Re: Bars & Stems

Pete Biggs

igp wrote:
> Hi All,
> I'm in the process of changing my flat bar road bike into a drop bar
> bike and need a little advice. I've recently bought a used set of
> shimano sora combined shifters for the job and would like to change
> them over myself. A few questions that I need answered before I buy
> anything else are
>
> 1. Existing bars are 25.4mm must the new drops be exaxtly 25.4mm.

I think it's wise to use 25.4 bars with a 25.4 stem but some say a bit of
difference is ok, especially with front-opening stems. But you might want
to change the stem anyway; most decent modern non-oversized bars are 25.8
or 26.0.

> 2. Existing stem is 90mm from centre of riser to centre of bars is
> this an appropriate length for drop bars.

Can be, it's within the normal range, but it depends on your top tube and
you. It's well worth experimenting with two or three stems to find what
feels right.

A "quill converter" can be used if you want to fit a modern ahead stem to
traditional forks & headset. These work well and will increase your
options a lot.

> 3. Bar width Is there an easy way to determine correct width.

Not easy because it's partly personal preference as well as shoulder
width. The most popular widths (for adult men) are now: 44 and 46 cm
(outside to outside). I'm somewhere between average and broad-shouldered
and use both sizes. 46 is good on my racer (good steering, stable when
standing up) but 44 seems more relaxed on the tourer.

~PB