Bicycle Mechanics - Cost of adding trekking bars

I'm considering converting to trekking, or butterfly, handlebars for my Giant Hybrid bike. I know there have been plenty of posts about this, and I've tried to read them, but I haven't found an answer. My questions is regarding how much that would cost.

I think the only difficulty would be that the cables will probably have to be shortened. I think the brake levers and the grip shifters should fit on nicely, so that shouldn't be an issue. Cost is definitely a concern. It doesn't make much sense to spend $100, for instance, on the handlebars when I bought the bike for under $300. Also, the handlebars are just $10. I wouldn't want the cost of installing them too much more than the cost of the item.

I've considered doing it myself, but I don't have the tools. I think I would need cable cutters (>$20), housing ends ($8), and cable ends ($8). From what I've read, also a file to prepare the housing after cutting it. Any ideas on approximately what this would run me?

$3 wire cutters from the crap tool bin at the hardware store will work fine for your purposes. Housing ends and cable ends should cost you like a buck and a smile at your local shop, and if you're buying the bars from them they should throw them in. You do need a file to prep the housing ends, you want a mill or mill bastard file, but the $5 6" one is big enough. If you don't have a vice, hold the file down flat on a table with one hand and push the housing toward the pointed end of the file with the other, this is easier than trying to file accurately out in space. So yeah, you should be able to do this for $10, and you get to keep the tools. Good cable cutters are indeed expensive, but I'm not sure where you got the cable and housing ends figures, unless those were the prices for jars of 100.

I put trekking bars on my Specialized Crossroads hybrid for a total cost of about $30, including tools. Don't forget bar tape!

You won't necessarily have to shorten cables, I didn't when I switched from flat bars. My only expenses where the bars and some cork bar tape, which where under $20. A set of allen wrenches where the only tools I needed.

You won't necessarily have to shorten cables, I didn't when I switched from flat bars. My only expenses where the bars and some cork bar tape, which where under $20. A set of allen wrenches where the only tools I needed.

+1

The only costs are the bars which are cheap and some new bar tape. All you need tool wise is a 5 mm alen key and maybe a phillips screwdriver depending on what type of shifters you have. You don't need to cut cables.

Regards, Anthony