimano CN-HG901 XTR/Dura Ace Chain 11 Speed (Silver)
5. Shimano FC-M7000-B2 SLX Boost Double Crankset. 170mm x 34/24T (Black).
6. Shimano BB-MT800 XT HT2 Bottom Bracket. English 68/73mm
7. Shimano CS-M7000 SLX Cassette. 11-42t
8. Shimano RD-M7000 SLX Rear Derailleurs. Mid Cage (GS). (Long cage only available as XT -- should I get that instead?)
9. Shimano FD-M7020 SLX Double Front Derailleur. 28.6/31.8/34.9 Low clamp / Side Swing / Front-Pull / (2x11).
10. Possibly November wheel build with either SLX or i9 hubs.

(Future purchases include saddle and post, stem, suspension fork -- I have saddles, posts and stems to play around with for fitting now.)

chrisx

I have a Fargo. Wider bars will help with ruts and bumps, is 46 the widest they sell? Hands spred further apart give you more leverage and keep you upright a little longer.
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.
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?

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.

Cyclist0108

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.

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.


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.


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.)