[stever]

hi all
im thinking of converting my tandem with drops
to mountain bike style bars for an upcoming tour to poland....

is it worth it ?????????

also changing to rapidfire shifters as i have bar end shifters at the moment...

also has anyone used the 2 finger levers for magura brakes...

as for gears i dont know how hilly it will be in the tatras ???
also the carpathian mountains ????

will i have to change the headset to the "ahead" system

whew loads of questions

cheers steve
from not so sunny girvan ayrshire scotland

[The BikeForums Team]

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

[Michel Gagnon]

Why?

A tandem is probably the only type of bike for which it might be worthwile. But still, you will need a new stem, a new handlebar, new shifters and new brake handles.

There might be one or two cheaper options to consider.

1. If you are OK with drop bars, but just find them too low, raise your stem or get a stem with a very long quill. I have a Zoom stem raised so it shows about 100-110 mm of quill. If you have a threadless headset, there is a way to get a riser too.

2. Or you may get moustache handlebars. Some like them and many hate them, it seems. They look like old-fashioned "straight" bars, but accept your brakes and shifters.

Regards,

[stever]

re zoom stem

cheers for info

does that mean changing to the ahead system

i think your right it would be quite a bit of money
[and no im not a mean scotsman ]:D :D :D :D

i will have a look re zoom stems


:beer:

[Michel Gagnon]

Originally posted by stever
re zoom stem

does that mean changing to the ahead system

ii will have a look re zoom stems



There is a Zoom stem that fits on top of your Aheadset fork. It has an ajustable gooseneck to allow you to raise it.

If you want to raise handlebars a lot, there is another adaptor that you install on top of your Aheadset, and onto which you put a traditional stem. No idea if that one is very rigid, however.

Finally, a more expensive option (still cheaper than changing handlebars) would be to get a new fork, keep it at full length and put spacers under the stem. Depending on the colour of your bike, you could choose a nice contrastnng colour that would look made on purpose.

I should warn you that my two bikes and all the bikes of my friends have the traditional threaded headlset, so I am not as familiar with your type of headset. Still, it is doable.

Regards,

[Davet]

I would tell you to keep the bar-end shifters, they are extremely reliable. I would second what mgagnonlv said about the stem. Merely replace the one you have with one that is taller. There is no practical reason and no mechanical reason to change out your fork/headset/stem for an ahead system. Some even consider the threadless to be less advantageous than the threaded system you have. The threaded system certainly is easier to adjust stem height. It sounds like, perhaps a long-quilled stem would be a solution for you, at very moderate costs.

Regarding the terrain you are planning to ride in. Do you local libraries have maps that could help you? Or maybe the Automobile Association (RAC, I think).

Try these sites: http://www.peakware.com/encyclopedia/ranges/carpathian.htm

http://www.cs.put.poznan.pl/holidays/tatry/index_old.html

Hope this helps.

[stever]

again chaps thanks for info

i will try a longer stem

it would be expensive re flat bars as i would have to change
the levers and the shifters

i will look at the sites re info

ta

steve :beer:

[MichaelW]

Check out the Trento Bike pages for touring info on your area.

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/