C
Craig Newell
Guest
Hi everyone,
I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992. I am
hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.
Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.
So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.
1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8" (please
correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer tube. Can
anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded but I would
like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks occasionally, I was
going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully use the same stem.
Which brings me to...
2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?
3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano stuff
on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire drivetrain.
However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to ride while
waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra shifters be
compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the break levers be
compatible with my V brakes?
4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a combo
of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.
5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?
6. What else am I not seeing?
Ok, what does everyone think?
Craig
I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992. I am
hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.
Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.
So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.
1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8" (please
correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer tube. Can
anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded but I would
like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks occasionally, I was
going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully use the same stem.
Which brings me to...
2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?
3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano stuff
on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire drivetrain.
However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to ride while
waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra shifters be
compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the break levers be
compatible with my V brakes?
4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a combo
of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.
5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?
6. What else am I not seeing?
Ok, what does everyone think?
Craig