Touring Groupset

Red Rider

What's the best groupset for light 4-8 day tours in Europe?

I'm fairly fit and will probably fit a compact double (if this changes your suggestions).

For decent quality, at not bad price, I was thinking Tiagra. LBS Man tells me that 9sp wears a lot better than 10sp and also replacement parts are cheaper. A few extra grams in the drive train, and imperceptibly better shifting aren't really going to matter on a loaded tour. But are there other things I should be thinking of?

Thanks for your thoughts,
Dave




****This is pretty much a hypothetical question: I was speccing up a new touring frame at Mercian, with thousands of pounds I just don't have, and was wondering how I would finish it off.*****

MichaelW

Tiagra is more than good enough for your needs.

andymiller

Deore chainset, SLX rear mech, XTR front mech.

MichaelW

Shimano road STI levers wil not operate MTB front mechs.
The Tiagra triple front mech can work with MTB chainsets (just).
Road and MTB rear mechs are the same and Tiagra STI levers will operate both.

I use Tiagra STI, Tiagra front mech, Deore rear mech and LX chainset.

dilemna

MichaelW wrote:

Shimano road STI levers wil not operate MTB front mechs.
The Tiagra triple front mech can work with MTB chainsets (just).
Road and MTB rear mechs are the same and Tiagra STI levers will operate both.

I use Tiagra STI, Tiagra front mech, Deore rear mech and LX chainset.

Which - 105, Ultegra and Dura-Ace?

Why?

So if Shimano road and MTB rear mechs are the same then all Shimano STI units from Tiagra up to Dura-Ace will operate them? I have a Trek 7500 with Deore LX long cage rear mech with Ultegra 9 spd 12-25 cassette, Deore triple front mech and Campag Record triple chainset 30-42-53 and all works fine. I still have rapid fire flat bars shifters though and would like ultimately to try drop bar with Ultegra STI 9 spd units from my road bike which is going to 10spd at some point. So you are saying that Ultegra STI units would not work with my bike's Deore front and rear mechs?

MichaelW

Shimano rear mechs all have the same actuation ratio (cable pull-> horizontal movement). The clicks are in the STI so any combination will work.
Road rear mechs relax into high gear (Hi Normal).
MTB mechs can be had in Low Normal. This reverses any gear indicator but will work.

Shimano front mechs have a different actuation ratio for road and MTB.
You (obviously) need a triple-compatible STI lever to operate a triple front mech.

There is some mismatch between 9 and 10 speed systems at the front. Some combinations work and others dont. Probably best to stick to the same speed if possible.

pneumatic

I have a Deore XT touring triple (48 - 36 - 22 x 11/34) and I cannot fault it. Great transmission for getting me and my camping stuff over anything from the endless climbs of the Massif Central to the Pyrenees and the sunbaked plains of Spain.

Dyson48

Without wishing to highjack Red Rider's thread, with the LX crankset now discontinued, would you plump for the regular Deore or SLX? Is the price differential simply a case of the SLX being a lighter crankset or is it also more durable? I'm hoping to do a couple of years touring, largely on-road, and naturally weight (a few hundred grammes) is far less an issue than longevity of components.

Thanks for the advice.

Garz

SRAM Apex would be an alternative.

satanas

First, you don't need to buy a groupset. The best solution is to pick each component to suit its task - and your preferences.

Second, Shimano rear derailleurs are becoming less compatible. We now have 4 actuation ratios: old Dura-Ace 74xx (you won't have to worry about this), current Dura-Ace 7900 (or this!), plus DynaSys (MTB 10 speed), with every other indexed rear derailleur Shimano make being the same. There's a certain amount of not-so-compatible cable travel at the front but this is only an issue if you will be using STI, If you are, you should pair road shifters with road mechs and vice versa. However, if you plan on using a compact crankset and thus a road mech then this isn't an issue.

dilemna

Campag?

alan_sherman

7900 (Dura Ace) rear deraileur pull ratio is the same as the standard shimano pull ratio.

My shimano choice below:
I'd use a road triple front setup with a long cage road rear setup. Flat bar shifters are available.

If you really need lower gears then you could either go for an mtb chainset (which may not be brilliant with road derailleur)
or
use an mtb rear dearailleur and cassette because mtb derailleurs allow greater than 28 teeth sprockets.

unixnerd

Get a triple. You won't use the inner ring much but when you want it you'll thank yourself for getting one. Have a high top gear for coasting down hills at a decent speed, I use 52x11. For your rear end might as well go something like 11-28 to give yourself a low granny gear. Don't forget you'll need a long cage rear mech.

I'd go ten speed. You have a better choice of cassettes with shorter jumps between ratios. 10 speed is the way forward. My tourer and mtb are 8 speed and some things are harder to get now. You're not doing 12000 miles a year so wear isn't a massive issue. No sense going with old technology on a new bike.

I'd stick with a road groupset for most things. Only thing might be a mtb rear mech, my own tourer has Acera and it's done silly miles with no complaints.

Don't use a Shimano chain, get a KMC which you can use a normal chain tool on. If it snaps you can shorten it a few links and be on your way quickly.