Throwmeabone

I have a 2008 Jamis Coda. I like mostly everything about the bike; the steel frame, rack and fender mounts, 28 mm tires. The only thing I regret is not springing for a bike with drop bars. I could either sell it and lose money and buy a Surly Cross-Check or LHT, or I could convert this bike to drop bars. I think it will be more cost effective to convert it. After doing some reading on these forums, here are the parts I've picked out:

On-One Midge Handlebar
Tektro RL520 brake levers
Shimano Ultegra 8 speed bar-end shifters
Cheap mountain bike stem. The stem currently on the bike is 100 mm, so I'll probably get the 60 mm length to compensate for the longer reach of the bars.


I'll probably get new cables and housing from the LBS and have them install everything.

Questions:
1. Do these parts look like they will work with each other and do you have any better suggestions?
2. Will the brake levers I picked work with v-brakes?
3. Is there a cheaper source to get the On-One Midge handlebars? There aren't a lot of websites that sell it.

wrk101

Cheap Bill (me) would try trekking bars first. Will only cost about $20, can reuse all of your flat bar components.

Another alternative is to go the N+1 route. For the cost of this conversion (particularly when you have to pay someone to do it), you could buy a pretty nice used road bike with drop bars.

AnthonyG

The parts look like they will work together but I don't think the levers are suitable for v-brakes. I expect that any levers suitable for v-brakes will state that they are suitable. Going for seperate brake levers and bar end shifters is definitely the cost effective way to do it. Buying a new set of brifters at retail price is VERY expensive.

I'm not sure if you would need a shorter stem. You kind of need to fit the bars first, do a setup and see what you like.

The drop bars you've linked to are touring specialty bars. If I was using them I would like to know what width they came in.

Anthony

frankenmike 

Are the midges drop bars? I recall seeing a set in the shop, and they were like wide flats with a short forward then back sweep.

fuzz2050

Mike, I think the bars you are thinking of are the On-One Marys. The Midges look a lot like the old WTB Dirt Drops. They also make a mustache bar, by some equally odd name. While they are great bars, if you want something cheaper, just get a normal set of drops. You can probably get them used locally for a fraction of the cost.

And the brake levers will work just fine with V-brakes, also known as linear pulls.

frankenmike 

That's right! My pops has a set of Marys on his 29er. The ones I'm thinking of are kind like the Marys, but with less exaggerated forward and rear sweeps. The name eludes me..

AnthonyG

OK, I missed that bit in the description. They are the right levers for v-brakes.

Anthony

Throwmeabone

I would just get another bike with drop bars, but my family would KILL me if I bought another bike. I thought about trekking bars but they're just too fugly.

They are 58 cm, which sounds wide for a drop bar but it's because of the flare. Also, you made a good point about the stem. Apparently the Midge bars are designed to have less reach than typical drop bars so a much shorter stem may not be necessary.

AnthonyG

OK, but why do you want a 58cm wide drop bar?

One of the major advantages of drop bars is that the narrower width helps to make you more aerodynamic and therefore efficient. I'm not sure of what your going to gain from such a conversion.

Anthony

Throwmeabone

Comfort: The drop position allows your wrists to be at a natural angle.

zzyzx_xyzzy

You might need more rise on the stem though. Supposedly you're going to put the hooks at the same level the flat bars were at.

sunburst

I put some midge bars on my touring bike, with the same bar-end setup you're considering. You may not need a short stem, because the midge are very compact bars, short reach and short drop. They are wide, which seems odd at times, but it makes for powerful sprinting or climbing from the drops, much more than with standard drop bars. I like them a lot, but sometimes feel like I need a taller or adjustable stem, which I notice the Jamis has. Btw, raising your adjustable stem has the effect of reducing the reach.

It takes a bit of work to redo the cabling, but I'd encourage you to try it. You can save some money and learn something useful in the process. Cables are much cheaper online also. And it's probably worth it to buy a cable cutter, unless you have something suitable. I bought this book last year and have already learned a lot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1579...01#reader-link

Check out the pix, and notice how the brake levers are setup. They feel very natural like this. I basically copied someone from the touring forum. One thing I really like with these bars is how the brake levers seem equally accessible from either the hoods or the drops. The transition from one to the other is much less than with normal drop bars.

fuzz2050

damn sunburst, those handlebars look great on your bike. Just can't help but wonder how the hoods must feel at that angle.