ricohman

In 2008 I bought a brand new Rocky Mountain Sherpa 30. 853 Reynolds tube set and 36 spoke wheels, tubus racks ect.
Due to other cycling and non-cycling commitments (racing, cross and kids) I never got around to touring on it.
I used it for commuting then it hung in the garage. But times have changed and I would like to get back to the dirt/gravel and trails for some 3-7 day trips.
This bike is like brand new. The only change is the Trekking crankset from the road triple. It currently has a 9spd setup. After seeing the new Trek 920 I realized the Sherpa has clearance for at least 2 inch tires and I would like to make it trail worthy. I am thinking gearing and tires with a 10spd setup.
What I would like to do is:
- 50mm tires
- 10 speed cassette/chain
- dura ace bar end shifters or 10spd shifters
- SRAM brake levers with the bar ends shifters.

This seems pretty simple. I have read that the 10 speed cassette will work fine with the hub and that the current long cage deore xt RD will also work. The questions I have are about the bar end shifters. Are they even compatible with a triple crank? Perhaps I should ditch the triple and go with a cross crank?
I think this RD is reverse shifting, but its been so long since I rode it I cant remember. Will this cause grief for the shifter swap?"



Already have this installed.

mstateglfr 

Cool to see you are planning on bringing it out of retirement.
What is the goal of getting 1 extra gear though? You could just keep that unused crank and setup, and add 9sp bar ends.
Seems redundant to get yet another crank, cassette, and chain.

I may be cheap, I guess. I just haven't found a need or desire for a 10th speed. I am building up a frame this winter that'll be 9sp, so I for sure couldn't bring myself to change from 9 to 10 if I already had a 9 speed system in place.

ricohman

Hmm. Good point.
I am getting away from the shifters I have because the cables come out of them at right angles and I can't run a bar bag.
I don't know if I can even buy 9 spd shifters that have the internal routing. The 10spd cassette is mainly for one deep gear. But I guess a 9spd MTB casstte would have that.

mstateglfr 

A 9 speed 12-36 cassette is $30, maybe less. https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-HG400-...9WM?th=1&psc=1

9 speed bar ends are $75 new and less off eBay used. Shimano Dura-Ace SL-BS77 9-speed Bar End Shifters | Bikewagon


If the gear jumps are too wide on a 9 speed cassette, then sure, 10speed would narrow the jumps.
And 10speed dura ace shifters are $50 at nashbar with cables included, pretty fantastic price.

If you need a new cassette for more range, I guess you would be buying a new cassette regardless of if you keep 9 speed or switch to 10 speed.

Huh...I have just pointed out that 10 speed shifters are $25 less and if you don't already have a large rear cog, then you would be buying a new cassette either way. Well I haven't helped much.

Bar ends are completely compatible with a triple. They work extremely well with triples, actually, since the front shifting is friction and you can infinitely trim the derailleur.
I would keep the triple since you already have it and it'll provide a ton of gear options and a better bailout gear since the granny front ring will be a lower tooth count than the small ring of a compact double.

wnylogo

Please keep us posted on any changes you make and the results. I actually used your pic in a post when I was seeking an answer to swapping out my crankset:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/25...pa-30-a-7.html. I ended up with a Deore 26/36/48.
What particular bag have you not been able to use? I have a classic Ortlieb handlebar bag attached. I did physically push side the cables, but it has no adverse effect on the shifting or braking. I'll will also add that mstateglfr is correct--a riding partner of mine has 10 speed bar ends that work with the triple on their Surly LHT. My next project may be a new cassette , maybe that hg400, unless a better option comes up.

sjt78

You can certainly run a handlebar bag with your shifters. Worst case is you replace the cables/housing and make them a bit longer up front to easily be pushed to the side when the bag is installed. If you need new cables anyway this is a no brainer.

Beautiful bike btw.

djb

re going from 9 to 10, will end up with you deciding if spending X dollars is worth it for the extra cog. As you say, the cheapest way to go is bar end shifters, but then you'd most likely change out the brake hoods (sell the 9 spd brifters) but then it does come down to do you like bar ends?

re handlebar bag and brifters, I too use a med size Ortlieb bag with 9 speed Tiagra brifters, and with my bar width, it goes on alright with just a slight bend of the cables with no discernable shifting force increase--but it really will come down to how wide your bars are, how wide your handlebar bag is etc etc.

Looking at the Sherpa, it always seemed like a nice enough bike, dont see many here in Montreal.

the crank change you did is a great change. Going back to brifters, Tiagra changed to 10 speed a bunch of years ago, maybe 3 or so, and I imagine 10 spd ones can be found on ebay or whatever, there is also that Microtech company too.

like I started this out with, I suspect it will come down to how much do you want to spend to get the extra cog?

oh, and as far as I know, if your rd is a rapid rise one (or whatever its called, where if the cable breaks it goes to the largest cog) the rd doesnt care about the shifter (but would check that if I am wrong).

I would add also, given that you want to goof around with this bike on trails and whatnot, being able to shift with your hands on the hoods is always nice on uneven surfaces-I dunno, I dont think I'd like bar ends on trails and stuff.

Darth Lefty 

You can run a bar bag if you put a V-brake noodle coming out of each shifter.

Or, you can switch to Athena brifters which work a 9-speed rear just fine... You'd need to get a Campy FD or a Shimano MTB FD to match the front shifter pull, which is ok since you have the trekking crankset.

djb

if you do go the 10 sp route, there is a good $40 tiagra level 10 sp cassette that is 12-30 and has the same first 9 cogs as the 12-27 that I like for general riding on my similar 9 speed cross/touring/general use drop bar bike.

I think your bike probably has the same 9 sp 11-32 that I put on my bike if I am going to have more weight on my bike. I use the 12-27 nearly all the time though because it has such nicer closer shifts, and the 10 sp 12-30 is the same but with the 30 tacked on the end. So if you dont need a much lower low gear, this is a nice tightish cassette that makes general riding much more fun, in my opinion.

heck, you could even put on a 24t on your present crank and get the gearing a bit lower. I've toured a lot on a 24 granny -- 30t cogged cassette and with 700x28 , it gives about a 21-22 gear inch low, which has been pretty good for a lot of my touring.
Of course, you can find both wider 9 and 10 speed cassettes, but while changing your 26t granny to a 24 isnt a big big change, it would lower stuff to a certain extent.

play around with some gear inch calculators and compare various gearing change ideas with what you have and already know.

*I guess another option to all this would be to consider selling this bike and looking into a lighter bike like the Trek 920 and stuff like that--although all these new type bikes come with doubles, so ultimately wont get as low gearing as with a triple and the ability to have a wider range of closer spaced gears that comes with a triple--still a real bonus in my mind--again, depends on how much weight you plan to have on these type of bikes.

** other advantage of a diff bike is disc brakes, plus I see you have perhaps considered going the route I suggested. Good luck with that if this is the case, and spring would probably be more successful, especially with a good solid tourer like this.

ricohman

Lots of advice to ponder here. Good thing I haven't bought anything yet. I am going to think about all the suggestions offered here as there is a lot of sense in keeping the original drivetrain until its worn out.
I am going to start by trying some 1.9 inch 29er tires I have laying around.
I have used bar ends shifters before and I like them. I realize the handicap they present when climbing something technical, but I don't plan on racing this thing or using it like my new Jake the Snake.
Question.
Do the shimano bar end shifters allow for hidden cables? Or do they kind of stick out past the bar after 3 or 4 wraps of tape? Like my older touring bikes.
Here is where I want to spend some time riding.

djb

seems to me that the cables stick out just like they always have, like thus

https://www.gymcare.com/gymcare_ctrl_...6bnr_520_1.jpg

looks like some neat riding in those shots

Darth Lefty 

That $40 cassette is $16 at Ribble

Shimano 10 Speed Tiagra 4600 Cassette, Cassettes, CASSETTES

mstateglfr 

I have bar end shifters that exit right below the hooks about 7 wraps up the bar.
I also have bar end shifters that exit up at the stem.

I have briefly used indexed bar ends that exit both ways and the indexing was fine. I moved the lever and the clicks moved the derailleur.

Assuming your handlebars have a typical bend, you can set them up whichever way is best for you.
Both are friction shifting, for what it's worth.

Both shift perfectly fine. They are both accurate and easy to adjust.

InTheRain

Yikes! I thought I was looking at my bike!


I've been commuting with it since I bought it. However, it too has not seen any touring miles. I converted it to an e-bike about 8 months ago. It's now an even better commuter. I also added disc brakes. It's just crazy that we made so many changes to the original bikes and they look eerily similar.

wnylogo

Is that the original fork? I was wondering if the original fork could have a front disc brake installed.

InTheRain

Yes, it is the original fork. A framebuilder added the disc tabs. The clearances are extremely tight for 160mm rotor (don't think I can slide a piece of paper between the rotor and the fork.) If I were to do it over again, I'd buy a Surly disc trucker fork instead. For now... it works.

jonc123

I had to go to the Tubus website to look at that rack...I have the Tubus Cargo Evo. Looked like someone sawed off part of your rack! I see now it is the Cargo Classic.

Would the MicroSHIFT barends work on your bike; I have them on my 10 speed LHT. Friction on the FD and I haven't messed with it, but you have the option of indexed or friction on the RD. I was wanting to try a downtube shifter just for the FD just to free up the hole for a mirror at one point. I found another mirror I like.

Your bike looks great. I think your lucky if you get the Surly fork...they do come in black. Get the hair dryer out to scrape the decals off the Surly fork; they come right off easily.