Converting ROAD bike into a sweet HYBRID

[seriouslysilly]

Hi guys, I'm new to the cycling world, but I'm loving every minute of it.

I used to have a mountain bike from Toys R Us that I bought 3-4 years ago but never really rode. Needless to say, since I rode my brother's Shimano road bike, I couldn't go back to my bike.

Since then, I have bought a Jamis Coda Sport (hybrid) with the intention of upgrading little by little (actually just had Ultegra cranks installed) and it's great! Really enjoy riding this bike recreationally and to get me to the court for some tennis.

Anyway, I recently came across a really good deal on a new 2005 Jamis Quest road bike. It was a huge discount of >60% off.
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Here are the specs:
FRAME Reynolds 631 seamless air-hardened chromoly main tubes, double tapered heat-treated stays, reinforced head tube collars, lost wax dropouts with eyelets.

FORK Easton EC70, carbon fiber blades & steerer, alloy crown.
HEADSET Aheadset, alloy, 1 1/8”.
WHEELSET Easton-VeloMax Vista wheelset, sealed cartridge bearings, 20H radial front, 24H radial NDS/2X DS rear.
TIRES Hutchinson Quartz, 700 x 23C, kevlar.
DERAILLEURS Shimano 105 GS rear, 105 28.6mm band clamp front.
SHIFTERS Shimano 105 Dual Control STI, 27-speed.
CHAIN Shimano CN-HG73.
FREEWHEEL SRAM PowerGlide PG-950, 9-speed, 12-23.
CRANKSET TruVativ Elita SL, 52/42/30, 165mm (XS),
170mm (50, 53), 175mm (55 - 59).

BOTTOM BRACKET TruVativ ISIS Drive SL, 68 x 118mm.
PEDALS NA.
BRAKESET Shimano 105, with 105 STI levers.
HANDLEBAR Easton EA50, 400mm (XS, 50),
420mm (53, 55), 440mm (57-62).
STEM Easton EA50 (±6°), 90mm (XS - 53),
100mm (55, 57), 120mm (59, 62).
GRIPS Jamis gel tape.
SEATPOST Easton Road, 2
50mm x 27.2mm
with cromo seatpin.
SADDLE Fizik Pave with microtex top & sides, cromo rails.
SIZES XS, 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62cm
COLORS Radium Blue/Platinum
WEIGHT 20.25 lbs
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Would converting this Quest into a hybrid only a matter of replacing the handlebars/shifters, thicker tires (28-32c), & suspension seat post?
The reason I ask this is because I don't see myself in a race, but more so for leisure.
I also plan on buying a child seat carrier for the bike and wouldn't that be sacriligous for me to put a carrier on a road bike

Besides, when I do ride, I have to mix it up with the sidewalk and the road at times (by myself) and strictly all sidewalk (with the carrier). I don't think the road bike would be able to take that punishment (am i right)?

I could have just stuck with the Coda, but I would have wanted to upgrade over time.
I just couldn't see myself passing up this deal for >60% off of a $1200+ bike with all shimano 105 components already there. I thought of it as a shortcut

In a perfect world, I'd like to keep both... but with a condo and limited space, I reluctantly have to give one up. If I do sell the Coda, I'm taking my Ultegra crank back and exchaning cranks with the Quest (Truvativ Elita). I'm thinking I would also exchange the stems (Ea50 from quest to Ritchey pro adjustable from Coda, EA50 seat post with the suspension seat post from the Coda). The Quest hasn't been ridden yet, so I can advertise the Coda as having these upgrades (crank, stem, seat post) as NEW upgrades and use the $ for new handlebar and shifters for my Quest

Basically, to make a long story short... Is it feasable to convert a road bike to a hybrid (price and bike to remain a sweet ride)?

Apologies to the roadies out there who oppose this transformation

 

[Strid]

If you want to upgrade to a full 10 speed group, then you're probably looking at a ~400$ investment, counting shifters, derailleurs, brake levers, handlebars and so on. It's more costly than you'd think initially.

 

[seriouslysilly]

If I convert the Jamis Quest into a hybrid, the only things that I think will change are the handlebars, shifters, stem, and seatpost as well as thicker wheels (maybe 28-32c). I will keep the 105 components for now (crank,bb,etc). It will be a few years until I am able to upgrade those components, hopefully into Ultegra

I just hope I don't run into any problems with that change (ie. change the manuevarability or functionality) of the bike. I just wish it to be more stable with riding between road/sidewalk as well as accomodate the occasional child seat on the back.

If for some reason I am able to keep the Jamis Coda, I will just use it for all those neighborhood trips and restrict the Quest for strict road if my schedule allows.
I was just hoping to combine the best of both worlds using this Quest

 

[gregkeller]

The only thing you might have difficulty with is putting wider tires on the bike. Impossible to tell without measuring, but most roadbikes have pretty tight tolerances around the wheels, and anything wider than a 25 might not fit. You might want to shoot Jamis an email to ask them what the widest tires you could put on that bike might be. That should be your only issue, shifters, bar, brakes are easy to come by. You might want to do the conversion slowly, put on the thicker tires and see how that is, i like to be able to move my hands around on a set of drop bars, flat handlebars might be more uncomfortable, and also that would mean you only need a new pair of tires and you would be ready to roll.

 

[RickF]

If you can get the same deal on the Jamis Nova, you would be better off going in that direction. The Nova already comes with 32 mm tires. There is no need to upgrade the bars, but you could easily have a second set of brake levers installed so that you can reach them while holding the flat part of the drop bar.

If you sidewalks are paved, and as long as you are not jumping the curb, there is no reason that a road bike would be any worse on the sidewalk than a hybrid would. Personally, I think sidewalks are for walking, and roads are for riding, but each town has its own rules about that. If riding on the sidewalk is acceptable where you live, then the road bike would be fine.

 

[seriouslysilly]

The only thing you might have difficulty with is putting wider tires on the bike. Impossible to tell without measuring, but most roadbikes have pretty tight tolerances around the wheels, and anything wider than a 25 might not fit. You might want to shoot Jamis an email to ask them what the widest tires you could put on that bike might be. That should be your only issue, shifters, bar, brakes are easy to come by. You might want to do the conversion slowly, put on the thicker tires and see how that is, i like to be able to move my hands around on a set of drop bars, flat handlebars might be more uncomfortable, and also that would mean you only need a new pair of tires and you would be ready to roll.

Yeah, I was thinking of replacing the stock EA50 stem with the Ritchey Pro adjustable stem and keep the drop bars. This way I can play with the angle and even elevate it to suit my needs. It should be alot cheaper than getting a bar and shifters to accomodate the existing components. I'll have to ride by the LBS and measure what size the quest can take.

If you can get the same deal on the Jamis Nova, you would be better off going in that direction. The Nova already comes with 32 mm tires. There is no need to upgrade the bars, but you could easily have a second set of brake levers installed so that you can reach them while holding the flat part of the drop bar.
If you sidewalks are paved, and as long as you are not jumping the curb, there is no reason that a road bike would be any worse on the sidewalk than a hybrid would. Personally, I think sidewalks are for walking, and roads are for riding, but each town has its own rules about that. If riding on the sidewalk is acceptable where you live, then the road bike would be fine.

I'm definitely going to take real good care of this bike. I'm not going to be as reckless as I was with my Toys R Us MTB

If I'm riding alone, I usually stick to the roads. But when I have to put the child seat, I want to stick to the sidewalks for safety. I was just concerned with the added weight + sidewalk to the rims. I'm 6'0 and 175lbs, but this is my 1st road bike and don't want to mess anything up. Somebody suggested I should purchase a trailer instead of a bike seat and won't have to worry about the rims as much. I'll take a look around to see if I can get a good deal also.

 

[RickF]

Trailers are much safer. I was about 200 pounds when my children were little. I had no problems with them in a child seat on an old Ross road bike (circa 1980). My granddaughter; however, will ride in a trailer.


I understand your concern regarding weight, but your weight plus the weight of the child seat and the child will still be well within the limits of a 32 spoke wheel. I do agree that 32 mm tires will be more stable than 23 mm tires, but I am still not sure why you think riding on a sidewalk will put more strain on the wheel than riding on the road will.

 

[seriouslysilly]

I understand your concern regarding weight, but your weight plus the weight of the child seat and the child will still be well within the limits of a 32 spoke wheel. I do agree that 32 mm tires will be more stable than 23 mm tires, but I am still not sure why you think riding on a sidewalk will put more strain on the wheel than riding on the road will.

I will keep the 23c tires for now. Hopefully as they wear out, I will opt for a slightly larger pair (whatever the frame/brakes will accomodate).

The sidewalks are not entirely even where I am. Most have gaps between each slab, not to mention cracks and holes. When I do have to cross, I have to go up on a small curb to get to the sidewalk. Of course, I will shift my weight back/forward as the tires go up on the curb, but the child seat will consistently put pressure on the rear wheel. These are just the things that make me assume that the sidewalks will be a bit rougher than the road.
If anything, I'll just pack up the bike to a park and ride there
No more worries about sidewalk or crossing