Conversion of drop bars to flats

[grlewry]

Hi all need some help. I have been using drop bars on my 2015 GT bike for a while and really cant get on with them, even using the hoods is uncomfortable and wanted to change to flat bar.

The flat bar isnt an issue, I am however having a problem finding 2 x 7 trigger shifters. All the ones ive found come insets and are 3x7 or 2 x 10 which is no good. any ideas where i can get 2x7 trigger shifters, will i have to buy 1 of one type and another for the other.

Also would it be best to get brake& shifter all in one?

thanks

 

[maydog]

The horror...

A 3x front shifter should work with a 2x crankset. Use the top two index settings (middle ring and large ring) and set the derailleur low limit so that the small ring setting is slack.

This is how my primary road bike is set up. I have 3x10 shifters but only a double crankset.

 

[dabac]

What kind of bike is it if it's a 2015 drop bar bike with a 7-speed rear?
Sounds like it might be a freewheel rear hub, in which case you need to real careful not to spend a disproportionally large amount on the purchase price on the bike on the modification.

Anyhow, if it started life as a drop bar bike, then it probably has caliper brakes.
And a set of 3x7 flat bar shifters are probably from the MTB family. So if you get integrated brakes/shifters, you probably get brake levers meant for v-brakes. Those pull more cable than caliper brake levers. Meaning you might find your brakes feeling stiff and weak.
Then there is the question of the front derailer. Shimano front derailers pull different amounts of cables depending on if they are MTB or road kit. Luck or doing your homework is needed to get your front shifter to play well with your front derailer.

 

[oldbobcat]

3x7 flat bar shifters are generally only for mountain bike drivetrains. While the 7 speed rear shifter will work with Shimano 7, 8, 9, and road 10-speed derailleurs, the front shifter pulls too much cable between the clicks for the road front derailleur. I'm assuming this GT has Shimano derailleurs.

Shimano does make flat bar shifters for 3x9, 3x10, and (I think) 2x11 road derailleurs. You might save a lot of bother and a little money just selling the GT to someone who wants an inexpensive road bike and getting yourself a flat-bar road bike that most brands call a "fitness" bike.

 

[divinemaredi]

What kind of bike is it if it's a 2015 drop bar bike with a 7-speed rear?
Sounds like it might be a freewheel rear hub, in which case you need to real careful not to spend a disproportionally large amount on the purchase price on the bike on the modification.

What kind of bike is it if it's a 2015 drop bar bike with a 7-speed rear?
Sounds like it might be a freewheel rear hub, in which case you need to real careful not to spend a disproportionally large amount on the purchase price on the bike on the modification.

Anyhow, if it started life as a drop bar bike, then it probably has caliper brakes.
And a set of 3x7 flat bar shifters are probably from the MTB family. So if you get integrated brakes/shifters, you probably get brake levers meant for v-brakes. Those pull more cable than caliper brake levers. Meaning you might find your brakes feeling stiff and weak.
Then there is the question of the front derailer. Shimano front derailers pull different amounts of cables depending on if they are MTB or road kit. Luck or doing your homework is needed to get your front shifter to play well with your front derailer.

ice on the bike on the modification.

Anyhow, if it started life as a drop bar bike, then it probably has caliper brakes.
And a set of 3x7 flat bar shifters are probably from the MTB family. So if you get integrated brakes/shifters, you probably get brake levers meant for v-brakes. Those pull more cable than caliper brake levers. Meaning you might find your brakes feeling stiff and weak.
Then there is the question of the front derailer. Shimano front derailers pull different amounts of cables depending on if they are MTB or road kit. Luck or doing your homework is needed to get your front shifter to play well with your front derailer.

Great advice and tips, much appreciated.

 

[alfeng]

Hi all need some help. I have been using drop bars on my 2015 GT bike for a while and really cant get on with them, even using the hoods is uncomfortable and wanted to change to flat bar.

The flat bar isnt an issue, I am however having a problem finding 2 x 7 trigger shifters. All the ones ive found come insets and are 3x7 or 2 x 10 which is no good. any ideas where i can get 2x7 trigger shifters, will i have to buy 1 of one type and another for the other.

Also would it be best to get brake& shifter all in one?

thanks

FWIW ...

Because a person who has a Drop Bar bike doesn't meant that they ever have to put their hands on the drops ...​

So, I'm going to take a stab-in-the-dark and speculate that YOU may be uncomfortable because you are used to having your hands further apart when you have ridden a Flat Bar bike in the past AND because the bars on your GT are TOO NARROW ...

The relatively easy resolution is to buy a WIDER handlebar ...

46mm is the widest size which I am familiar with ...​

Some/Many Drop Handlebars measure the same where the brake levers are attached, but some are narrower than their O-O measurement at the ends of the handlebar ...

The old, Truvative Rouleur Handlebars were as wide at where the brake levers were attached as their measurement.​

EITHER a shorter stem OR a Hi-Rise stem may be a benefit ...
​

REMEMBER that your next handlebar's center section may-or-may-not be the same as your current stem's size!

​

 

[alfeng]

BTW.

Check eBay instead of AMAZON-or-whichever-source-you-have-been-checking for less common components ...

As you may-or-may-not know, the Cog spacing is almost the same between 7-speed Cogs & 8-speed Cogs, so most sets of 8-speed Shimano shifters will work with most 7-speed Cassettes & Freewheels ...

If the MTB front shifter doesn't work with the bike's existing front derailleur, then you can should be able to buy an Shimano ACERA front derailleur for under $20 (on eBay) ... I think that many-or-MOST of Shimano's MTB front derailleurs are "dual pull" ... but if not, then you should be able to wrap the front derailleur cable around the front derailleur anchor's pivot so that it feeds downward (I know THAT trick works the other way if you put a guide notch in the pivot).​

The alternative is to mount a 9-speed Cassette MINUS ONE COG & SPACER onto a "compact" Shimano Freehub (which your bike may have) AND THEN use a 9-speed Shifter ...

Similarly, you could use a 10-speed shifter with a shortened 10-speed Cassette mounted on a "compact" Shimano Freehub body ... the least cost effective option!
​

 

[doctorold]

I would definitely play with stem and possibly different bars as opposed to switching to flat bar. I used to think flat bar was the way to go but not anymore. So many positions on regular bars.