Touring Bike conundrum

[DeniseGoldberg]

I wasn't suggesting mixing Campy & Shimano - but assuming that Campy has mountain bike components that could be mixed with their road components...

[SadieKate]

That would be wonderful! Campy made mtbike components years ago but no longer. There have been rumours. We have a Campy mtb crank from eons ago and true to Campy design, it is waaaaay over-engineered and rivals the downhill cranks of today. It would make a really pretty boat anchor.

[Pedal Wench]

SK - my cassette is a 10 speed (Campy Record )

Couple of querstions:

Pedal_Wench: is that 13-29 Cassette an 8 or 9 speed or is it a 10 spd? Car's bike is old enough her levers are 8 or 9.

Emily - your crankset and levers are Campy, right? What rear deraillleur are you using with the Shimano XT cassette? This could be a good solution though Car's hubs are probably Campy-compatible. I think you can get a Shimano to Campy adaptor for cassettes but not vice versa. Hmm, I'm curious about the details of your drivetrain and wheels.

[newfsmith]

Here is another variation that you may be able to use with your Campy componentsSchlumpf innovation . I've never seen one set up in the flesh, but it might let you get your lower gearing.

[roughingit]

If you really, really didn't want to go with smaller wheels (or pay for a custom bike), when I bought my Fuji Trouring they had at least two smaller frame sizes at the shop I bought it from, so Fuji *might* have something that fits you. (I'm 5'5")

[eofelis]

If you end up thinking new bike, Surly makes a touring bike frame that takes 26" wheels in the smallest sizes, down to 42cm frame size. It can be built up with a mtn bike drive train for super low gears (down to 22-34, I think)