Hybrid bike: Converting handlebars from flat to drops?



crazney

New Member
Nov 27, 2004
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Hi,

My current touring / commuting bike is a Shogun hybrid bike. It has a standard flat handle bar, I've added handle bar extensions on it. But I've decided I'd rather have a handle bar with drops, and perhaps aerobars, for touring...

The bike is equipted with mostly Shimano Deore and Deore LX equitment. Including the shifters, brake leavers (Deore), 9 speed Deore LX chainset, Deore LX derailleurs and a 3 speed Deore LX chainwheel..

So I'm looking at a relitvely cheap road style handlebar, cause it doesn't need to be particularly light. So that's around $100 (AU$).
But then the brake leavers and shifters are the tricky bit.
From what I can tell the cheapest road style shifters / leavers that will fit are the Tiagra STI 9 Speed (The Sora is only 7/8 speed).. And they are expensive! Like $430.

So, a couple of questions
a) Will that work? Fixing a Tiagra shifter / leaver to Deore equitment?
b) Is there any cheaper stuff that is still reliable that I could use? I'm not sure I can spend $500 on this stuff, it may be better to just get a new bike for ~$2000..

Thanks!

David
 
Ok, replying to myself.

It seems that the Campagnolo Mirage shifters / leavers are much cheaper ($185 AUD) and are 9 speed.

So, would I be able to pair these with my Shimano Deore LX derailleurs?

Thanks

David
 
I've got a set of road bar ends on my touring bike and my only two things are:

- You really need to cut the handlebars down to put the drops in a more natural position. Mine are narrow but still too wide for drops.

- I really don't like the idea of not being able to reach the brake levers when I'm riding on the drops. Downhilling at 35+ mph can be quite tedious switching from the drops to the flat bar to hit the brakes to slow down.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

I would be a little concerned about road bar ends, specifically the two things ganderctr pointed out. Does anyone else have experience with these that they could share?

I've actually got my eye on several 9 speed road shifters on ebay at the moment, but I expect they'll get too pricey in the next couple of days.

David.
 
Why not bar-end shifters? Dura-Ace 9 sp work fine with MTB derailleurs. My tourer is set up like this and I even use two 8sp cogs in the cassette without probs. You'll need road brake levers too, but these are rather cheap.
 
gclark8 said:
Road Ends are the cheapest and easiest option.

Search "road-ends" on this forum, several discussion topics and some PIX: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t195911-.html

I have a pair I am fitting at the moment. Mine came from: http://endless-innovations.com/
I was just looking for an answer to this question myself. The road-ends make sense, but I also found that I can find a road bar/stem combination online for $50. If I decide I want to change my stem anyway, is there any reason not to switch the bar rather than just getting the ends? For now I'm willing to stay with the same brakes and shifters---the roads I ride are generally flat and with few intersections, so I don't often have much reasons to reach for them while I'm going.

Thanks,
Bruce
 
a) Will that work? Fixing a Tiagra shifter / leaver to Deore equitment?

My Tiagra 9sp have worked just fine with an LX drivetrain. I'm moving to bar-ends though. If you are interested in my Tiagras, make me an offer. One year old, only minor scuffs.

[email protected]

Steve
 
I changed my Specialized Sirrus only this week. The bike is definately faster, easier to go up hills and in the wind. More hand positions too. I'd be a bit worried about using road-ends on a flat bar with no accessible brakes/shifters. On the other hand I wouldn't see a lot of point of getting drops if you are going to be keeping your hands on the top for shifting/braking, it is not very comfy there on road bars like it is on straight. Component changes were:

- bars
- brakes/shifters (went for 105 STI)
- new brakes
- new front derailleur (not strictly necessary but old one was going a bit)

I may need to change for a shorter stem, it might be a bit too long as I do feel quite stretched. Will see if I get used to it and will also try swapping the angle first.

Only thing really expensive about all of this was the STI shifters, but they are really expensive. 105 was not much more than the Tiagra really but the shifters represented over two thirds the entire cost. Cheaper alternatives would be non-STI - e.g. handlebar-end or tube (although you probably need the frame to support that, I don't know.) That would bring the cost down _significantly_ and likely be more reliable than the STI to boot.

EDIT: Whoops, sorry for dragging up old threads ;-)