gears

velodrone

Hi there

I am currently building up a new tourer, a Planet X Kaffenback. I am looking to get a Deore LX
chainset and front and rear mechs. I am unsure as to what cassette I will need for this, and weather this option is a good one ?

I am also fitting bar end shifters and i am a little cofused as to how they are fitted !

I hope i put this in the right place.

ride_whenever

What range do you want?

Traditionally you'll use a touring tripple (bit stiffer than a mtb one, lighter than a road one) with a mtb cassette.

So if going 9 speed, you'll need a long cage rear mech, 9 speed bar end shifters, and either an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette.

Ten speed is much more complex due to the incompatibility of 10 speed road and mtb mechs, although not an issue with non-index bar ends.

For fitting there is an expanding plug for the shifter and either run the cable loose from the shifter or under the tape.

velodrone

Thanks for the advice.

So would this rear mech be suitable?:

http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/shima ... _mech.html

if I was to go 9 speed with the LX triple chainset ?

http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/shima ... inset.html

then I guess this cassette:

http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/copy_ ... _1134.html

velodrone

or this cassette ? :

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... odelID=443

mz__jo

With the bar-ends pay attention when fitting. My non-indexed Shimano ones require that you take the lever out of the fitting to get access to the expander pinch bolt which is done up with the long end of an allen key.

andymiller

I love my Kaffenback too.

Planet-X were doing SRAM 970s 11-34s at £19.99 last week - so they ay still have stock. I'd go for the greater range if an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette unless you are convinced you'll prefer closer ratios.

As for the rear mech: I've been impressed with the quality and reliability of my shimano SLX shadow mech. At the same time I splashed out on an XTR front mech because it seemed stiffer and better constructed. Shimano have a tendency to trickle down the design features of the top-end models down the range so the same features may be available in XT and LX.

Fitting the bar end shifters is straightforward: they either go in the end if the bars or you can use converters to turn them into 'thumbies' that sit on top of the bars: have a look at the SJS website.

By the way I'd recommend using the shifters in non-indexed mode - reduce your on-tour maintenance at a stroke.