JTek Shiftmate: Mix MTB Cassettes with STI Road Shifters to Lower Your Gearing

Low Gear Range: Road Shifters & Gears For Easier Hill Climbing

Very useful stuff James, thanks.

I’m happy with the flexibility of bar end shifters.
They’ll be transferred to the skinny road bike if I ever upgrade the new tourer.

The roadie has 8 speed STI’s at the mo.
They’re fine. A bit worn now, often takes a couple of goes to shift, but I quite like them.
But I’m comfortable using bar end shifters too and prefer having separate mechanisms for gears and brakes.

For 10 speed, price is about the same for either system, but I think flexibility wins for me in this case.

Thanks everyone.

I thought so, a good summary all on a site Malvernrider linked to on another thread.

Ed, good idea re the MTB shifters, but the bar bag would get in the way, unless I use a stand-off.

PP, sounds like a quality spec.
I do like those DT Swiss 540 rims, strong but not too heavy.

Stick us some pictures up when it arrives.

I know you said rohloff is too expensive but you save a lot in maintenance over the years. Plus the reliability factor when you’re on tour.

It’s a present from my wife, so I’m trying to keep things half way sensible.
It WAS her idea, but still.
🙂

I’d love to try hub gears – you never know, Shimano might make a reliable 11+ speed hub one of these days.

And in all honesty, I’m not sure I could ever cope with spending £2000 (mostly of someone elses cash, in this case) on a bike.
😀

thanks to jameso for the useful links with good summaries there of what works with what
despite my warning a friend has just gone with a compact and 30 rear and will either have to mtfu or I’ll be swopping rear mech and cassette I suspect

Very useful stuff James, thanks

Thanks, that prompted me to read them!

So thinking aloud. If I went and bought an Arkose and wanted lower gear I could

Buy last years Arkose 2 and fit an MTB double up front and add an MTB front mech and a bar end shifter on the left

Or if I bought this years Arkose 2 then I could put a road triple on the front. But change the inner for a 26 or 28 and and remove the outer. That way I could keep the left hand shifter and front mech? Would the spacing on the bottom bracket need changing? Can you buy 5 bolt inner chain ring in that size?