ljsense

I'm thinking of trying an XTR double front derailleur with a crank with smaller chainrings and road handlebars.

The FD-M985 says it accepts cable from the top or bottom, and most front derailleurs are pretty agnostic about what levers are pulling and releasing cable tension, but wondering if anyone has paired one up with Shimano or SRAM 10-speed road levers and can report results.

Or, does anyone know how much cable pull this front derailleur expects? I have been searching for this number, much respect to anyone who might have it.

Thanks

mpetry912 

to help you answer the question with precision, it would be helpful to know if you meant shift "levers" or ahem "brifters".

I'm of the opinion that either combo can be made to work well. Pay attention to your cable tension and derailleur alignment.

The best way to answer your question is ... try it and see !

/markp

Jeff Wills

As mpetry912 says, try it and find out.

However: “MTB” front derailleurs tend to use a longer cable pull than “road” front derailleurs. If you are using brifters, there might not be enough travel to make the shift happen. There are front derailleurs that will work “properly” with road brifters and small chainrings (‘90’s era RSX, IRD Alpina, Microshift) but you have to find them and try them.
Caveat: my knowledge is 10 to 25 years old. What’s available now and what works now is up to you to find out.

ljsense

I wish SRAM made some 10-speed downtube levers, or the ones Shimano made for the 7800 and 7900 groups could be found for less than an arm and a leg. I know the left lever of an SL-7900 shifter set will pull whatever you need -- it's non-indexed, very versatile.

But I'm asking about indexed shift/brake levers for any of the 10-speed SRAM/Shimano groups. There have been lots of posts about the cable pull for the right lever, but not for the lower-stakes left.

This is a build that exists so far in my mind, so I'd have to buy the parts before taking the "try it and see" approach.

oldbobcat

I don't remember the pull rates, but it's been tried and found wanting.

70sSanO

Well, there is a good chance it will work with Tiagra 4700 levers.

Salsa sold a Fargo model with a Deore FD and Tiagra 4700 shifters.

Older road shifter won’t work because the cable pull is not compatible with MTB FD. But Shimano changed the FD “double” cable pull of the R2000, R3000, and R4700. Most likely to accommodate lower end gravel setups.

But Tiagra 4700 is not compatible with older 10 speed RD’s.

This does make using your XTR FD a little more involved.

John

Crankycrank

Here's a chart that gives some shifter cable pull amounts. Bicycle Cassettes & Drivetrains - Google Sheets

ljsense

Dang, thank you -- this is awesome.

Crankycrank

Also if you didn't notice, there are some other comparison categories at the bottom of the chart to click on such as RD List, BB's, etc., that give specs on various components. I have only found 1 or 2 mistakes in that mountain of info. so best to double check to be absolutely certain.