Drop bar shifter on MTB to gravel conversion

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iridium_red

New Member
Hi all,

I have an old 2004 Trek 4300 MTB (specs: https://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/2004/trek/4300#/us/en/2004/trek/4300/details). It has Shimano drive train. I also have a Trek 2.1 road bike that I hardly use (I have a newer cannondale carbon road bike that I use, so the trek is just sleeping). So I thought of putting my drop bars from the trek road bike on the 4300. The stem and top tube are the same size, and I swapped them out. I am looking for a mtb compatible drop handlebar shifters. I came across the microshift R8 that seems to be compatible with the 3x8 on the 4300 (https://www.microshift.com/en/product/sb-r483/ ).

Wanted your thoughts on if this is a good choice, or if you suggest anything else? Anything I should watch out for?

I did a search and couldn't find any relevant information. Sorry for any re-posts.

Thanks in advance for your inputs.
 
pygmypony

pygmypony

Well-Known Member
not sure if anything in here is helpful...but this article has some helpful tips for going from MTB drivetrain to drop bar shifters

bikepacking.com

Road Shifters + MTB Derailleurs/Cassettes (Mullet Drivetrains) - BIKEPACKING.com

Let’s be honest, road 1x drivetrains just don’t cut it. The ideal 1x for gravel bikes and drop-bar bikepacking rigs comes in the form of a road shift lever paired with a mountain bike rear derailleur and/or cassette. For the past year and a half, we’ve been experimenting with various hacks and...
bikepacking.com bikepacking.com
 
teabagger11

teabagger11

Well-Known Member
I had a 2x9 set up on one of my bikes for drops brake shift combo my shoulders weren't a fan of the drop bars if you can go to 2x9 set up ill let em go cheap
20210316_060004.jpg
 
I

iridium_red

New Member
pygmypony said:
not sure if anything in here is helpful...but this article has some helpful tips for going from MTB drivetrain to drop bar shifters

bikepacking.com

Road Shifters + MTB Derailleurs/Cassettes (Mullet Drivetrains) - BIKEPACKING.com

Let’s be honest, road 1x drivetrains just don’t cut it. The ideal 1x for gravel bikes and drop-bar bikepacking rigs comes in the form of a road shift lever paired with a mountain bike rear derailleur and/or cassette. For the past year and a half, we’ve been experimenting with various hacks and...
bikepacking.com bikepacking.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link. Am going to read up on what I options I have.
 
Paul H

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
iridium_red said:
Man... didn't even think about this. I'm going to give this a try. Thanks for the pointer!
Click to expand...
Only thing I can think of is if you want to use the big range mtb cassette, it may not work on the roadie RD. But if you keep the roadie cassette... should be fine.
 
teabagger11

teabagger11

Well-Known Member
iridium_red said:
Hi, thanks for the offer. I don't have a 2x setup, though I am trying to see different options.

Are those Microshift shifters?
Click to expand...
Don't know if they're micro shifters but the worked fine with my mtb gearing
I just did a search for 2x drop shifters/ brake combo these came up price was right and worked great
 
I

iridium_red

New Member
Paul H said:
Only thing I can think of is if you want to use the big range mtb cassette, it may not work on the roadie RD. But if you keep the roadie cassette... should be fine.
Click to expand...
I mostly do gravel on the 6 mile run (the tow path). I have a MTB for the trails. I am going to try your suggestion. Seems like an interesting swap. will let you know how it goes. Thanks again.
 
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