Swapping over to dropped handlebars?

sarkmeister
sarkmeister Posts: 142
edited June 2007 in Workshop
Morning all

Bit of background: I doing a 3 day London to Paris in Sept this year. A few weeks ago i bought a Genesis Day 01. I bought a hybrid because i wanted to use it for both a bit of commuting, training for the ride and the actual ride itself.

The training is all going well (43 miles yesterday), however I am wondering whether i would be better off with dropped handlebars for the L2P ride and some of the training. Its not bothering me at the moment, but i cant help but think it will if im doing 100 miles a day. In the long term id like to keep the straight bars for commuting.

Would my bike be suitable for fitting dropped handlebars? (Im guessing it would because higher up Genesis models have them)

Would it just be a case of buying the handlebars (œ20-œ40) and the shifters (Sora = œ70) and some tape?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Cheers
Orange Crush 2010
Trek 1.5c

Comments

  • monty_dogcp
    monty_dogcp Posts: 382
    Have yout tried some bar ends for extra handholds first - being able to vary your hand position has a big bearing on comfort.
  • papercorn2000
    papercorn2000 Posts: 4,517
    Could try Butterfly bars (http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/s ... easure.jpg) for a similar effect or, if you are REALLY lucky, you could track down a second hand pair of Scott AT4's.
    The problem if you swap to drops is that your brake levers and shifters wouldn't be compatible and would be expensive to replace.

    God told me to skin you alive.
    http://www.ekroadclub.co.uk/
    God told me to skin you alive.
    http://www.ekroadclub.co.uk/
  • sarkmeister
    sarkmeister Posts: 142
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Monty Dog</i>

    Have yout tried some bar ends for extra handholds first - being able to vary your hand position has a big bearing on comfort.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    I am very tempted to just get some bar ends. However, im concerned that ill spend œ20 on them then want some drops 2 weeks later.
    Orange Crush 2010
    Trek 1.5c
  • Meds1962
    Meds1962 Posts: 391
    Even if you go for drops you are likely to spend most of the time on the hoods or the bar tops, particularly if you are unused to riding on dropped bars.

    Unless you're going to be in a very competitive group it seems a lot of trouble and expense for one ride, particularly if you envisage swapping back later for commuting. Why not just sit up and enjoy the views and get the bar ends for some flexibility?



    O na bawn i fel LA
    O na bawn i fel LA
  • Cyclistm
    Cyclistm Posts: 758
    Would it just be a case of buying the handlebars (œ20-œ40) and the shifters (Sora = œ70) and some tape?

    Yes, you would also need new cables as I doubt the old one will be long enough and you may need to adjust your position on the bike so may require a new stem.

Categories