Thinking about another tour but need a new groupset

[Jambi]

Anyone got preference to groupsets for touring? I ride a steel frame diamond back on 26" rims. I've done a couple of big tours on it and I'm going to have to upgrade. I have fairly new shimano lx hubs which won't need changing and I'm thinking of going shimano slx for everything else. I think mountain bike groupsets will probably be a bit more durable than Tiagra or 105 etc. what type of gears do others use? Would it be worth switching to a frame that can 700c?

Jake

[DaveB]

Does your bike have drop bars or flat bars?  If it has flat bars, you can pick nearly any MTB group.  If it has drop bars all MTB front derailleurs and newer 10-speed MTB rear derailleurs won't work with road indexed shifters/brifters.  Let me know what you now have and perhaps a better recommendation can be made. 

[John Nelson]

It doesn't really matter what kind of bars you have, only what kind of shifters you have (or are willing to buy). Most touring bikes have MTB or friction shifters so that they can use MTB derailleurs.

[DaveB]

Most touring bikes have MTB or friction shifters so that they can use MTB derailleurs.

I don't think this is correct any longer as most of the touring bikes I see advertised have brifters.  They can use MTB 9-speed rear derailleurs with 9 or 10-speed cassettes and brifters and have to use a road front derailleur.  The touring bikes with barend shifters have a more latitude with their front derailleur choice but the same rear derailleur limitation.

[Jambi]

I've just got some butterfly bars so I don't think bar ends will be much use. I quite like the triggers as well so I can keep my hands still. I use an 8 speed cassette with a spacer at the moment so only 7 gears to use. Is this a bit obsolete now? I mainly see 9/ 10 speed cassettes these days.

[canalligators]

Why do you wish to upgrade?  If the parts are worn out, you need to replace but may choose to upgrade.  If the parts' performance is unacceptable, you may want to upgrade to improve that.  If you just want "better" stuff, I guess there's no arguing with that.

If we understood better what your situation is, we could probably offer better advice.  What problem are you trying to solve?