MTB front and rear shimano derailleur: which shifters for drop bars? I would like to convert flat bars of my MTB (old one: ATX 770 Giant, 7 speeds cassette with Deore DX derailleur and 3 chainrings crankset with probably DX as well) to drop bars, for touring purposes (I do not want STI shifters, and even less rapidfire system).

I am running into the following problem:
- Are Dura Ace downtube shifters compatible with the MTB derailleurs? If yes, how can I possibly set them up on the bike?
- OR would you think Deore XT thumb shifters somehow mounted on the drop bars are best (I guess it could be a bit tricky on a 40cm wide drop bar, with the necessary front light mount and handlebar bag mount)?
- OR do you think this is all silly and I should get a proper touring bike?
I think it's silly and you should get a touring bike. However, if you run Dura Ace with those derailleurs, the front derailleur will work like normal. For the rear derailleur, you'll have to give a little slack and instead of pulling it straight out to pinch, you have to bend the line to a 90 degree angle and then pinch. If you have more questions, check out Sheldon Brown's website. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/