New Road Bike Or convert Hybrid?

[englandmademe]

Hi Newbie here!

I have a 2006 Specialized Sirrus and I'm tiring of the very upright position with the straight handlebars etc.

I would like to convert to drop handlebars and thereby have more of a road style bike.

My question is not how to do this, but is it worth it?

I estimate even secondhand, STIs, bars, tape etc will be approx £150 and new would be nearer to £250

Would I be better off either buying a very entry level road bike (ie Halfords type - not very well known brand etc) at around £250 - 300 or hope to get lucky on ebay and get a used 'branded' roadbike for around £200.

I guess at least if I bought another bike I would have two bikes - the specialized could then be geared up for tow paths, slightly rougher terrain while the second bike could be an out and out road bike.

However with not very much budget there may be no point buying a cheap road bike if it is junk?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thanks

 

[ACS]

I looked at doing this but ended up adding some Specialized Dirt Rodz Bar Ends for additional hand positions and got a new bike.

I use my Sirrus for commuting (2x10miles - mostly rural roads with a little bit of town) and while I love getting out in my 'best bike' the addition of bar ends has proved to be a revelation, stretched out riding position, greater comfort and something to spear Ped’s on.

Added some bar tape for comfort and better grip. Cost £20 may be worth a punt before making a final decision?

 

[englandmademe]

I looked at doing this but ended up adding some Specialized Dirt Rodz Bar Ends for additional hand positions and got a new bike.

Thanks for the reply and welcome...

This sounds like good advice - I might pop down to Evans Cycles today and pick up some!

Out of interest - would the weight difference be really noticeable going from my Sirrus to a (probably low-end) Road Bike - or would it be much of a muchness?

Thanks, again

 

[ACS]

I have never bothered about bikes and weight. Reducing excess body weight is more cost effective and healthier than worrying about a few grams on a machine.

I returned to the sport in Aug after a 15 year layoff and was reminded by a wise old sage (late 70’s on a fixie) "it’s never about the bike - it’s about the man who rides it."

Example, 25 mile time trial in mid 80’s - 1st three places - fully kitted up TT riders - 4th a semi pro on a hard tail MTB with knobblies and MTB gearing. Me 56th.

Follow fashion 'yes' if you can afford it, or get some hard miles in over the winter and see how you feel about the sport in the spring which bit you fancy (Road, TT, sportif, audax, MTB, track, ultra distance etc, etc) follow the path you choose and purchase accordingly.

 

[accountantpete]

+1 for what Budgie says and anyway a low-end will weigh somewhere near your existing bike.

see also the thread recently started on the same subject

 

[HLaB]

I converted my 2006 Sirrus sports to dropped, there'll be a thread about it if you're interested and it keeps up with road bikes no problem I use it mainly as a winter club bike now. The only real issue I came across is the loss of braking efficiency and use a couple of travel agents to improve things. At the end of the day its not as good on braking as my other dearer road bikes but IMO if asked was worth it, 'yes'.

 

[englandmademe]

I converted my 2006 Sirrus sports to dropped, there'll be a thread about it if you're interested and it keeps up with road bikes no problem I use it mainly as a winter club bike now. The only real issue I came across is the loss of braking efficiency and use a couple of travel agents to improve things. At the end of the day its not as good on braking as my other dearer road bikes but IMO if asked was worth it, 'yes'.

Thanks for this - I did see a post by Lonerider who did this conversion.

from his post bought from Ribblecycles.co.uk in 2008:

• Shimano Tiagra 4500 9 Speed STI Levers
• Road racing drop handlebars
• Cinneli cork ribbon
• Gear/ Brake cable inners and outers

Total Cost £112

Okay, I know Lonerider did this a year ago, but as far as I can see the STI alone retails between £175 and £210. That's without all the other bits. My LBS said I should buget £300 for all the bits new to do this job!!

That's why I was thinking of used bits from ebay, but I think I will make life easy for myself and take Budgie's advice and go with some Specialized Dirt Rodz Bar Ends - hopefully solve my problem for £20