Roadbike with MTB components ?

widowmaker

Gold Trader
Roberts Fan
Feedback
View
I have an 80's steel frame that I'm going to build up into a touring rig. I have a 7 speed rear wheel so far, but I'm trying to build the rest with bits I have already so here's my silly question of the day.

I'm going to use either thumbshifters or bar ends friction/sis, but can I use a square taper bottom/bracket and LX crankset from one of my old MTB builds, along with LX/XT front and rear mechs 🥴🤔

Did a quick search but if I've missed it, point me in the direction.
 
I don't see why not, but it will depend on the length of the bottom bracket spindle as to whether the crankset will fit without the granny ring fouling the frame - and that's hard to know without trying it out, really, seeing as there can be a fair bit of variation between frames (I'm presuming it's a triple chainset). I suspect it would be fine, but if not you could get a longer spindle BB and keep the same crankset.

Also with the front mech it will need to be a bottom-pull one, in terms of cable-routing, but everything else should work in terms of shifting okay.
 
I did that but the frame was 1980s touring bike that originally had triple chainrings. I laced up some 29er multi wall mountain bike hoops and used 39 mm tyres. The frame was dimpled to clear theses wide tires. I have had to change spindles in the past to accommodate triples. I would pretty much count on having to change your spindle. I used a mega range 7 speed cassette. Here is my drive train. It works like a charm. That big drop down is annoying but you’re glad you have it with a loaded 35 kilogram bike and you’re near an 160 kilometers and you’re faced with a long cheeky climb. IMG_0049.jpeg
I didn’t use bar end shifters, I don’t like them. I used brake lever shifters, which work great. I had to search the net to find ones for a 7 speed. I also connected cyclocross bar top brake levers which I use quite a bit. It’s easier to use the bar top brakes with a load on, no movement to the drop brakes and it’s faster braking when your hands are on top. Lots of bar padding. I like drop bars raised up by an old mountain bike stem to keep me more upright for rough wash out gravel. Drop bars have more hand positions and you need them for long rough rides. IMG_0038.jpeg
I’m loading up here for adventure gravel and road riding. I put spare tyres on top of the handle bar bags. You can see them if you enlarge the picture. I sleep out alone, not at campgrounds, but where I get tired or when it gets dark. I sleep in the woods in bear, wolf and mountain lion country so the black and pink frame bag above the frame bottles contains a pistol that I sleep with. It won’t really be an effective big critter killer but the noise will most likely scare them away before I resort to bear spray. Bear spray also effects you as it hangs in the air or can blow back in the wind. The good effective bear spray is real nasty and will choke you up and temporarily blind you. There is no cell service where I ride and there are places where my GPS just shows a yellow background, with no detail showing. No roads, no lakes or streams, just me, the dot, moving through yellow. It feels great when you get back on the map and can figure out where you are. For this heavy rough use I like old touring bicycle frames and forks with straight gauge chrome moly tubing. No problems so far and in heavy traffic, where the shoulder is gravel, I can ride the white line fully loaded. IMG_0017.jpeg

Typical camp site and destinations. IMG_0926.jpeg IMG_0010.jpeg IMG_0011.jpeg IMG_0014.jpeg
An abandoned lumber town. Nahma, Michigan. People have bought up the homes and restored them. It’s a nice quiet low traffic place that I usually ride through on my adventures. IMG_0015.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Just because a component is marketed for a specific discipline, it doesn't mean that it HAS to be used that way. If parts are compatible with each other (so no trying to fit square-taper cranks to an Octalink axle etc) then they can be used.
 
my winter tourer has an XT rear mech, sora brifters, LX front mech, zoom cable over hydraulic disk brakes and some random no name MTB sealed bearing hubs.

if it works, it works.
 
Thanks people 🙂

I did try but a few years back but had problems with chain line so didn't persist.

I'll give it a go 👍
 
If using a triple MTB chainset you may find that you have some chain alignment issues resulting in not being able to select the "extreme" gears.
I think it will depend a lot on the rear drop out geometry of your road frame.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top