What do you do with the left integrated shifter/brake lever – just disconnect the cable and leave it as is? Also, do you fit a longer length MTB rear mech to cope with a wider cassette block, or do you not bother with a wider cassette? Would like a single ring setup for road and off-road general use.

You’ll be unlikely to need a longer mech, as you don’t have to account for the different size rings at the front.

As for the lever, you could also just put on a standard non-STI lever, but that would look weird.

My road bike is single front ring at the minute, I’ve just taken the gear cables off and using the same lever. Works fine.

If like me you like things to look right you could keep the left shifter and use a short length of brake cable trapped between the body and the clamp to keep the lever. still and tight. Other wise pic the ring that has the best chain line and use that position with the ring size of your choice.
You can fuss about all sorts of other bits but if things are set up properly they are not needed.

I’m running a 40t single ring with an 11-28 cassette – left the 105 short cage rear mech on and it’s been fine. Wondering whether it will cope with my planned fitting of a 32t cassette (due to my weak legs).

I was running an ultegra mech with a short cage and an 11-32 – the amount of chain tension was no issue, but the issue was the clearance of the jockey wheel to the biggest ring – now I’m running a 9 speed XT shadow mech – works a treat as lower profile, tougher and work great with 9/10 speed road kit!

If you are running SRAM they do make brake levers that exactly match without the shifting guts in them.

I’m now running a SRAM brake lever on the left, and Shimano 105 on the right. Originaly had a SRAM Rival STI shifter but ditched that after it broke.

The alloy SRAM brake levers are good if you need a new brake lever anyway – light and simple. Don’t bother with the carbon as the weight saving is very minimal. But yes, to save cash you could just use the original LH lever (gut it if you want).

If you want a wider cassette (I run 11-32 normally) you can get a 105 mech with a slightly larger range to cope with that. 5701-A I think.

Personally I would avoid MTB mechs as you would need an in line cable adjuster to adjust for cable slack (whereas road mechs have those built in obviously).

Anyone have any issues with dropped chains? (Wondering if its worth putting a chain guide on)

I’m using a superstar chain guide just to be sure but as I only use it on the road it’s not really a problem. Just one of the seat tube mounted ones.

Thanks Tom, think I’ll do the same

I’ve got a lightweight bash ring and an n-gear jump stop with no issues here. Can’t recall ever dropping a chain in a race. Worth getting some sort of retention protection for when you are chucking the bike down over hurdles. Raced like this for a couple of years.

If I was starting from scratch now I might look at thick/thin chainrings.

Absolute Black make a thick thin chainring for road pattern spiders.

http://absoluteblack.cc/cx-rings.html