Hybrid Bicycles - Flat Bar Brakes and Shifters on Drops?

Has this ever been done? Is it even possible and what concerns would the group have about converting? I'd love to have a couple more positions available and this seems like a very low cost way to achieve that. If anyone has any pics I would greatly appreciate it!!

Google drop bar ends. You can add these to make flats like drops. Flat bars are a different dia than drops, so interchange can be Kloodgy

I bought some drop bar ends for my flat bar. Very comfy. See this thread for a pic of my bike.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/762683-Replace-suspension-fork-on-Specialized-Crosstrail
Nashbar does sell brake levers for the application, cheap price too. If you chose to buy a drop handlebar for your neck/stem clamp that fits and you buy the cheap brake levers, your shifters will not make it around the drop bar curves, they will snap. Also you may need to buy longer brake cables as the levers will be further away from the original spot on your flat bar.
So either do it like me and buy the 20.00 drop bar ends on ebay and that's it. Or buy the brake levers as well as the drop bar ends and thats it, (now you are up to around 60.00) or buy a new drop bar and also spend at least 100.00+ on a pair of brake/shifter combos. Now your into a little money.
Me? I bought the drop bar ends and thats it. Aside from a rigid fork swap, I will save the rest of the money for a real road bike if I choose to.

Good luck!!

If you want more positions, get a copy of the Kama Sutra.

I did a conversion, for $50. The bars, i got used at a recycle store, and were $15. I got brakes also used, for $20, although i could have gotten new on amazon for $25. I had to buy new cables for the brakes, which were ~$10. To attach my shifters, I first tried bench grinding the bars, to no avail. I also tried prying the shifters open, but the problem is the difference in diameters. In the end I used a piece of metal, that fit in the bars, and shimmed it so it was large enough for the shifters.
219089
It works surprisingly well, and is much cheaper that the other conversions.
However, the drop bar clip-ons will also work.
Good Luck!

Aero road brake levers do not pull enough cable to work well with V-brakes.

Aero road brake levers do not pull enough cable to work well with V-brakes.
Generally, they don't, unless they are specifically designed for V brakes. Tektro and Cane Creek make a model that can be used for both.

stem shifters are available for cheap or some people just move their trigger shifters out next to the brake hoods and just do that. brifters are not necessary.

I am most interested in just leaving the shifters and brakes on the flats of the drop bars similar to where they would be on flat bars. Am I understanding this is not practical because of the diameter of the bars? Thanks!

i just use flat bar ends set up like bull horns. it's not quite as good as drops but much easier and cheaper

http://velospace.org/files/P1010022.jpg

If you want more positions, get a copy of the Kama Sutra.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. If I was drinking anything, I would have spit it out on my keyboard.

You don't have to convert to drops to gain more hand positions. Though the drop bar ends have been mentioned already, I'd go a slightly different route- I'd get something like these (http://ravx.com/products/bar_ends/ergo_x.html). Of course, getting a Nashbar Trekking bar (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175533_-1_201521_10000_202446) would give you about as many hand positions as you'd ever really need...

I bought some drop bar ends for my flat bar. Very comfy. See this thread for a pic of my bike.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/762683-Replace-suspension-fork-on-Specialized-Crosstrail
Nashbar does sell brake levers for the application, cheap price too. If you chose to buy a drop handlebar for your neck/stem clamp that fits and you buy the cheap brake levers, your shifters will not make it around the drop bar curves, they will snap. Also you may need to buy longer brake cables as the levers will be further away from the original spot on your flat bar.
So either do it like me and buy the 20.00 drop bar ends on ebay and that's it. Or buy the brake levers as well as the drop bar ends and thats it, (now you are up to around 60.00) or buy a new drop bar and also spend at least 100.00+ on a pair of brake/shifter combos. Now your into a little money.
Me? I bought the drop bar ends and thats it. Aside from a rigid fork swap, I will save the rest of the money for a real road bike if I choose to.

Good luck!!

Do you actually ride around in the drop bar position much ?? Those drop bar end things are cheesy. And, what is a "real" road bike ? Give me a break ...

Does anyone have a pic of that Nashbar Trekking Bar installed? Looks wild!

Does anyone have a pic of that Nashbar Trekking Bar installed? Looks wild!
There's plenty around here, but it may easier to view the Novara Safari from REI (http://www.rei.com/product/807245/novara-safari-bike-2012), as it comes stock with bars that are really, really close....

Do you actually ride around in the drop bar position much ?? Those drop bar end things are cheesy. And, what is a "real" road bike ? Give me a break ...

They are not cheesey actually, Very comfy and I use them often now that i have them on. What I meant by a real road bike is one that has road bike geometry, better components, lighter overal, shifters and brakes on the bars ect ect .
Do all of you canadiens behave like this? Funny on a different thread I got warm welcome to this site. I guess you were not one of them.
Amazing when folks are not in front of you what they will say.

Does anyone have a pic of that Nashbar Trekking Bar installed? Looks wild!

Pulled this off of google images...

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/images/cc066-3Hbars.jpg

Pulled this off of google images...

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/images/cc066-3Hbars.jpg

I wonder if putting normal mtb brake levers on the part nearest the seat and then cyclocross style interrupter levers up at the most aero position would work to give two different braking positions. It seems where the shift levers are in that picture would give most accessibility for those.

They are not cheesey actually, Very comfy and I use them often now that i have them on. What I meant by a real road bike is one that has road bike geometry, better components, lighter overal, shifters and brakes on the bars ect ect .
Do all of you canadiens behave like this? Funny on a different thread I got warm welcome to this site. I guess you were not one of them.
Amazing when folks are not in front of you what they will say.

Comments like what ??? I gave my opinion on drop bar ends. They are cheesy IMO but so what, it's just my opinion on an accessory. Didn't mention anything personal about you at all. BTW, personal attacks and the threat of physical violence are not allowed here ...... zero tolerance, IIRC.

I had to clean up the thread a bit. Time to take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard for a while.

Easy there Tom d. Throwing stones at Talldog's "aggressive reply" is unwise for some one who writes "...happy to give you my address tough guy and i will be happy to give you a break." I'm happy that you're happy and I know Talldog is happy. The hybrids forum is a big happy family and we don't rat each other out to Moderators for perceived threats of violence unless we believe there is a chance the threat may be carried out. I know you were angry and didn't mean what you wrote.

On the other hand such veiled threats are taken very seriously by the moderators and you can get banned, temporarily unless a repeat offender such as myself who is one infraction from permanent banishment. I don't remember what I said to get my most recent infraction but it was much less overt than what you have written.

So take it light. Talldog is a mean old dog, but his bark is worse than his bite. :)

Easy there Tom d. Throwing stones at Talldog's "aggressive reply" is unwise for some one who writes "...happy to give you my address tough guy and i will be happy to give you a break." I'm happy that you're happy and I know Talldog is happy. The hybrids forum is a big happy family and we don't rat each other out to Moderators for perceived threats of violence unless we believe there is a chance the threat may be carried out. I know you were angry and didn't mean what you wrote.

On the other hand such veiled threats are taken very seriously by the moderators and you can get banned, temporarily unless a repeat offender such as myself who is one infraction from permanent banishment. I don't remember what I said to get my most recent infraction but it was much less overt than what you have written.

So take it light. Talldog is a mean old dog, but his bark is worse than his bite. :)


Thanks for your post. QMSD

To the Super Moderator. you have my apologies for my post, I myself just would never write what he wrote without expecting some sort of negative response. When someone says to me "give me a break" It's a complete bark against my post and I was merely writing back how I felt he treated my post, as I was responding to a post and I had information which I thought would help the initial poster. So I publicly retract my statement in my post if anyone felt they were in a hostile thread. Guess he barked at the wrong dog. I Just think people would behave differently in the same room rather than another country away. That's why I get irritated. Plus he has a Y. Bera quote in his sig. which would lead to me to believe that he could be a Yankees fan from Canada, which means I have to hate him.....sry Taldog just the way it is over here in Boston.


Tom

Once Boston produces someone worth quoting, I'm sure you'll see fewer other quotes :thumb: :lol:

Guess he barked at the wrong dog .... Plus he has a Y. Bera quote in his sig. which would lead to me to believe that he could be a Yankees fan from Canada, which means I have to hate him.....sry Taldog just the way it is over here in Boston.


Tom

You should probably quit while you are ahead ... or something like that. :banned:

And I'm a Tigers fan.