Please give me some advice on upgrading my bike

[jim mccycle]

I have a fuji silhouette '04 hybrid bike (see picture and specs below). I'm relatively new to cycling so I'm hoping that someone can tell me if I convert the handlebars to drops (for about$300) I'll have a pretty good road bike suitable for touring. Alternatively I could sell it in and get something similar to a specialized allez '06.

As I said I'm new to cycling and despite reading as much information as I can the specs still mean very little to me so I'm banking on you guys to help.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers


Frameset

Sizes​

15", 17", 19", 21", 23"

Color(s)


Matte Black




Main frame


Fuji Altair 2 custom butted 7000 series aluminum with PowerDiamond down tube, Double water bottle mounts




Rear triangle


Fuji Altair 1 custom tapered 7000 series aluminum, Fuji forged road dropout with replaceable derailleur hanger




Fork


Fuji Aero aluminum, 1 1/8"




Drivetrain
Crankset


RPM Forged Road, 30/42/52 aluminum chainrings




Bottom bracket


Sealed cartridge, 116mm




Pedals


Wellgo WPD-919 clipless




Front derailleur


Shimano, FD-443, 31.8mm




Rear derailleur


Shimano Tiagra, 9-speed, GS cage for triple




Shifters


Shimano Rapid Fire, SL-R440, 9-speed




Cassette/freewheel


Shimano CS-HG50-9, 9-speed, 12/25




Chain


KMC Z-9000, 9-Speed




Wheelset
Front hub


Alex A-Class, 28H

Rear hub


Alex A-Class, 32H

Spokes


14g Stainless




Rims


Alex A-Class double wall aluminum




Tires


Kenda Kontender, 700 X 26c




Features
Brake set


Tektro Mini-V, forged aluminum with modulator front and rear




Brake levers


Tektro Aluminum for V-brake




Headset


Integrated Road, with convex hollow alloy 25mm spacer




Handlebar


Fuji Double Butted aluminum, No rise, 560mm




Stem


Ritchey Threadless, Forged Aluminum




Tape/grip


Fuji High Density foam




Saddle


Fuji UltraLite Racing, Cro-Moly rails




Seat post


Ritchey Forged aluminum, 300mm




Seat clamp


Aluminum 31.8mm Quick Release




Frame Weight, lb./kg.


3.6/1.64




Complete Bike Weight, lb./kg.


21.6/9.82
.





​

 

[Iron Man]

yes you can just buy some handle bars with drops on them from the local bike shop, but you may want the mechanics to do it because you need to re-route the gears......get a quote because it may be expensive but it's definately do-able just get your multi-tool on to the the brace in the middle of the handle bars and they come right off

 

[jim mccycle]

yes you can just buy some handle bars with drops on them from the local bike shop, but you may want the mechanics to do it because you need to re-route the gears......get a quote because it may be expensive but it's definately do-able just get your multi-tool on to the the brace in the middle of the handle bars and they come right off

Cheers for the advice, I've checked and it's going to cost about $300 to get the handlebars, Tiagra STI levers, some sort of kit to be able to use the v type brakes with the STI levers + the cost of labour.
It seems expensive but I'm willing to pay it if it is a better option than buying a a new road bike.
What do you think?

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

Cheers for the advice, I've checked and it's going to cost about $300 to get the handlebars, Tiagra STI levers, some sort of kit to be able to use the v type brakes with the STI levers + the cost of labour.
It seems expensive but I'm willing to pay it if it is a better option than buying a a new road bike.
What do you think?

Your bike has Tektro "Mini V" brakes, which were designed to work with road levers without the added complication of an adapter.

Some suggestions:

Instead of Tiagra STI, think about a set of Shimano 9 speed barend shifters or a set of Shimano 9 speed DT shifters mounted on Kelly Take-offs. For brake levers, a set of Tektro road levers are a good choice and a good value. Shimano has some offerings, too, but for a bit more $. All this will be less expensive than Tiagra STI and offers the added option of friction shifting should something go awry on a tour. Better long term reliability/durability, too.

If you are going to be going "loaded" touring, you'll want lower gearing than the 30/25 you now have. Using the shifter options I suggested allows greater freedom of choice in chainrings, so think about swapping the 30T inner ring for a 24T. You might also want a bigger cog in the rear. Also, I have no direct experience with how your wheels will hold up under loaded touring, but the low spoke count doesn't auger well. Wider tires would be a good idea, too.

If any of this is of interest and you need more info, let me know.

 

[dhk]

Excellent points from OB here. Would make sense to me to modify your hybrid into a touring bike with the reliable downtube or barend shifters for minimal investment. The STI shifters add a lot of expense, and you don't need them for tour riding anyway. Several guys here have DT or bar end shifters on their touring bikes. Better to save your money for a stronger set of wheels (and tires) which you'll need as you start racking up the miles as he suggests.

On the other hand, if you really want a road/race bike, ie, something for fast club rides, then I'd just buy the new Allez you've been checking out. Your current hybrid would be great to keep as is for a spare/bad weather/errand/beater bike...everybody needs more than one anyway.

 

[jim mccycle]

Your bike has Tektro "Mini V" brakes, which were designed to work with road levers without the added complication of an adapter.

Some suggestions:

Instead of Tiagra STI, think about a set of Shimano 9 speed barend shifters or a set of Shimano 9 speed DT shifters mounted on Kelly Take-offs. For brake levers, a set of Tektro road levers are a good choice and a good value. Shimano has some offerings, too, but for a bit more $. All this will be less expensive than Tiagra STI and offers the added option of friction shifting should something go awry on a tour. Better long term reliability/durability, too.

If you are going to be going "loaded" touring, you'll want lower gearing than the 30/25 you now have. Using the shifter options I suggested allows greater freedom of choice in chainrings, so think about swapping the 30T inner ring for a 24T. You might also want a bigger cog in the rear. Also, I have no direct experience with how your wheels will hold up under loaded touring, but the low spoke count doesn't auger well. Wider tires would be a good idea, too.

If any of this is of interest and you need more info, let me know.

Cheers for the advice, I'm thinking now that I'll probably sell on the fuji and save up for the specialized. It would be different if I could install the parts myself but I'm worried I'd just mess up the bike beyond repair.
Anyway, cheers, I appreciate your replies.

 

[jim mccycle]

Excellent points from OB here. Would make sense to me to modify your hybrid into a touring bike with the reliable downtube or barend shifters for minimal investment. The STI shifters add a lot of expense, and you don't need them for tour riding anyway. Several guys here have DT or bar end shifters on their touring bikes. Better to save your money for a stronger set of wheels (and tires) which you'll need as you start racking up the miles as he suggests.

On the other hand, if you really want a road/race bike, ie, something for fast club rides, then I'd just buy the new Allez you've been checking out. Your current hybrid would be great to keep as is for a spare/bad weathe
r/errand/beater bike...everybody needs more than one anyway.

Cheers for the advice, I'm thinking now that I'll probably sell on the fuji and save up for the specialized. I'd like to have both but not enough $$$ at the moment. I have an old mountain bike which I'll probably use to commute. It would be different if I could install the parts myself but I'm worried I'd just mess up the bike beyond repair.
Anyway, cheers, I appreciate your replies.