Swapping straight bar for drop bars

[Jetsfan901]

Thinking about looking into swapping my straight bar to a drop bar on my Yamaha Cross Core. Thought I would be more comfortable on a straight bar then a drop bar when I first purchased the bike, but finding that not to be the case on long rides. I did add ergonomic grips with horns, but still don't find as comfortable as riding on the hoods and being able to switch to multiple positions on the drop bars. I know I will have to switch out brake and gear levers, besides the bars. Does it make sense to do this or am I better off just eventually trading up to the Civante or a different bike with drop bars already included?

 

[WattsUpDude]

I've gone down this rabbit hole many times. I always end up concluding that it's not worth the time or money in most cases. If you want drop bars and brifters, you'll have to match components that will work with your rear derailleur, front derailleur, brakes, etc. So it's not just a matter of changing out two components. You'll need to match pull ratios with your existing derailleurs and brakes if possible. And even when all that is said and done, it's not guaranteed to have the correct ergonomics for your fit because the frame geometry is different between bikes with drop bars than those with flat bars.

 

[rich c]

I'm at the age where drop bars just bring me pain. A fall on black ice on a fat bike in 2018 provided me with a shoulder that can't take the pressure of drop bar positioning. I was quoted a very tempting price on a Giant demo with drop bars and asked about converting a flat bar. Plus $500 was the LBS owner's response. I thanked him for his time and moved on.

 

[Sierratim]

...eventually trading up to the Civante or a different bike with drop bars already included?

n+1 is always the best approach where bikes are concerned...

 

[Sierratim]

I'm at the age where drop bars just bring me pain. A fall on black ice on a fat bike in 2018 provided me with a shoulder that can't take the pressure of drop bar positioning. I was quoted a very tempting price on a Giant demo with drop bars and asked about converting a flat bar. Plus $500 was the LBS owner's response. I thanked him for his time and moved on.

Me, too. Gave up my last drop bar bike some years ago due to back pain. Flat bar bikes are now more comfortable for me, but YRMV.

 

[Deacon Blues]

With my two drop bar bikes (one an ebike and the other a light road bike) I find that my thumb and next two fingers (on both hands) constantly go numb on 50+ km rides. It's tolerable on my road bike but uncomfortable on my Cannondale Lefty 3 ebike. I'm not sure why the numbing is considerably worse on my Cannondale and after trying various small changes (bar rotation, shorter stem, and a stem with more of an angle to raise the height of the handlebar) I decided to make a major change and switch from a drop to a flat handlebar.

I'm going with a handlebar that was designed by a fellow who has travelled the world on his bicycle. The bar ends are swept back far enough to prevent any wrist pain, and the bar has horns to allow multiple hand positions.
Here's a link to the Backpacker bike Buyer's guide article on how the handlebar was designed: https://www.cyclingabout.com/koga-denham-bars/

I purchased the following parts that I'll need for the conversion (still waiting for my handlebar to arrive from the UK)
1. Deore XT shifter
2. Deore EX deraillier
3. Deore brake levers (will use original calipers)

 

[PedalUma]

I took a MTB and installed a riser bar that then drops and flares. Gravel style. Flat bars do not give multiple riding positions and this leads to rider fatigue. Now I can ride it longer and it is more fun. The air fork is nice. The Sondors need to draft this bike to try to keep up and conserve their power.

 

[stw]

Here is a drop bar conversion I did in April on a new iZip Sumo Bosch. I rode it a couple times with the 70cm wide flat-bar and it's ok but I'm a lot more comfortable on a drop bar, street or dirt. Brakes are TRP Hylex full hydro and they were a straightforward replacement for the stock Tektro full hydro flat bar levers/calipers. Not sure if there is there is a motor cut-off built into the stock levers--don't think so(?); didn't notice that before-after. Using internal routing required cutting rear hose, re-installing and bleeding it, easy to do once you have your hydro kit together.

Re-locating the shifter and Purion display is tricky since they are intended for a 22.2mm flat bar diameter and a drop bar is more like 24mm (except at center bulge which ranges from 24.5, 26, or 31.8) I may try to find a lower profile clamp mount for the shifter. The chunky mount is under tape and out of the way mostly, but it's not the way you want your finished conversion to look.

The front demi-porteur rack carries a boxy rando-bag from Swift Industries. Have three sizes of those, including a large capacity one.

Need to find 4"+ wide fenders before winter.

May find a rear rack for occasional cargo use, but haven't get seen any ok fat-bike rear racks that would fit.

 

[Elkman]

I have always put as large a diameter drop bar on my bikes and then add foam tape like that used on tennis rackets to provide even more contact area on the top of the bar. With tape I can have a thick top of a drop bar and thinner cross section at the drops. For a class III road bike the drop bars are great but not sure about them with a gravel bike off the pavement. Fewer compromises have to be made when you have two bikes than a single one for your riding.

 

[WattsUpDude]

Here is a drop bar conversion I did in April on a new iZip Sumo Bosch. I rode it a couple times with the 70cm wide flat-bar and it's ok but I'm a lot more comfortable on a drop bar, street or dirt. Brakes are TRP Hylex full hydro and they were a straightforward replacement for the stock Tektro full hydro flat bar levers/calipers. Not sure if there is there is a motor cut-off built into the stock levers--don't think so(?); didn't notice that before-after. Using internal routing required cutting rear hose, re-installing and bleeding it, easy to do once you have your hydro kit together.

Re-locating the shifter and Purion display is tricky since they are intended for a 22.2mm flat bar diameter and a drop bar is more like 24mm (except at center bulge which ranges from 24.5, 26, or 31.8) I may try to find a lower profile clamp mount for the shifter. The chunky mount is under tape and out of the way mostly, but it's not the way you want your finished conversion to look.

The front demi-porteur rack carries a boxy rando-bag from Swift Industries. Have three sizes of those, including a large capacity one.

Need to find 4"+ wide fenders before winter.

May find a rear rack for occasional cargo use, but haven't get seen any ok fat-bike rear racks that would fit.

A fatty drop bar. Had no idea I’d like that so much. Nice.

 

[PedalUma]

@stw, What tires are you running. They would be ideal for a friend's bike. The Thule rack on my blue Specialized conversion would work for the rear. That same buddy has nice mud guards that five inches wide on a Sondors.

 

[GH0ST]

I was also having wrist pain on my straight bars. I later bought a new bike with drops and I didn't realize how much more comfortable it was using drop bars. I looked into seeing what my options are for my older bike and ended up converting the straight bar to bull horns. This worked better than I thought and I was able to use the existing shifters and brakes. It was a simple conversion and I think it makes my bike look better too.

 

[stw]

@stw, What tires are you running. They would be ideal for a friend's bike. The Thule rack on my blue Specialized conversion would work for the rear. That same buddy has nice mud guards that five inches wide on a Sondors.

Those are Origin8 SuperCell, and a lot quieter than the VeeRubber knobbies that came stock. They weigh the same as the VeeRubber 26x4" and pretty close to exactly same width. I was worried they'd be undersized for 26x4" and lower my gearing. There are two SuperCell verions a 30tpi and a 120tpi. Mine are the 30tpi, and though higher threadcount in the casing is generally a sign of higher quality, the reviews you see including word here on EBR say the 30tpi version is more flat resistant and the 120tpi version get more flats. There could be other reasons for that besides the threadcount perhaps.
Nice Chisel.

 

[PedalUma]

Thank you @stw. I have sent my buddy a link to purchase those Origin8 SuperCell tires. Vees are retro in not a good way, and I like retro builds a lot. This mid-eighties bike I took down to the frame and cleaned up mixing 6 colors of paint. It will have a wrapped bar with thick gel instead of traditional grips. It should be running the hills of San Francisco this Thursday. More parts arrive today. Getting in the Chris King headset and Surly fork was the hard part. Next I will drill out the motor housing for a clean build with no connectors.

 

[nublar]

Another option is add on drops:

Amazon.com

But if you are converting flat bar to drop, the easiest option might be Gevenalle especially if you want to use your mtb gears.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I have a carbon road bike (drop bars) and I find the bars to be very comfortable, but I very rarely use the drop part of the bar. I'll use that lower position if I want to get more aero at higher speeds, or if I'm riding into a strong headwind. Otherwise, my hands are on the hoods or flat part of the bar.
Time spent on the hoods/flat part: 98%
Time spent on the drops: 2%

 

[stw]

I have a carbon road bike (drop bars) and I find the bars to be very comfortable, but I very rarely use the drop part of the bar. I'll use that lower position if I want to get more aero at higher speeds, or if I'm riding into a strong headwind. Otherwise, my hands are on the hoods or flat part of the bar.
Time spent on the hoods/flat part: 98%
Time spent on the drops: 2%

That's true for a lot of people--it's comfortable and there are still two or three positions on the upper bar. Still well worth it, I think, at least it's clearly worth it to you and would be worth it to me.

Back when I was younger (and racing road/track) my bar was 5" below the saddle height, and that was pretty usual. I was flexible and comfortable in the deep drops for long periods--in those days you stayed in the drops almost exclusively for the duration of a race, certainly a full hour at a time at least.

in my early 50s I noticed my neck wasn't as flexible as it had been and I started moving my (drop)bar up-- I noticed I never rode in the drops anymore and when I tried it was no longer comfortable. Over a couple years raising the bar in increments, it ended up 2" below the saddle as you see in the photos of the iZip posted above (how all my bikes are set up now). I'm 62 and have tried to ride with a higher bar that that, but I can't get comfortable unless it's at least 2" below saddle. One advantage of this is I enjoy riding in the drops again for long periods. I'm at 50%/50% or so hoods+ramps / drops. The "ramps" are the flat part of the bar facing forward just behind the hoods--a super comfortable positon for people who like drops, and is one of the 4-5 separate comfortable positions I get with a drop bar.

 

[PedalUma]

That's true for a lot of people--it's comfortable and there are still two or three positions on the upper bar. Still well worth it, I think, at least it's clearly worth it to you and would be worth it to me.

Back when I was younger (and racing road/track) my bar was 5" below the saddle height, and that was pretty usual. I was flexible and comfortable in the deep drops for long periods--in those days you stayed in the drops almost exclusively for the duration of a race, certainly a full hour at a time at least.

in my early 50s I noticed my neck wasn't as flexible as it had been and I started moving my (drop)bar up-- I noticed I never rode in the drops anymore and when I tried it was no longer comfortable. Over a couple years raising the bar in increments, it ended up 2" below the saddle as you see in the photos of the iZip posted above (how all my bikes are set up now). I'm 62 and have tried to ride with a higher bar that that, but I can't get comfortable unless it's at least 2" below saddle. One advantage of this is I enjoy riding in the drops again for long periods. I'm at 50%/50% or so hoods+ramps / drops. The "ramps" are the flat part of the bar facing forward just behind the hoods--a super comfortable positon for people who like drops, and is one of the 4-5 separate comfortable positions I get with a drop bar.

Check out this drop on the red electric bike. I just flipped the bar and cut 3/4 of an inch from each end for the café look. I did this before on a all chrome internally geared hub bike that was a blast to ride. What I like about the Condor II handle bar from SOMA on the electric Chisel is that it has a rise before the drop, then a flare to mix up positions, preventing fatigue.

 

[stw]

Check out this drop on the red electric bike. I just flipped the bar and cut 3/4 of an inch from each end for the café look. I did this before on a all chrome internally geared hub bike that was a blast to ride. What I like about the Condor II handle bar from SOMA on the electric Chisel is that it has a rise before the drop, then a flare to mix up positions, preventing fatigue.

Those bike builds are good inspiration for me. I need to know more about that middle chrome IGH bike--is that a mid-drive crank? or a mid-drive behind an Andel or Ene Gran Compe crank?

I'm a SOMA fan but didn't know about those Condor II bars until I saw them on your build in a pervious post. Given the very low stack so many modern performance bikes come with, a drop bar with it's own couple inches of rise could keep a nice frame usable when the slammed stem is no longer comfortable and when there might not be good options for risers stems on carbon steerers.

 

[mclewis1]

I was also having wrist pain on my straight bars. I later bought a new bike with drops and I didn't realize how much more comfortable it was using drop bars. I looked into seeing what my options are for my older bike and ended up converting the straight bar to bull horns. This worked better than I thought and I was able to use the existing shifters and brakes. It was a simple conversion and I think it makes my bike look better too.

View attachment 92434View attachment 92433View attachment 92432

I'm thinking along similar lines. What brand bull horn bars are those?