Mark's suggestion: If your friend is set on STI, then he should go with a complete Shimano > drivetrain. My experience with Shimano STI and the Sugino crank left much > to be desired. It just didn't shift as sure and smooth as a full Shimano > package. All other parts will work fine. You'll need STI levers, front > derailleur, rear derailleur, crankset and BB. Current 9spd cassette should > work. Note that I think the only current Shimano group with 9spd is Sora > and they might offer a version that works with older road and mtn > derailleurs. The latest version uses a different pull ratio and that won't > work with your friends derailleurs.
*As always, Rivendell staff are super helpful and well informed. * *My take home from all this: it is possible to have a functional but not great brifter setup with Sugino XD2 / XD600, but it's better to have all Shimano road components to have smooth shifting. * I've convinced my friend to adjust the handlebars (longer stem plus tild bars up and away from his knees a bit). If 1,000 miles doesn't convince him and his budget allows he can try swapping to brifters then. *Thanks a million for all the helpful and detailed replies. * -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
