sloar 

I got this LHT off a buddy, I built it a few years ago to suit his needs but he never did like riding it. I want to change it back to a triple with drop bars. What would be your ideal drivetrain for it? I’m using barend shifters for sure, and intend on using it for a solo cross country tour to start with.

Tourist in MSN

Usually a drop bar bike has a shorter top tube so that the reach is not too long. Before you invest in a drivetrain, you might want to make sure that this frame is the right size for you when you put drop bars on it. If you have another drop bar bike that fits you well, that would give you a basis for comparing measurements.

If it is the right size, it looks like you have a nice setup, already have fenders and that rear rack looks like a Racktime Addit which should be more than adequate for touring. I have an Addit on my light touring bike.

I am not going to suggest drive train components, as my drive trains are a bit eccentric. I am sure you will get some good suggestions here.

Jeff Neese

Is there anything wrong with what came on it?

The current Disc Trucker has a 3x9 Shimano setup. That would probably work just fine.

Yan 

For an expedition tour: 2x11 SRAM GX mountain drivetrain. They sell a version of their 11 speed cassette that works on regular freehubs. Microshift sells a bar end shifter that works with SRAM 11 speed rear derailleurs. Then for the front shifter, you can just buy any old friction bar end shifter. On my own bike I use an old Shimano front shifter that I scrounged from the local bike recycler.

I'm also an advocate of touring on a 12 speed 1X, but it seems that others here are not willing to give up the high side of the gear range.

cyccommute 

I’d suggest a 9 speed Shimano external bottom bracket mountain bike crank with an 11-36 cassette like this. That’s what I have on my touring bike. You can get a 20 tooth inner ring to fit with some file work. The range is 720% with a nice 110” gear for downhills and a 15” gear for uphills.

I use a 9 speed XTR rear derailer and a Sora or Tiagra level front. I did have to add a Wolftooth Road Link to get push the derailer to 36 teeth. I haven’t tried but I think I could use a 42 tooth cog on the cassette if I wanted to go completely silly.

sloar 

It’s a 54cm which is the perfect size for me. I had a Disc Trucker and regret selling it. I have the bars , correct size stem and Tektro brake levers. I’m just curious what other people would choose for a drivetrain. I know what needs to be on it, just looking for different options.

phughes

I changed my crank out for a Sugino triple. I wanted to swap out the smallest chainwheel, and wanted a shorter crank. I went with a 24 tooth on the small end, and honestly forget the others. It was the small one I wanted to change. RIvbike.com makes a copy of the Sugino XD2 now, they call it the Clipper. I love the Sugino, and am happy I went to the 24 tooth from 26.

When my MicroShift bar end's indexing quit working, I bought Rivbike's Silver shifters, which mounted on my original bar end pods. They are friction only though, but that is what I like on my LHT.

bwilli88 

This




Right now, it has only the half step, but I also have the setup for a half step + granny. 9 speed 12-36 Shimano cassette, 49x46 chainrings on a 86 bcd crank.
The 12-36 9 speed is one of the best halfstep modern cassettes. Derailleurs are Dura Ace as are the bar-ends. Ultegra and 105 RDs work as well.

veganbikes

Old school me would say triple with a 11-34 at the back XT (ideally an old M737 but the newer 9 speed would work) and Ultegra but these days I would say 2X11 possibly see if I can run an 11-46 at the back and maybe a 30-44 at the front and use Gevenalle Levers which allows me to run everything from the bars while still having regular brake levers and my downtube/bar end shifters just mounted to the front. I remember a couple years ago doing a gear comparison and the 2x11 combo was pretty darn close to my old 3x9 combo maybe loosing a little off the top end speed which is fine I am touring and I think I might have gained a little on the climbing side.

https://www.gevenalle.com/product/gx/ (The front derailleur doesn't matter as it is friction but you need MTB 11 in the rear)

https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ...D-R8000-B.html
or
https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ...D-RX810-F.html (which might work better with really compact set ups)

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...M8000-SGS.html

For cranks White Industries allows pretty much any combination so they are a good choice 30mm spindle with plenty of great external BBs out there but if you wanted to go cheaper Shimano GRX is an option but it would be a 46-30 and that would want to use the GRX front derailleur for sure.

tcs

SRAM SX Eagle 11-50 12-spd cassette
​​​​​​​Shimano XT rear hub
SRAM SX Eagle 12-spd rear derailleur
Wolftooth 40T thick-thin chainwheel
Microshift SR-M12 bar-end shifter


21-95 gear inches



Works for me.

tcs

And now, for something completely different:

Rohloff hub
Surly Singleator
Gilles Berthoud dropbar shifter
primary: 56x21
19-101 gear inches

Tourist in MSN

Hmmmm, and it was only a few days ago you said:

Tourist in MSN

Whatever you decide, you might want to consider the cost of expendables for when you will need them later.

Nine speed chains and cassettes are a lot cheaper than some of the 11 or 12 speed cassettes with some huge sprockets.

Last time I bought a new eight speed chain and cassette, it was about $40, but that was two years ago before a lot of inflation set in. Now, that might cost $45 or $50.

tcs

The OP said:
I consider my Rohloff implementation pretty much the ideal realization of that drivetrain in an LHT-type frame. If the OP (or anyone else with an LHT-style frame) is jonesing for a Rohloff, I'd suggest setting it up much the way I did.

I personally just didn't like the hub that much.

tcs

Not anything you'll be able to brag about on BikeForums, but inexpensive and effective:

Shimano 8-speed 11-34
Shimano Altus derailleurs
Shimano Deore 40-30-22 crankset
Microshift bar end shifters
94-17 gear inches

Tourist in MSN

Question - how is that Microshift shifter working for you?

I ask because a few years ago I met a gal on a brevet that had one, and it stopped holding it in gear, she ended up riding much of the brevet on the smallest sprocket when she got tired of holding the lever in position against the spring. I do not know how many speeds it was, but it was a Microshift. I assumed it was a one off problem, did not think about it any more.

But a friend of mine a couple weeks ago had one that was not working well, I had to use an allen wrench to get it to work well but I could not get it too tight. His had three years of use on it.

But my Shimano eight speed bar end shifters, they have been trouble free for ... <drum roll> ... 18 years. I have the Shimano eight speed (BS64) shifters on three bikes.

tcs

All I can say is 'so far, so good'.


"What fresh hell will tomorrow bring? Beyond more chaos, who can say?” - Elon Musk


Brand new, fresh from factory Shimano 8-speed bar ends, or Microshift? Shimano, of course...except Shimano can't pay the bills with folks that use the same part for a couple of decades.


Some Shimano 8-speeders I bought 18 years ago from out of the 'big box of parts under the workbench'? I'm on that like a possum on a junebug. Uh, but there wasn't a pair in the 'big box of parts'.

NOS off eBay? Ouch. Pricey.

'Vintage' off eBay? Hmm. Still not cheap. Look a bit tatty. They've been used and loved by someone else for 18 years. Certainly no warranty. Ever crashed? Good for another 18?

Yan 

I've been using Microshift bar end shifters for years. They have the friction adjustment set by the same screw that the holds the shifter into the holder. Sometimes this loosens itself and has to be retightened. That's the only drawback compared to Shimano shifters where I never had to worry about this.

Tourist in MSN

I bought a pair of BS64 a couple years ago on Ebay, used but looked very good, just to have as spares. I probably bid on a dozen before that, usually lost as I was not willing to go THAT high.

I think I figured out why you went with the Rohloff, you were unable to get the BS64 shifters. And that helps explain why the Rohloff is not your favorite.

Tourist in MSN

Thanks.

sloar 

I like using the old Suntour Barcons with friction only. I’ve never had any issues with them, basically maintenance free.

mstateglfr 

3x9. Simple, reliable, and easily fixed if anything breaks since you could just grab a 7 or 8 or 9sp RD or FD and make it work. Microshift or Shimano bar end shifters since the front will be friction so really and correctly shaped FD would work and the back could be indexed or friction if there is some issue on the ride with indexing.
48/38/26 up front. 11-34 9sp cassette in back. 9sp cassette gives tight enough jumps for me in the first 7 cogs to not really feel like I need to shift the front too frequently.


Best of luck on doing the ride. When are you heading out?

LeeG

Myopinion is that 11 tooth cogs are dumb. My 26” wheel LHT has 24/36/46 crank and 12-28 or 12-32 9 spd.

Yan 

11 speed cogs let you use a smaller chainring. By doing this you get a better low end which is desirable for touring, and you can still keep a decent top speed. When you change from 11 to 12 teeth on the small cog, you're losing a whopping 9% off your top speed. Now you are forced to use a large chainring which guts your climbing gears.

This doesn't make much difference in triples but with doubles it is a big deal. On a 22-36 crankset, the 36 chainring is low enough that you can use it 95% of the time. It is extremely convenient because you never have to touch the front shifting unless the road becomes very steep. If you got rid of the 11t cog, now you have to change that 36t large ring to a 40t. With a 40t chainring, you're now having to touch the front shifting more often, which makes the bike more annoying to operate.

robow

Different strokes for different folks but no way would a 36 by 11 be a high enough top end for me. I might get by with a 42 by 11 without too much remorse but definitely no lower, YMMV