Conversion of Hybrid -> Road Bike

jonboyuk

Hi all,

I've recently started commuting 22+ miles a day and got an absolute steal on a hybrid bike! However, being a complete cycling newbie, I kinda wish I'd got a road bike instead. I say this because I'm starting to get invitations to events abroad (ie 700KM of Nice -> Barcelona) and am not sure my Hybrid is going to keep up.

Anyway this is my bike below: A Cannondale Quick Carbon 2 2017



Q1. Would this bike actually be suitable for such long events? I don't think I've ever seen anyone do epic tours with flats?
Q2. I'm guessing I can't change this to a drop handlebar? I get that it means a new groupset etc, but what cost are we talking? I've also been criticized by some friends for buying a bike with a Sora groupset. Hey ho - what do I know? :oops:

If it helps, here's the current spec of my bike.

Frame Quick Full Carbon G2, SAVE, BB30
Fork Quick Si G2, Carbon, 1-1/8"
Front Derailleur Shimano Sora 3500
Rear Derailleur Shimano Sora 3500
Number of Gears 18
Shifters Shimano Sora 3500
Chain set FSA Omega Compact, BB30, 50/37
Bottom Bracket FSA BB30
Cassette Shimano Sora 3500, 11-30, 9-speed
Chain KMC X9, 9-speed
Brakeset Shimano BR-M355 hydraulic disc, 160/160mm
Handlebars Cannondale C3, 6061 alloy, 660mm, 3 deg rise, 10 deg sweep
Stem Cannondale C3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 12 deg.
Headset Tange Si 1-1/8"
Grips Cannondale Ergo Performance, Lock-On
Rims Maddux DC3.0 Disc, double wall, 32-hole
Front Hub Alloy Disc, sealed, loose ball bearings, QR, 32h
Rear Hub Alloy Disc, sealed, loose ball bearings, QR, 32h
Front Tyre Schwalbe Lugano 700x25c
Rear Tyre Schwalbe Lugano 700x25c
Spokes Stainless, 15g
Saddle Cannondale Quick Ergo Performance
Seatpost Cannondale C3, 6061 Alloy, 27.2x350mm

Incidentally, I don't aim to burn money unnecessarily and can accept that it's impossible if that's the case. That said, suggestions of buying a new bike aren't going to be much use to me now

Anyway, any thoughts would be good, thanks

cougie

If I was you I'd maybe look at narrowing the bars and fitting bar ends.

Going to drops will cost money in new levers.

jonboyuk

So would you say it's possible (in the future perhaps?) I mean, I love the frame but don't know if it would be suitable for drops.

CitizenLee

Possible? Definitely.

Worth it? Depends on cost of new bars, lever/shifter units, bar tape and whatever else you'd need.

Probably cheaper to hire a road bike for your trip, once you also factor in the cost of taking your own with you (unless driving obviously).

https://www.we-rent-bikes.com

As above, try cutting your bars down slightly in the meantime. Adjusting the angle of sweep may also put you in a racier position.

andy9964

If you do decide to cut down the bars, make sure the brakes and shifters will move further inboard first. *cough, ahem * :oops:
Hyd discs mean you won't be able to use the regular Sora 3500 shifters, if you do change the bars to drops, unless you change the calipers to cable operated items. That would be the cheapest option. Keeping the hyd discs with road shifters would mean upgrading the groupset to 10/11 speed (AFAIK there is no 9 speed hyd option for road shifters - happy to be proved wrong tho)

cougie

It's perfectly possible to do your long rides on the bike. Your position on the bars will be quite high compared to drop bars.

Bar ends will be very cheap. You could look at Tri bars to narrow your position further. You should have the space on the bars for it anyway. Tri bars will be good if it's a lot of flat you're doing. Not so if it's a lot of climbing.

Changing the levers will get expensive and as has been pointed out you may need to change some more components - that's when the cost /benefit will start to outweigh.

Nick Payne

Before making changes, I'd suggest that you first try a couple of longer rides with your present setup to see if it's comfortable. My wife has flat bars with barends on all her bikes - she used to use drop bars, but found she would get a sore back on long days from the forward leaning position, particularly in the mountains, and also that with small hands, she had problems with prolonged braking on mountain descents. I converted one of her bikes to flat bars, and she liked it so much that I've converted her other bikes as well. She's done some pretty long tours with flat bars - eg through Switzerland and France to the Pyrenees, through Switzerland and Germany and Austria to Vienna and back. And on the occasions that we've gone touring with groups, she's had no problem keeping up.

Here's one of the flat bar conversions setup for touring:



p.s. Not all touring bikes have drop bars. CyclingAbout listed a selection of flat bar touring bikes recently: https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-touring-bicycles-flat-handlebars/.

mercia_man

If you are comfortable on your hybrid there is no reason why you could not do long rides on it. You have a good lightweight frame, excellent brakes and gears suitable for hills and even mountains.

Flat bar hybrid trekking bikes are popular in Europe with Dutch and German tourists, for example, riding big distances on them. My wife has done a 3,000-mile tour on her flat bar bike. British-style drop bar touring bikes are very rarely seen in Europe.

The advantage of a drop bar bike for long rides, apart from aesthetics, is the variety of hand positions. Bar ends will give an extra position for flat bars. And if you are riding into a headwind, going down onto the hooks of drops is useful.

Speed is more about your fitness rather than having drop or flat handlebars. Comfort on the bike is the most important thing for long rides.

If you decide you really need a drop bar bike for long rides, hiring one is cheaper and much less hassle than converting your existing bike. Its geometry is optimised for flat bars. Sticking on drops (it already has a short stem) will make it a significantly longer stretch to your hand position on the bars.

jonboyuk

Wow thank you all. There's some really useful information in all those posts.

I think on balance, I'll just invest in some decent bar ends. I just think I'll look like a numpty around the rest of the team with their drops - so yea maybe hiring is the best option in that instance of a tour!! As far as speed goes, it's a quick bike where I can often sustain 18/20mph on the flat (which is good for me).

As for changing to drops one day. Well I suppose if I do ever decide to do it, it may be okay since I recently replaced my stem for a 130mm one since the short one was far too cramped for me. I guess it's just about finding a product that works with hydraulic discs (if that exists?)

Thanks all!

keef66

If you're comfy on the bike as it is, stick with it. No reason you couldn't use it for long / multi day rides. If people criticize your choice of bike or groupset, it says more about them than you. Aerodynamics aside, it's the rider that makes one bike faster than another.

Converting a hybrid to drop bars can be done, but it's relatively expensive. If you eventually decide you'd prefer drop bars it may be simpler to sell the hybrid and buy a full on road bike

jonboyuk

I think you're right. I don't mind being different (as long as I can keep up with the group!!) Thanks!

cougie

I'd not hire a bike unless you have the chance to ride it for a few weeks before. Comfort trumps speed.

What distances are you doing and how many people riding ? What standard are they ?

jonboyuk

About 750km in 7 days. 40ish. Split into 2 groups (Good riders/not so good riders). I'll be joining the latter.

Matthewfalle

jonboyuk wrote:

Wow thank you all. There's some really useful information in all those posts.

I think on balance, I'll just invest in some decent bar ends. I just think I'll look like a numpty around the rest of the team with their drops - so yea maybe hiring is the best option in that instance of a tour!! As far as speed goes, it's a quick bike where I can often sustain 18/20mph on the flat (which is good for me).

As for changing to drops one day. Well I suppose if I do ever decide to do it, it may be okay since I recently replaced my stem for a 130mm one since the short one was far too cramped for me. I guess it's just about finding a product that works with hydraulic discs (if that exists?)

Thanks all!

It's not a team so don't think it is.

It's a fun ride so get your position sorted, if needs be drop the stem, maybe even fit a negative job, decent tyres, saddle, pedals it'll rock.

jonboyuk

Team - as in coming together to achieve a common goal! That's all I meant.

But thanks for the encouragement, I do like the idea of my bike rocking!

shirley_basso

That's actually a really really nice bike you have. Sounds like the tour you're about to do will test the legs far more than the bikes, so definitely don't worry about that. My brother actually did the opposite and converted a road bike to a hybrid and had zero issues keeping up with his pals, so don't worry about that.

For me, aside from cost, the key thing to consider if you want to convert it is the size. Very broadly speaking, road bikes have shorter top tubes, offset by longer stems and even further reach as the shifters are situated another 7-8 cm forwards on the bars. This allows you to be stretched out and spread the weight evenly between hands and backside. Hybrids, by comparison have longer top tubes, shorter stems and 0 additional reach as your hands are immediately on the bars, giving a more upright position.

Someone with more experience than me will be able to tell you if you can make the switch and the bike still fit you correctly, but bear in mind you could be looking at around £300-£400 in parts: Hydro shifters, new F+R mechs, new cassette, maybe even new wheels which would mean more £££ as the whole thing would need to go 11speed as I don't think you can buy 10 speed hydraulic STIs.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

After all the conversion costs, it might be better to simply buy a drop bar bike, like the BTwin 520.

https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cat ... iew-51887/

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520- ... 77757.html

Matthewfalle

jonboyuk wrote:

Team - as in coming together to achieve a common goal! That's all I meant.

But thanks for the encouragement, I do like the idea of my bike rocking!

seriously - it'll be well cool. The MFs rate it.

apreading

The key to long distance riding is more about having a bike that fits you rather than what shape the handlebars are.

I rode a Boardman Hybrid with bar ends on many centuries and week long tours and never once felt I needed different bars on it. I was every bit as quick as I am now I have a fancy drop bar carbon bike and often outpaced club riders posing on expensive drop bar bikes on the hills (although the faster ones left me in their dust but that is nothing to do with the bike, more the rider).

Drop bars gets you a lower centre of gravity which is useful downhill and gets you slightly more aero when in the drops - which for most people is less than 10% of the time.

If you want hydraulic brakes still (which you should) then replacing the shifters and brakes and probably the rear derailleur would not really be cost effective. Plus drop bars place your hands further forwards so you would have to shorten the stem alot to achieve the required reach, which may not even be possible and might create a twitchy bike if you go too short on stem. Hybrids normally have a longer top tube than drop bar bikes because the bars dont add to the reach, so the whole geometry is different. You would be better off buying a cheap road bike already set up.

jonboyuk

Once again, thank you all for your extremely detailed responses. I'm going to stick with my bike. Forget about drops and become a master of the flat!!

You've all convinced me!!! Thank you

jonboyuk

Matthewfalle wrote:

seriously - it'll be well cool. The MFs rate it.

What's an MF?

jonboyuk

Well after a few more weeks of persevering with my Hybrid - I got rid of it. Actually (long story) it was the wrong size so the bike shop refunded me for giving me the wrong advice! I've now just swapped it for this



Excited - but have to wait a week for delivery. I hope it's better than my Hybrid! (Cannondale Synapse 105 Disc 2018)!

Does anyone know if I can switch the 105 hydro shifters for Ultegra without changing the whole groupset? I've seen some pretty bad comments about these shifters.

Thanks all - and sorry to revive this post.

apreading

Most important thing is the bike fit. I guess that why you werent happy from the start, if it was the wrong size.

I would ride with the 105 shifters before changing. Many people are fine with them, a small number prefer them but some dont like in particular the bleed port which sticks out at the bottom. I think how you get on with them depends if that bleed port is in a position that it makes your natural grip awkward. I dont think the shape at the top is really an issue - you dont notice it when riding, it just looks a bit naff.

The ultegra ones are not a cheap upgrade but yes, they should work without changing anything else except perhaps the hoses as I think they will need a different length, so that means redoing the bar tape too.

As said, I would give it a while and see how you get on.

jonboyuk

Well if it's largely a visual thing, then I will do as you suggest and see how I get on with them. Thanks!!

shirley_basso

The shifters are ace, but I will agree they look a bit cack. A switch to ultegra won't be too hard but a waste of money, as functionality wise they are pretty much the same.

That's a really really awesome bike you've got there and the colourway is absolutely amazing having seen it in the flesh myself. Happy riding.

jonboyuk

Haha, yea I agree the look a bit cack, but if the change in functionality is virtually zero then I agree there is little point. It's only because 2 reviews I read said it had oversized and uncomfortable hoods, but as apreading says I'll give them a go first. I've not seen it in the flesh but I think it's a sort of metallic colourway - looking forward to the delivery Thanks Shirley.