Deore + cantilevers + brifters = possible?

So I'm keen to build up a GT frameset I've picked up into some kind of gravel build. Think knobbly tires and tan walls and all that retro goodness, but with drop bars and brifter shifters.

Say I want a Deore groupset for the big range up back, but would I be able to pair this with any Shimano brifters? Could I pair some older 105 brifters with Deore derailleurs and then cantilever brakes?

Anyone with any valuable input?

9-speed Shimano is interchangeable between road and MTB.

Cantis work with STIs out of the box.

Are you planning to go 1x, 2x, or 3x?

If 1x, and it can cost a bit more, you can use any 11-speed STI paired with a 1x GRX derailleur and an 11-42 cassette.

2x GRX with an 11-40 cassette and whatever double up front is also supposed to work.

Thanks mate. 1x would be preferred, but trying to do this on a budget. So all I need to do is find 9 speed brifters, and a 9 speed Deore derailleur? Are there 2x Deore front derailleurs, or would I need to use a road derailleur up front?

You can use a 2x 10sp front mtb derailleur, or a triple 9sp mtb der and it will be fine. Mixing and matching won’t always work perfectly, but often well enough when you stick with 10sp and less.

9sp deore der will mate perfectly well with 9sp road shifters though and give you up to 36t big sprocket no problem. I’ve even made a 9sp XT der shift to 38t, but not super well.

My allrounder right now employs a 2x10 XT front der for a 46/32 double with 5700 shifters. I opted for 10sp so I could swap in a 9sp mtb rear der and 11/36 10sp cassette if I wanted extra gear range. This is less easy, but still doable, with 11sp+.

I had this for years on my budget cx bike but just done shimergo for its replacement. Nicer shifters, from an aesthetic point of view, more serviceable and robust, lighter and potentially cheaper. I went with XTR 9spd rear mech pair with 10spd campag ergopower shifters, a wide range chinese 9spd cassette off ebay and a 10spd tiagra waxed chain. Very happy with this. I

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Have you altered the cable routing for the 10sp to 9sp combo? I use “Shimergo” on my travel folder, but with 10sp ergo to 8sp shimano. It’s a perfect match that way.

yes, i clamped the cable down having run it around/over the little tab rather than under

Got it. Thanks

I believe you can also use 10spd road shifters with 9spd MTB derailleurs as the pull ratio is close enough that you can index them well.

105 5700 10spd brifters, 9spd XT derailleur, goatlink or similar and a sunrace wide range cassette is a pretty budget way to a decent wide range 10spd 1x set up.

what @oheyitsd says.
9 sp mtb and 10sp road have identical pull ratio.

theres a handy chart at jtek: http://www.jtekengineering.com/shiftmate/shiftmate-compatibility-charts-choices/
scroll all the wax down to the jtek Y table.

“ 105 5700 10spd brifters, 9spd XT derailleur.”

Exactly my setup when I switch from road mode to cool-guy gravel mode

notice the extra long b-screw though. i only got xtr because it was bargainous, golf club