ebikecali

New Member
Hi everyone,
Was just wondering if anyone tried to replace the handlebars on their e-bike (pedelec/mid-drive) with a drop handlebars? If yes, could you please share with us how you did. Do you guys think it is possible and is it recommended?

Thank you
 
Looking through your posting history, I saw you were looking at a couple of Treks. Did you buy one? Converting is possible, but it can be expensive; dual control levers are not cheap, especially ones for hydraulic brakes.
 
I think the reason for the upright posture of most e-bikes is that that's the safest posture for urban/suburban commuting and errand-running and recreational type riding. The lowered forward lean posture of drop handlebars compromises vision. The goal of those handlebars is to make the rider more aerodynamic, which isn't a need for e-bike riders.
 
Looking through your posting history, I saw you were looking at a couple of Treks. Did you buy one? Converting is possible, but it can be expensive; dual control levers are not cheap, especially ones for hydraulic brakes.
Yes, I bought the Trek XM700+ last week.
 
I bought the Trek XM700+ last week.

Shimano does not make 10-speed hydraulic road levers, so you would have to convert to 11-speed, meaning dual control levers, new rear derailleur, cassette, and chain. Also, Shimano does not make a left lever that is hydraulic brake only, so you would have a shifter there that would be non-functional. SRAM does make road levers with a single shifter (used on the Trek CrossRip+) but I do not know if those levers would work with Shimano's disc calipers, so if you went with SRAM, it would be levers, derailleur, chain, cassette, and disc calipers.
 
BTW, I want to convert my Haibike, but because of the expense, I changed my bars to the Origin8 Strongbow, which gives me a few more hand positions. It's not quite as satisfying as a drop bar, but it's pretty good, and it is inexpensive at $60-80. You might also look at trekking/butterfly bars.

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