Drop it til its hot...

[hoppym27]

If I ever felt the inclination, could I swop the flat bars on my hybrid to drop bars?

 

[MiK1138]

You might find it is a bit small

 

[hoppym27]

You might find it is a bit small

Do you mean the frame?...its got a 29er frame

 

[hoppym27]

This is true....all Im trying to do is have other options on moving my hands around for longer rides...would handlebar extensions achieve this?

 

[MiK1138]

My Mate has fitted Drops to his Carrera Subway and seems to have got away with it but he looks kinda Stunted compared to when he rides his true drop bar bike, he just used the same Brake levers and shifters mounted on the flat part of the bar like Grabbies on a CX bike

 

[pclay]

Its an expensive option. New shifters, new cables, new handlebar, new handlebar tape. Possibly new derauliers too.

 

[si_c]

They might. Also worth considering are butterfly bars.

 

[KnackeredBike]

This is true....all Im trying to do is have other options on moving my hands around for longer rides...would handlebar extensions achieve this?

You are still left with the problem that the default road bike hand position (on the hoods) will mean you wouldn't be able to access the brakes quickly if needed. Not a risk I would take but horses for courses.

 

[KneesUp]

Of course you could - you might need to spend some time finding the right stem for it to be comfortanle, depending on the geometry.

If you want to change gear from the brake levers, it might get expensive, but bar end shifters were good enough for Tommy Simpson and John Tomac.

 

[vickster]

You might find it is a bit small

Or actually big. I went drops to flats and the bike was too small

 

[vickster]

You are still left with the problem that the default road bike hand position (on the hoods) will mean you wouldn't be able to access the brakes quickly if needed. Not a risk I would take but horses for courses.

I pretty much always brake on crosslever brakes on my roadbikes where they are fitted. I can brake more effectively than from the hoods

@jefmcg will concur she does the same

Bar ends a sensible addition for more hand positions

 

[MichaelW2]

If the aim is getting aero, keep the flats and add a clip-on aerobar. All of the aerodynamic advantages of drops (even more) and some alt handholds. Butterfly bars are another good way of getting alt handholds.
If you switch your flats for drops and road controls you may need to faff around with the transmission to get everything playing well.

 

[Alan O]

This is true....all Im trying to do is have other options on moving my hands around for longer rides...would handlebar extensions achieve this?

I've got an MTB that I'm using more like a hybrid/city bike at the moment (city-ish tyres and riding on good tracks mainly, nobblies saved for next time I want to get into serious mud), and I do like bar ends for that kind of riding - I tend to feel pressure on my hands, and having an extra couple of positions helps (mine are relatively long and curved - the bar ends, not my hands).

As si_c suggests, a lot of people (particularly cycle tourists who do long distances) like butterfly bars, and I tried them fairly recently on my tourer. They were almost great, and gave me a very comfortable forward position - but they made me realise how much I actually use the drops, and sacrificing those wasn't worth it for me.

So if you get the chance to try them, I'd recommend giving butterfly bars a go - but before then, trying bars ends is a relatively inexpensive experiment.

 

[cyberknight]

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/mtb-drop-bar-conversion.197717/

 

[S-Express]

Is it just me, or does the thread title bear absolutely no relation to the content ??