Drops on a MTB.....Shifting options???

[Dr S]

I've gone all Tomac and slapped some drops on one of my bikes. Brakes are on but I would like to know what my shifting options are. I don't know if I'm going to like it so don't want to spend heaps of money at first.
It had XT thumbies on with an 8 speed rear cassette. The frame has the cables running along the top tube so shifters on the down tube are out.

Whadda I do??????????????

Any help mucho appreciated

S

 

[kaiser]

Bar end shifters? Or mount them using Pauls barcons if you want them on the tops?

 

[jonnyboy666]

bar end levers or road sti units, cyclocross style!

 

[kaiser]

Or a cheap set of STI's with a triple?

 

[JustKev]

Nice one S! What bike?

Options are bar end shifters or STi levers or a combination like Tomac

I've just taken my STi off the Yeti and gone double bar end shifter - much lighter and also friction mode

 

[dbmtb]

If you can find'em

8spd Ultegra 600/105/RX100/Tiagra STI right shifter
Barcon left shifter and SLR road brake lever.

Nothing else will work properly on MTB mechs.

 

[Dr S]

Cheers guys for that.

Couple of pairs of Barcons on eBay at moment but fancy the bar end shifters I think.

MC Kev- They are on the Concorde which hasn't had much use since I got the FAT finished. So its now on drops, big rings and slicks. Going to get out down the lanes with it and try and get the beer gut down If I like it I'll put the knobblys back on and head down the woods!

I can change it back in 20 minutes so its just a bit of fun for now but it looks kinda cool.

S

 

[Carsten]

the true oldschool solution would be DKG mounts and XT thumbshifters. not easy to find and certainly not cheap though but ergonomically the perfect solution. i am sure someone with the right tools could make similar mounts.

DKG also made mounts that allow (with small modifications) to put XT or XTR STI shifter pods in a similar position like the thumbies on the above pics. that's what i am currently working on.

another option that i always forget are the Kelly mounts for road bike shifters

http://kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html

the cheapest option however would indeed be a cheap Shimano STI for the rear and a barend lever for the front.

Carsten

 

[legrandefromage]

Grip shift on the ends of the bars - try it! Go on, dare you.

 

[cchris2lou]

I am using ergopowers on the colnago .