Shimano compatability?

[Lancsman]

I currently use my old saracen steel mountain bike for my daily commute and love the way it rides, and seeing as winter is just around the corner my thoughts are drfifting to winter training. I don't want to use my road bike in winter so i was contemplating putting drop bars on the saracen. I have put some drop bars on to try fitting and the position doesn't feel to bad, so my questions are... Will Tiagra or similar levers work ok with Deore 9 speed rear mech? and will the levers pull sufficient cable to give a good feel to the v brakes? I am not a Shimano person so please excuse my ignorance with this question.

 

[fossala]

You will need to change the front mech, the pull is too much on MTB mechs for drop STI's to deal with. You won't have enough pull with vbrakes from STI's.

IMO you best bet would be vbrake levers from crane-creek or diacomp. Then just use some bar end shifters.

 

[Lancsman]

Thanks for that info, think i might use the rapidfire shifters on the tops of the bars and look for some some suitable brake levrers, off to ebay i go.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Thanks for that info, think i might use the rapidfire shifters on the tops of the bars and look for some some suitable brake levrers, off to ebay i go.

It will be very unlikely that they would fit. Flat bar grip diameter is smaller (than drop bar). This is why you practically never see such an arrangement.

 

[Tim Hall]

You will need to change the front mech, the pull is too much on MTB mechs for drop STI's to deal with. You won't have enough pull with vbrakes from STI's.

IMO you best bet would be vbrake levers from crane-creek or diacomp. Then just use some bar end shifters.

Can you still get those widgets, umm, sort of pully that you thread the brake cable through? Changes the amount of pull from an STI lever so that it will work with a V brake.
<googles> Ah, Travel-Agents. Available on ebay at least.

 

[HLaB]

Can you still get those widgets, umm, sort of pully that you thread the brake cable through? Changes the amount of pull from an STI lever so that it will work with a V brake.
<googles> Ah, Travel-Agents. Available on ebay at least.

You can (Problem Solver Travel Agents) but they are still not as good a v levers and v brakes IME.

 

[mcshroom]

To be honest (having tried the conversion route with a singlespeed) you'd probably be better just getting bar ends or bull-horn bars on the Saracen and leaving it as is. Flat bar bikes are built to a different geometry (longer head tube) so are a fuddle to get drops to work with, v-brakes don't work with STis so it's either bar ends and V-brake levers or STis and travel agents, and the front mech will have the wrong cable pull.

 

[Lancsman]

Thanks for all the advice, i think I will leave the Saracen as is, in near original condition as it has a lot of sentimental value (having owned it from new for the last twenty years) and search ebay etc for a steel road frame and build another ebay special but not spend as much as I did on the good bike.