Handlebar change
I bought my wife a Merida road bike last year.
It has Sora kit with drop handlebars.
She is struggling with the riding position and despite fitting a shorter stem I am concerned that I will not get it to be comfortable.
The next option is to consider flat bars rather than drops so given the Sora kut what do I need to buy to replace with flats?
It has Sora kit with drop handlebars.
She is struggling with the riding position and despite fitting a shorter stem I am concerned that I will not get it to be comfortable.
The next option is to consider flat bars rather than drops so given the Sora kut what do I need to buy to replace with flats?
0
Comments
-
Bar, shifters, front mech and appropriate brake levers. It might be cheaper to sell the bike and buy a new one.0
-
Have you flipped the stem so it goes upwards rather than downwards, and do you have all the spacers beneath the stem? (apologies if you've done all this already)
Is she uncomfortable on the tops / hoods? If so, a flat bar won't change that. If it's the drops that are the problem, have you tried a compact drop / reach bar? (again apologies if already tried / fitted)
Failing that, as stated above, quite expensive doing the conversion to flat bars, and a different bike might be a better option all round.0 -
PeterBL wrote:Bar, shifters, front mech and appropriate brake levers. It might be cheaper to sell the bike and buy a new one.
I beg to differ. Shimano flat bar shifters are cheaper than drop bar STIs. So if you have to convert you should be able to make the money back from selling on the replaced parts if in good condition.
Also shimano flat bar shifters will work with the Sora road front mech (even if the manuals say that you should use specific front mechs).
I currently have standard double Tiagra front mech with shimano 9spd flatbar shifters. I had to loop over the shift cable on to the mech a bit more than usual because the shifters have a slightly different pull ratio... but that's all. Has been working luvely for almost 4 years now.0 -
keef66 wrote:Have you flipped the stem so it goes upwards rather than downwards, and do you have all the spacers beneath the stem? (apologies if you've done all this already)
The new shorter stem was fitted point upwards. The top of the stem is almost flush with the top of the steerer so no space for more spacers.keef66 wrote:Is she uncomfortable on the tops / hoods? If so, a flat bar won't change that. If it's the drops that are the problem, have you tried a compact drop / reach bar? (again apologies if already tried / fitted)
She is comfortable on the bike but suffers after the ride. It is difficult to tell if she is suffering as a result of the bars so this would be a last resort.keef66 wrote:Failing that, as stated above, quite expensive doing the conversion to flat bars, and a different bike might be a better option all round.
Problem is that the bike is C2W and we still have the 3 year extended lease period to see through so, legally speaking, we are not allowed to sell.0 -
Thanks for your replies. I'll investigate the option of replacing just the bars and shifters and not the mech.
I suspect the problem is linked carrying a little too much weight and lack of trunk muscle definition meaning that when the bike transfers every bump in the road her muscles are torn by the layer of fat she is carrying.
I suffered the same sort of thing when running to get fitter and lose some weight. I ended up pulling muscles in my chest/rib cage.
How do I tell her that though? :roll:0 -
tonye_n wrote:PeterBL wrote:Bar, shifters, front mech and appropriate brake levers. It might be cheaper to sell the bike and buy a new one.
I beg to differ. Shimano flat bar shifters are cheaper than drop bar STIs. So if you have to convert you should be able to make the money back from selling on the replaced parts if in good condition.
Also shimano flat bar shifters will work with the Sora road front mech (even if the manuals say that you should use specific front mechs).
I currently have standard double Tiagra front mech with shimano 9spd flatbar shifters. I had to loop over the shift cable on to the mech a bit more than usual because the shifters have a slightly different pull ratio... but that's all. Has been working luvely for almost 4 years now.
If you can make up some of the loss by selling, that sure could swing it.
Re. the front mechs, the manuals say you should use the specific flatbar front mech, ie. th FD-R440 for a 9-speed double along with the SL-R440-9 shift levers. As you noted, the cable pull is different by some amount (the cable pull of flat bar components is the same as MTB, I have no idea why. The good thing is you can use MTB levers if they are cheaper than the specific flat bar ons). If it works for you, then fine. But there is no guarantee, and I wouldn't like to set up a triple with mismatched FD and shifters.
But of course, OP could buy the shifters first and see if it works.0 -
C2W does rule out selling it and starting again!
Maybe some stretching before / after the ride would be more beneficial than any amount of mechanical tinkering?
Or a bike fitting session to confirm it's set up optimally for her?0