Advice re swopping road bars for hybrid

peanut

Whilst I have ridden and built dozens of road race bikes over the years I know absolutely nothing about hybrid and MTB bikes whatsoever.

Whenever I look at the classifieds its just gobbledgook to me. :oops:

I need to modify a friends bike from a road race bike with drops and STI gearing .........to straight bars, suitable for commuting .

What sort of bars should I be looking for ?hybrid? MTB? ?? I've looked at over 2000+ bars on ebay and I'm just losing the will to live frankly.

I will need some short straight bars and suitable 9x speed gears levers and brake levers which should hopefully fit straight onto her bike ( I have both standard and oversize stems). Prefer Shimano stuff and needs to be a basic price range

Could someone suggest some suitable components please. :roll:

topdude

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12781519&highlight=flat+bars

Check out this thread, lots of info there.

peanut

thanks TD thats very helpful. its just a complete mystery to me at the moment.
I should go look at some hybrid bikes in a cycle shop but the nearest shop is a 32 mile round trip and I can't get any time off at the moment so everything will have to be omline ordered.

I learnt last night that there are 'flat' bars and 'riser or semi riser' bars and you cn get the gear shifts seperate or as a brake lever combo. Trouble is I don't know if you can use MTB brake levers with road calipers ?

It also occurred to me that the steerer has been cut for drops so presumably I'll need a new stem to get some height? maybe an adjustable stem ?

I'll read through the thread now.

Thank you for making the time to help a fellow roady and for sharing your experience .

sniper68

I've just done this myself and used some cheap Raceface flat MTB bars (600mm).I did it purely because I just can't get on with drops so the bike was just an ornament :roll:





My Levers can be used on both V and Canti brakes(there's a little slide thingy inside you move to change position)
Biggest expense was the shifters(£90) as 10-speed MTB don't work with 10-speed road and I wanted to keep all the 105 stuff.
Levers are these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=69832
Bars £15 CRC
Shifters&levers £105 Rosebikes
Bar ends/grips £15 ebay

Manc33

I found I was a bit scrunched up on my road bike when I put MTB bars on it.

I will take the 100mm stem off and put the original 120mm back on and put the seat back a bit and voila, the reach will be like my mountain bike was.

lets not forget the geometry on a road bike is aggressive compared to a MTB, look at the back tyre on a MTB and how far away it is from the seat tube, you'll get scrunched up on a road frame, so need to get the seat back more and maybe get a longer stem (which will make steering more sensitive).

Because the tyres are so skinny and because I am putting a longer stem on, MTB bars make handling the bike a bit strange, "too easy to handle" so I am going to chop 4cm off each side tomorrow to give me back that more solid/balanced/upright feel like with the drops, but without those pesky hoods and gears on the levers.

Even with those MTB bars, I can get right down if descending - I mean how much time is spent descending anyway? I like the wind in my face.

NOTE: You certainly get a lot less leverage with MTB brake levers on side pull brakes, be careful. However it feels really solid and I got the lever ridiculously close to the touch, pull like 2mm and its there on the rim. Could never do this with spongy V brakes.