Converting my wife’s drop bar road bike to a flat bar
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Converting my wife’s drop bar road bike to a flat bar
Hi,
I am trying to figure out if I can simply buy flat bar v brake levers and mtb style cables to work on my wife’s mechanical road disc brakes. She is having issues with the drop bars, and I want to convert it to a flat bar for her. The bike is a mix of Sora and Tiagra.
Im not sure what mechanical brakes they are. I took a bad picture of them as the bike is tucked away in my shed.
Regarding the shifting, it seems that I can use any Shimano compatible shifter that has a 2 x 9.
I have been reading conflicting info on the internet and was hoping someone familiar with these conversions could help me out.
Thanks
I am trying to figure out if I can simply buy flat bar v brake levers and mtb style cables to work on my wife’s mechanical road disc brakes. She is having issues with the drop bars, and I want to convert it to a flat bar for her. The bike is a mix of Sora and Tiagra.
Im not sure what mechanical brakes they are. I took a bad picture of them as the bike is tucked away in my shed.
Regarding the shifting, it seems that I can use any Shimano compatible shifter that has a 2 x 9.
I have been reading conflicting info on the internet and was hoping someone familiar with these conversions could help me out.
Thanks
#2
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6215 Post(s)
Liked 4,213 Times
in
2,362 Posts
Hi,
I am trying to figure out if I can simply buy flat bar v brake levers and mtb style cables to work on my wife’s mechanical road disc brakes. She is having issues with the drop bars, and I want to convert it to a flat bar for her. The bike is a mix of Sora and Tiagra.
Im not sure what mechanical brakes they are. I took a bad picture of them as the bike is tucked away in my shed.
Regarding the shifting, it seems that I can use any Shimano compatible shifter that has a 2 x 9.
I have been reading conflicting info on the internet and was hoping someone familiar with these conversions could help me out.
Thanks
I am trying to figure out if I can simply buy flat bar v brake levers and mtb style cables to work on my wife’s mechanical road disc brakes. She is having issues with the drop bars, and I want to convert it to a flat bar for her. The bike is a mix of Sora and Tiagra.
Im not sure what mechanical brakes they are. I took a bad picture of them as the bike is tucked away in my shed.
Regarding the shifting, it seems that I can use any Shimano compatible shifter that has a 2 x 9.
I have been reading conflicting info on the internet and was hoping someone familiar with these conversions could help me out.
Thanks
If the discs are being used with drop bar road levers, they are short pull. Going to a v-brake lever would be not work quite correctly. See this discussion over in the Touring forum. You need levers for cantilever brakes or road brakes.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Likes For cyccommute:
#3
Newbie
Thread Starter
If the discs are being used with drop bar road levers, they are short pull. Going to a v-brake lever would be not work quite correctly. See this discussion over in the Touring forum. You need levers for cantilever brakes or road brakes.
Thanks for the info!
#4
...
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Whitestone and Rensselaerville, New York
Posts: 1,502
Bikes: Bicycles? Yup.
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 479 Post(s)
Liked 1,574 Times
in
731 Posts
The brake mfgr says the Render R model works with road levers.
https://www.promaxcomponents.com/pro...-r-disc-brake/
https://www.promaxcomponents.com/pro...-r-disc-brake/
Likes For BTinNYC:
#5
Newbie
Thread Starter
Thanks for the responses. Got the info I was looking for fast! You guys are the best.
Great info in the linked thread from cyccomute.
Cheers
Great info in the linked thread from cyccomute.
Cheers
#6
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,984
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 51 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6190 Post(s)
Liked 4,806 Times
in
3,315 Posts
If you look for the exact part number that is printed somewhere on your Shimano products, then we all will be better able to tell you something. Shimano makes compatibility charts for their products. But that only is for intermixing Shimano stuff.
If the bike has Shimano STI's then pull up the rubber covers and the part number will be embossed on the body somewhere. For DRs it'll be on on the backside of them. On the outside of the inner cage plate for the front DR and the backside of the parallelogram or pivot assembly. Sometimes difficult to see when installed, but not impossible with good light, good eyes and maybe a good camera you can zoom in with.
For disc brakes look near the frame or fork mount on the inside of the caliper body.
If the bike has Shimano STI's then pull up the rubber covers and the part number will be embossed on the body somewhere. For DRs it'll be on on the backside of them. On the outside of the inner cage plate for the front DR and the backside of the parallelogram or pivot assembly. Sometimes difficult to see when installed, but not impossible with good light, good eyes and maybe a good camera you can zoom in with.
For disc brakes look near the frame or fork mount on the inside of the caliper body.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,691
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 430 Post(s)
Liked 460 Times
in
318 Posts
Regarding the shifting, it seems that I can use any Shimano compatible shifter that has a 2 x 9.
This is the part I'd be worried about, as Shimano road and mountain groups aren't exactly 100% interchangeable, so you'll be safer going with a dedicated flat bar road shifter setup. Otherwise, if you use MTB shifters, the front shifter/derailleur combination in particular could give problems.
#8
Advanced Slacker
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,210
Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2762 Post(s)
Liked 2,537 Times
in
1,433 Posts
Regarding brakes: like others have said, you calipers need short pull levers, AKA canti levers. Don’t use v-brake levers, as those are long pull. I am highly dubious of any lever that claims it does both unless they have an extremely large about of lever pull adjustment.
Regarding shifting:
Any Shimano 9 speed shifter will work with your 9 speed rear derailleur: Road MTB, or “flat bar road”. Any will work.
The front is a different story, as Road and MTB use different shifters. For this reason, you want to look for a shifter made for “Flat Bar Road”.
Regarding shifting:
Any Shimano 9 speed shifter will work with your 9 speed rear derailleur: Road MTB, or “flat bar road”. Any will work.
The front is a different story, as Road and MTB use different shifters. For this reason, you want to look for a shifter made for “Flat Bar Road”.
Likes For Kapusta: