road bars on off-road bike?!

[astroluc]

So... I have a Cannondale BadBoy and I want to put road bars on it because I thoroughly hate straight bars like those on this and other MTB style bikes; it's a comfort thing, I guess.

My problem is this; I bough a cheap (inexpensive) set of roadbars from Nashbar and though they fit fine on the stem/neck, the brake and shift levers don't fit on the bars.

This is due to the bars having a diameter of 34mm while the clamps on the components are 32mm. I dont want to grind out the clamps, so are there road bars out there that are only 32mm??

 

[bobbyOCR]

Try getting a set of flared road drops. They are kinda made for the dirt. otherwise, I see people with flared drops running V-Brake road levers and cable discs.

 

[janiejones]

What about selling the Badboy and buying a real bike - hehehehehehehehe

 

[astroluc]

What about selling the Badboy and buying a real bike - hehehehehehehehe

thank you for your useless reply; I happen to love my BadBoy.

 

[astroluc]

Try getting a set of flared road drops. They are kinda made for the dirt. otherwise, I see people with flared drops running V-Brake road levers and cable discs.

I run Disc Brakes on this... someone from another forum suggested old-school steel bars for a comparable diameter.

 

[artemidorus]

You wouldn't consider STI/ Ergopower levers?

 

[nerdag]

You wouldn't consider STI/ Ergopower levers?

I actually just did a conversion like this over the weekend - turned my MTB commuter into a drop bar franken-bike!

I used Ergo 10s on a Shimano 9s drivetrain - works a treat. I used an avid BB7 road cable disc on the front, and an inline travel agent for a shimano cable disc brake at the back (it was a whole lot cheaper than buying another BB7 road caliper).

Note that some travel agent users have reported premature snapping of brake cables (due to sharp angles being used), so I didn't want to use it on the front. If its on the back, it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

n

 

[artemidorus]

I actually just did a conversion like this over the weekend - turned my MTB commuter into a drop bar franken-bike!

I used Ergo 10s on a Shimano 9s drivetrain - works a treat. I used an avid BB7 road cable disc on the front, and an inline travel agent for a shimano cable disc brake at the back (it was a whole lot cheaper than buying another BB7 road caliper).

Note that some travel agent users have reported premature snapping of brake cables (due to sharp angles being used), so I didn't want to use it on the front. If its on the back, it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

n

I've just done this with Campy Veloce on the left and 105 9spd on the right. XT v-brake at the front, without travel agent, and ancient Shimano canti on the rear. I thought about a road disc for the front but couldn't drum up the enthusiasm to buy and fit a new fork.
Well done -photo(s) please!

 

[garage sale GT]

Any tips on a good way to add drop bars with discs without buying brifters?

 

[bobbyOCR]

Any tips on a good way to add drop bars with discs without buying brifters?

Find a disc brake with a hinged or 2-piece clamp, like avid Juicy 5 and up. You'll still have to brake from the bar tops.

 

[nerdag]

photo(s) please!

Here ye go.

I'm not too fussed on the yellow bar tape, but its very conspicuous and visible, which is what I wanted on a commuting machine. There are few more tweaks to be made (swapping the saddle for instance, and stem length), but that is more or less the finished product.

GT: It can be done without brifters - go with Bobby's suggestion (although the handlebar clamp size might not match), or get the Diacompe V-brake compatible Road Levers. You'll still have to find a way to attach your shifters if they don't fit on the bars.

I found that buying brifters was the easiest and cheapest option. You could always put your used parts into the second hand market, offsetting some of the cost.

n

 

[John M]

Oustanding! Doesn't win any awards in the cheapest conversion division, but definitely scores extra points for the Ergo shifters.

 

[John M]

Any tips on a good way to add drop bars with discs without buying brifters?

There used to be a dropped bar-end made by a company called Newk--fit on the the end of a straight bar like a typical MTB bar-end only shaped like a drop. I think that they are out of business, but something might show up on eBay or some shops may still have them.

 

[nerdag]

Oustanding! Doesn't win any awards in the cheapest conversion division, but definitely scores extra points for the Ergo shifters.

The net cost after having sold off all the surplus/unused parts was about A$110, plus a bit of time and labour.

In my book, that's a fairly inexpensive conversion, considering the cost of a commuting specific road bike with decent spec would have been at least in the $700-$800 range new. For what I am using it for, I think that's a pretty good deal.

And the thing is built like a tank as far as urban-going bicycles are made, so I am expecting it to last long enough for me to recoup the investment! If it lasts me ten years in its current form (which it should do in the very least), that works out to be an additional cost of about 80-90c per month (in addition to maintenance and consumable costs, of course).

n

 

[janiejones]

thank you for your useless reply; I happen to love my BadBoy.

That's ok, anytime. Actually, I think those Badboys look pretty hot.

 

[garage sale GT]

RE: discs and drop bars: would standard singlespeed-style road levers have enough leverage? I can't use drops unless my fingers are actually on a brake, but I don't mind shifting from the top.

 

[nerdag]

RE: discs and drop bars: would standard singlespeed-style road levers have enough leverage? I can't use drops unless my fingers are actually on a brake, but I don't mind shifting from the top.

Prob not - bar end brake levers pull the same amount of cable as standard road levers.

You need something that will pull 2x as much cable (e.g. Diacompe V-brake road levers), a disc caliper that only needs half as much pull (Avid BB7 Road), or use a travel agent.

It may work it you run the pads VERY close to the rotor. Then you'll risk rubbing if your wheel is not stiff.

n

 

[garage sale GT]

OK, one more question. How well do discs or drums work on a bike with a fairly springy, solid road fork? Do you feel the reaction force pulling you to the side when you lay on the front brakes full force?

 

[nerdag]

OK, one more question. How well do discs or drums work on a bike with a fairly springy, solid road fork? Do you feel the reaction force pulling you to the side when you lay on the front brakes full force?

Pulling to the side? Not sure what you are getting at. The force is more or less applied directly to the hub opposite the direction of motion, so there's no perceptible laterlising force I've ever felt using a disc - on both rigid and suspension forks.

I would say that if your rigid fork is properly designed for a disc, then there should be no issues. If it is being retrofitted, then I'm not sure how reliable, safe, or good it would be.

FWIW, discs are overkill for urban riding. The only advantages they offer are a smaller decline in braking power in the wet, and function is not dependent of your wheels being true (two reasons they are popular off-road!). I just couldn't be bothered to source and retrofit v-brakes or mini-vees, and the discs look cool!

n

 

[garage sale GT]

Pulling to the side? Not sure what you are getting at. The force is more or less applied directly to the hub opposite the direction of motion, so there's no perceptible laterlising force I've ever felt using a disc - on both rigid and suspension forks.

The brake's torque is transmitted to only one fork leg since the disc mount is only on one side. Picture where the force is going when the pads grab the disc. They tend to twist and deflect the left fork leg a bit. Talking about Tandems, Sheldon Brown suggested the force was very perceptible, but in that case you have about twice the weight being braked by the same wheel and fork. I will however take your suggestion and get a solid DISC fork for my drum brake bike even though the reaction arm of the brake doesn't need disc mounts.