About to gfo from Dropbars to Flatbars.

[McBrian]

After the events of last year I've decided that drop bars are not for me and I would be a lot more comfortable with straight bars on the road bike (I like them on my hybrid), and I don't really want to spend another 1K on a new bike, I like my Synapse 105 Disc.

So I've bought the necessary kit:

Has anyone done a cable change on a Synapse (internal cabling) and has any advice that I should know before proceeding?

I intend to sell the dropbars complete with the 105 shifters, so any advise on where I can snip the cables if I have to?

 

[vickster]

Be aware that you might need a much longer stem. I converted a Planet X RT58, even with 3cm more of stem it was too small and cramped (a friend 4 inches shorter than me now has it)

After my shoulder woes, I got rid of my flat bar bikes as the greater width of the flat bars was far more uncomfortable than riding the hoods or tops on my 38/40cm drop bars

Hope it works out for you but I’d hang onto the drop bar bits for the while!

 

[DCBassman]

Doing this to my Scott also, see thread lower down. Injured at the moment, so have big heap of components with nowhere to go...

 

[iluvmybike]

Surely you will need to get flat bar shifters for it too?

 

[McBrian]

 

[alicat]

Note to self: never read one of McBrain's posts with less than complete attention lest he give himself a headache.

@vickster is right re the reach.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Snip the cables just in front of the cable tidies, on the mechs. Re installing internally routed cables is fairly easy, I use an old retractable car aerial, with a speed sensor wheel magnet glued to the end, take the under bracket cable guide off of the bike, then shove the aerial up into the frame, until the magnet reaches the hole in the frame, then pull the cables down, put the cable guide back, thread the cables through, then repeat the procedure with the cable through the chain stays.

 

[McBrian]

Be aware that you might need a much longer stem. I converted a Planet X RT58, even with 3cm more of stem it was too small and cramped (a friend 4 inches shorter than me now has it)

After my shoulder woes, I got rid of my flat bar bikes as the greater width of the flat bars was far more uncomfortable than riding the hoods or tops on my 38/40cm drop bars

Hope it works out for you but I’d hang onto the drop bar bits for the while!

I did most of my riding pre crash holding the top and hoods, never went down very often (I'm 63 and have had back probs in the past) so I'm fairly confident that straight bars with the new grips with bar ends grip on the existing stem will be fine, if not I'll likely have to raid the bank account to get what i want (Giant or Cube).

 

[McBrian]

Note to self: never read one of McBrain's posts with less than complete attention lest he give himself a headache.

@vickster is right re the reach.

Is my grammer that bad ?

 

[alicat]

Is my grammer that bad ?

No problem with your grammar. However, to me you just came across as responding a little bluntly to someone offering advice who hadn't taken in all of your post. Or perhaps I am being sensitive.

 

[McBrian]

Sorry, I didn't mean my response to come across as blunt, just my dry sense of humor :-)

 

[iluvmybike]

View attachment 401965

Duhh - blind as a bat here!! No offence taken at all...

 

[McBrian]

Ha! forgot to come back here and do an update.

All done but needed some profesional help, the internal cabling defeated me through the bottom bracket

Here's what the bike looks like now, actually loving it on the road, I just feel more in control.
(Canondale drop bars with 105 - 5800 shifters will be going up in the for sale forum later today).

 

[GuyBoden]

Generally, drop bar road bikes have a shorter top tube length than flat bar bikes.

 

[McBrian]

Generally, drop bar road bikes have a shorter top tube length than flat bar bikes.

Hi Guy.

Yup, was aware but feels absolutely fine for me.