Would it be possible....

dugliss
dugliss Posts: 235
edited June 2010 in Commuting chat
...to put drop bars on my Boardman hybrid comp or would related parts and stuff not make it financially worthwhile. I was thinking I could leave the original gear changers on and just fit brake levers but not sure how hard this would be with the disc brakes. Or should I just put away a pound a week until I can afford to get something half decent secondhand

Comments

  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    I suspect you'd have some issues getting the shifters around the curves.
  • amnezia
    amnezia Posts: 590
    Problem with keeping the old style gear shifters is that they would be no where near the brake levers. Plus you wouldn't be able to shift whilst in the drops.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,412
    A friend asked about this, when buying a flat bar roadie, and the assistant advised that the cost of changing everything over properly was getting towards 75% of a new bike, so not really worth it.

    If you just want some different hand positions, some bar ends and/or maybe some short aero bars (seen it done, but not convinced myself) are a better bet, but your last suggestion is the most sensible.
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  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Aidy wrote:
    I suspect you'd have some issues getting the shifters around the curves.

    Hmm, and I seem to think vorsprung had issues with bar diameter when doing similar (but for an Alfine).
  • dugliss
    dugliss Posts: 235
    Ok thanks, seen enough to realise it`s not worth it. I like the Boardman anyway just fancied a road bike but have no disposable cash
  • gbsahne001
    gbsahne001 Posts: 1,973
    get some drop bar ends?

    like these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=18606&src=froogle
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  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,440
    The boardman hybrid has a longer top tube than the road bike so it would be too long with drops on.
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  • jejv
    jejv Posts: 566
    dugliss wrote:
    Ok thanks, seen enough to realise it`s not worth it. I like the Boardman anyway just fancied a road bike but have no disposable cash
    Is your problem aesthetic or practical ?

    If it's practical - you want to be more comfortable / have a more efficient position then an inexpensive halfway house to being on the hoods would be a Raleigh RNH361 "trekking bar" (probably upside down),a rather longer stem (25.4 bar clamp) than you have now, and some BBB foam grips (made for butterfly bars). Since your controls might end up further forward, and certainly pointing more forward than they are now, you might also need some new cables & outers at the front. Depending how long your stem is now, and how far forward you want to go, can probably do this for £35-40, half if you're a bargain hunter. Could use grip tape, but you'd want to get stuff right first.

    As your grip position moves forwards, the grip position needs to be more in line with your shoulders (like drop bars, pursuit bars), and the grip positons need to be more swept back. There's a continuous spectrum of sensible positions.

    The key thing about the "Raleigh" trekking bar is that the outer bends are close enough together that the width of the grip position can be comparable to drop bars, after the straight-bar controls have gone on. If you're very broad shouldered you would have more choice. Sweepback ~40 degrees..

    What's missing from the market is a 22mm bar (range of bars) that gives the hoods and the tops with straight bar controls. This would need a short stem, because
    prawny wrote:
    The boardman hybrid has a longer top tube than the road bike so it would be too long with drops on.
    An upside-down trekking/north-road bar usually (still) needs a super-long stem, because the grip position ( middle of wrists) is behind the bar clamp.

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