Drop bars on mountain bike?

thecyclingguy

My friend wants to buy a mountain bike for the comfort but he also wants to get drop bars because of the brifters and the comfort he would feel. Are road brifters compatible with mtb derailleurs?

cooldad

I don't think so. Brakes are also a problem.

thecyclingguy

so if he were to get brifters and road derailleurs, would that work? and what’s with the brake problem?

fat daddy

EDIT:

in answer to your 1st question "nope .... the best you can do is buy jtek shiftmates from sjs to get the correct ratio pull and depending on the brakes maybe go mechanical"

in answer to the second question

you would need new cassette, derailleur, shifters possibly brakes .. it all depends on the MTB he has or is going to buy to whether road bits will fit on it

cooldad

Road calipers won't fit on an MTB frame. Cantis will on an old one. Needs more details for a useful answer.

cougie

It can be done but you need to replace a lot.

What does he mean by comfort of the mtb ? Bigger tyres ?

He's probably best off looking at the gravel type bikes.

thecyclingguy

It’s not the tires. He just wants a mountain bike frame with suspension + drop bars. I ride a road bike so it gets a little uncomfortable on the terrain i often ride on which is why he likes suspension. I tried convincing him to get a cyclocross or a gravel bike but he kinda just insists on getting getting drops.

daniel_b

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

fat daddy

Daniel B wrote:

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

ARRRRRGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... I wish people would stop mentioning the Slate ..... I really want one .... but cant justify it .... but I want it .. but the silly 650b 1.5" tyres are annoying, how many companies do decent tyres in this size and for how long ...... but I want one ... its just cooler than a Boardman team CX .... but but but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

graeme_s-2

fat daddy wrote:

ARRRRRGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... I wish people would stop mentioning the Slate ..... I really want one .... but cant justify it .... but I want it .. but the silly 650b 1.5" tyres are annoying, how many companies do decent tyres in this size and for how long ...... but I want one ... its just cooler than a Boardman team CX .... but but but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Give in to your feelings - they're a lot of fun!

thecyclingguy

Daniel B wrote:

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

that’s one sexy looking bike

Matthewfalle

thecyclingguy wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

that’s one sexy looking bike

That is lovely. I neeeeeeeeeeeed it.

arthur_scrimshaw

Matthewfalle wrote:

thecyclingguy wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

that’s one sexy looking bike

That is lovely. I neeeeeeeeeeeed it.

If only it was that one and not the 105 version they are actually selling with the fugly brifters....

graeme_s-2

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

That is lovely. I neeeeeeeeeeeed it.

If only it was that one and not the 105 version they are actually selling with the fugly brifters....

That is the 105 version. Although I wonder if that photo is of some prototype, as it has the old rims (that were recalled) on it, but the tyres aren't the "cannondale" branded ones that ship with it.

arthur_scrimshaw

Graeme_S wrote:

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

That is lovely. I neeeeeeeeeeeed it.

If only it was that one and not the 105 version they are actually selling with the fugly brifters....

That is the 105 version. Although I wonder if that photo is of some prototype, as it has the old rims (that were recalled) on it, but the tyres aren't the "cannondale" branded ones that ship with it.

This the picture on the website, brifters not the same as shown above (R685)

fat daddy

got some big arsed gears for a bike thats meant to be hitting off road

For a road bike I wouldnt bat an eyelid at 36t:28t ... but taking my hybrid off road I often end up wishing for a better gear than the 44t:32t .. thats pretty much the same ratio

if I had build it I would have gone compact and a 32 rear cassette

The Rookie

thecyclingguy wrote:

My friend wants to buy a mountain bike for the comfort but he also wants to get drop bars because of the brifters and the comfort he would feel. Are road brifters compatible with mtb derailleurs?

Why not go for a decent disc braked hybrid such as the Giant Roam (suspension forks or disc braked), stay with discs and use AVID road pull callipers (BB5 or BB7).
He'd need to go down a size or two as drop bars need a shorter frame (to offset the longer reach in front of the headtube) if the bike came with an offset seatpost you could get 20mm back using an inline quite cheaply. You can't shorten the stem too much as it will make the steering twitchy.

thecyclingguy

The Rookie wrote:

thecyclingguy wrote:

My friend wants to buy a mountain bike for the comfort but he also wants to get drop bars because of the brifters and the comfort he would feel. Are road brifters compatible with mtb derailleurs?

Why not go for a decent disc braked hybrid such as the Giant Roam (suspension forks or disc braked), stay with discs and use AVID road pull callipers (BB5 or BB7).
He'd need to go down a size or two as drop bars need a shorter frame (to offset the longer reach in front of the headtube) if the bike came with an offset seatpost you could get 20mm back using an inline quite cheaply. You can't shorten the stem too much as it will make the steering twitchy.

seems like a really good suggestion. i’ll let him know. thanks

lettingthedaysgoby

thecyclingguy wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

£1350 at Start cycles - 50% off.

that’s one sexy looking bike

I’ve never understood the love for those. That lefty fork thing looks ridiculous.

Each to their own and all that...

The Rookie

What has looks ever had to do with how something performs?

lettingthedaysgoby

The Rookie wrote:

What has looks ever had to do with how something performs?

So aesthetics aren’t important?

To buy something based on function alone would make for a very dull world.

daniel_b

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

What has looks ever had to do with how something performs?

So aesthetics aren’t important?

To buy something based on function alone would make for a very dull world.

But this really is eye of the beholder stuff, a percentage of people like items that aren't considered classic, or beautiful by the masses, but may have a rugged or utilitarian attraction to it.
Plus a fair few people, will choose an item, simply because it is not a design that conforms, and therefore is less likely to be chosen by the average Joe in the street.

All imho.

lettingthedaysgoby

Daniel B wrote:

But this really is eye of the beholder stuff, a percentage of people like items that aren't considered classic, or beautiful by the masses, but may have a rugged or utilitarian attraction to it.
Plus a fair few people, will choose an item, simply because it is not a design that conforms, and therefore is less likely to be chosen by the average Joe in the street.

Oh, absolutely. But I don't think I could ride this particular bike without dying a little inside every time I saw my reflection in a window

graeme_s-2

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

Oh, absolutely. But I don't think I could ride this particular bike without dying a little inside every time I saw my reflection in a window

Whenever I see my reflection in a window while I'm riding mine I just think "Wow, that handsome man looks really happy - that bike must be lots of fun to ride!"

fat daddy

still undesided on the slate ..... I mostly want it for its looks ... I bought a Habit recently with a 120mm lefty, I freaking love it

but I cant help but think a CX bike would be a better ride than an over geared, questionable amount of travel and hard to find tyres of the slate

is anyone making decent knobbly 650bs yet ? ..... looking for Racing Ralph style knobbles

veronese68

Graeme_S wrote:

Whenever I see my reflection in a window while I'm riding mine I just think "Wow, that handsome man looks really happy - that bike must be lots of fun to ride!"

If I thought that I'd be more concerned about why the handsome man was following me around.
I actually like the bike in a weird sort of way. Not conventionally attractive but it has something about it, that's true of a lot of people as well. I do fancy a go on one.

keef66

veronese68 wrote:

Graeme_S wrote:

Whenever I see my reflection in a window while I'm riding mine I just think "Wow, that handsome man looks really happy - that bike must be lots of fun to ride!"

If I thought that I'd be more concerned about why the handsome man was following me around.
I actually like the bike in a weird sort of way. Not conventionally attractive but it has something about it, that's true of a lot of people as well. I do fancy a go on one.

The bike or one of the unattractive people??

keef66

Aesthetics is an important part of my buying preferences, but not at the expense of function. But assuming something does the job you need it to, I'd then consider paying a bit more for one that looked nicer, felt nicer etc. If it's something you see and use a lot, it's important.

My Bosch professional cordless tools are a good example; for the DIY jobs I do I could almost certainly have made do with something cheaper, but they actually make me smile every time I use them.

Few things more annoying than buying a slightly cheaper thing, then being irritated by some aspect of it's finish or performance every time you use it.

I recently helped a colleague choose a bike as a long service award. I got him to tell me what he wanted to do with it, and I came up with a short-list based on function / features / price. Then when I went to check out a few candidates in the local LBS I fell in love with the electric blue paint job on the Genesis Datum, so he had to have it! And if Rutland knock any more off, I'll be buying one too. I'm already working on my post-purchase justification...

I'm unusually ambivalent about the Slate; I'm sure the lefty fork would perform flawlessly, but I've always regarded it as a solution in search of a problem. And the look of it just messes with my head, which should write it off completely. But on the other hand, I'm strangely attracted by that paint job, and it looks even better in the flesh......

ravey1981

Theres some bad information been given already here. Some road shifters work perfectly well with MTB derailleurs but you are looking at older stuff. 9 and 10 speed shimano road shifters work perfectly with 9 speed mtb mechs. My cyclocross/gravel/bit of everything bike has 9spd Sora (Road) shifters, MTB 1x chainset (SLX) an XT rear mech and a 11-36 cassette. Brakes are the biggest issue as you are either looking at cable discs or V brakes. I have cable operated hydraulic discs which work fine. Realistically though...if you want a MTB with suspension forks then just get bar ends, it worked just fine in the past and gives you great hand positions.

FishFish

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

Oh, absolutely. But I don't think I could ride this particular bike without dying a little inside every time I saw my reflection in a window

If you were mountain biking then there would not be any proximate windows.
If you were mountain biking then you would be immortal and would not die a little, or more hopefully, a lot.