f33dback

I just got a mid-90s Giant bike as a beater for the next few months in Europe - the fork is threaded. I was looking to upgrade to drop handlebars. Sure, I could just hunt around for some vintage drop bars, but the stem has some rust spots on it any ways, so I might as well invest in some retro-fit friendly components.

Being that most budget drop bars are oversized, I need a threadless headset, since most quill stems are not oversize compatible. I have 2 options: a quill-to-threadless adapter, or, upgrading to a threadless fork. The adapter costs $15. A fork upgrade will run me $20 (steel) to $80 (carbon).

As hipsters continue to drive the demand for vintage bling, these components don't really appeal to me from a cost/benefit pov. It looks like quill-to-threadless stem adapters are the way to go, but I'm under the impression a lot of people don't like them. I'm hoping that aesthetics and added weight are the only reasons they don't appeal to the masses.

Are there any functional or structural liabilities I need to worry about with quill adapters? I understand they add some weight and don't look too hot, but I'm fine with a stem built for comfort; not for speed. I read somewhere that using a quill adapter takes away from the originally intended purpose of a threadless stem. I also understand that quill stems do offer one less point of failure.

I'm not looking to shave a few ounces of the bike's weight; I just want reliable components that won't fail on me.

Chime in with any suggestions. I really love the versatility and look of drop bars on both short and longer commutes.

I considered butterfly/trekking bars, but they look about as attractive as rocker bottom shoes do.

a77impala

I have a few bikes that I put the adapters on, I think if anything they are stronger. I like the fact
I can change stems quickly, if needed. They do look a little clunky on the small headtubes though.

f33dback

Not worried about it, I'll be installing this on a pretty clunky mid-90s MTB. When you say stronger are you comparing them to threadless or quill stems?

dabac

My commuter has had a quill-to-threadless adapter the last two years. Sure, it hasn't seen any DH-ing but it certainly has seen plenty of miles. It seems to be holding up just fine

fietsbob

you will spend a bunch of Euros , assuming youre there. everything is different.
bar clamp, so need a stem too, bars and shifters.. and do read up on all the FD incompatibilities
between STI road brifters and the straight/mountain bike front shifter~ derailleur combinations..

9 speed bar end shifters will be a simplification .. index is just the rear..

f33dback

To add more confusion to the mix - what are my headset options with a threadless quill adapter? The fork is still threaded, so do I still go with a standard 1 1/8 threaded headset? Do I have any alternatives?

LesterOfPuppets

What are you going to do for shifters?
Are you flying this bike to Europe?
Is is 1-1/8 threaded?

If not swapping out HS, stem and fork I'd probably just get a 25.4 bar.
like this bargain bar for $25
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...7&category=635

If keeping bike long term, I'd probably splurge on this for $53:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...3&category=635

f33dback

No, I'm in Europe now. Bike purchased locally. To keep costs down I'll use it as a single speed and ditch the rear derailleur. Front derailleur stays on strictly as a chain guide. Chain gets shortened. MTB/V-compatible brake levers fit drop bars.

My current 1 1/8th is threaded - obviously. (I wouldn't be inquiring about threaded-to-threadless adapters if it weren't threaded.)

Like I said, the current stem has some superficial rust on it, but it's rust nevertheless. Quill stems normally run 30-50% more than threadless stems; the combined cost of adapter + stem is more or less the same amount I would pay for a used/vintage/crap quill stem. + oversized offers a much wider gamut of options.

LesterOfPuppets

I got the threaded part I just wanted to make sure about the 1-1/8" part. 1-1/8" quill stems are pretty tough to come by also. I don't know if new ones are available, gotta find olde ones and I doubt any were EVER made with 31.8mm bar clamp.

I think most adapters are 1" and shimmed to 1-1/8", so one more vector for creaking.

I love vintage quill stems personally. Both of the 1-1/8" ones I have are way too long and low for road bar use on MTB, though. Over here, Hipsters are NOT looking for 1-1/8" quill stems, so I usually get them for $5.

I'd still probably just get some 25.4 road bars, sand and paint stem flat black.

I'd feel perfectly safe on an adapter setup on road or mellow trail, though.

Yo Spiff

I have a quill to threadless adapter on my '92 Crosscut. In my case, I had a particular set of handlebars I wanted to use that I could only find in a 31.8 clamp diameter, so I had to use an adapter. It looks decent enough, but I carefully chose a matching color combo and a stem that I thought looked decent on the bike. Some threadless stems are butt-ugly. As far as strength, I've been riding the bike for a few months now and not a problem at all with the stem.

'92 Schwinn Crosscut by Yo Spiff, on Flickr

f33dback

Okay - I found some non oversized drop bars on eBay UK for roughly the same price as the o/s bars. I need to determine the severity of the rust on the stem. It appears to be surface rust, but I tried to remove it with a toothbrush and various home-based solutions (lemon juice, white vinegar, soda) without any luck. Also, what about the possible rust spots I'm not seeing... I guess the stem isn't aluminum since aluminum can't rust... at least that's what some people on this forum claim...

f33dback

What kind of headset are you using with that threadless adapter?

ThermionicScott 

Definitely unpretty, but I doubt they're unsafe as long as you torque everything correctly.

LesterOfPuppets

Make sure they're 25.4mm, not 26 (or even 26.4mm)

f33dback

Yes, thanks! I read up on that last night. I initially thought slight differences in handlebar clamp widths could be compensated for by adjusting/tightening the bolts but apparently that's a recipe for fail. I'm trying to verify the current width of my stem's handlebar clamp - all I see is the length and width of the part that goes into the fork. The handlebar appears to only have the length and year of manufacture.

fietsbob

Threaded headset stays in place , that is Unchanged. the adapter is A Quill wedge with
1"OD for insertion at the bottom ... the Top of it, the larger 9/8" OD.
to use the currently common threadless stems.

the stem you get will need to match the 26mm of many Road bars. diameter not width.
the steerer grip clamp is the 1.125"

Width of the Drop Bars is a separate issue.

f33dback

thanks for clarifying. A quick google img search revealed most bikes having a threaded headset. I see there are some generic threadless steel forks on eBay uk for 20 GBP - shipping included. Tempting. Is this a risky proposition - considering they are unbranded/generic forks?

LesterOfPuppets

That's about what I spent on the generic fork on my drop bar mountain bike. So far, so good. A little heavy as one might expect.

Not sure that I'd go to all the trouble for a summer beater singlespeed I was only gonna use for a few months but it sure turned out nice.

f33dback

Ok, I replaced the tires, brakes, handlebars, crankset, and stem. Still debating cheap fork vs current fork + quill adapter. I'm planning on putting around 500 miles on this bike and holding on to it, which is why I'm interested in upgrading components - I might just ship this bike back home since I'm looking at ~40 USD.

Strange issue: the front wheel is bolt on but rear wheel isn't. Not sure if this was done as a theft deterrent. Is it worth converting to quick release - from the looks of it, the front hub is overdue for an overhaul, so while I'm down there...

Airburst

It's a drop bar conversion, brakes and shifting are fairly conditional on getting the bars fitted first...

LesterOfPuppets

If it's gonna be a keeper then that's a whole different story. I still think I'd go with a cheapie 25.4mm drop bar first just to see if I'm gonna like the roadified MTB. If the answer seems to be yes then I'd go all out on the conversion.

Got pics of bike? If the bike fits you well with flatbar/riser then you'll probably need a shorter and possibly higher stem to run drops. And yes, new bar choices increase dramatically with use of 31.8mm.

What brakes you got? If V-brakes, then they may not work so well with road brake levers.

I wouldn't go out of my way to get a QR front wheel unless I was removing said wheel often for transportation in cars or whatnot.

If you have access to a bike co-op or just a shop with bins of used parts then you can build up the bike of your dreams with not too much money if you don't mind putting in the tinkering time.

Are you gonna just use the rear derailer as tensioner for now?

If single-speeding it and it's a freehub, try to find the magic ratio on it and ditch unused cogs and get a stack of cassette spacers (there are kits available or you can assemble a set from bins. If you're gonna ride it hard, consider getting a heavy duty cog in back (they are much thicker in the middle than standard cassette cogs, so won't chew into your freehub body as much).

Also consider getting a single-speed chainring at some point and ditching the front derailer. Decent BMX ones can be had fairly cheap.

f33dback

Thanks so much for all the input. I've learned a lot! What a journey. I'm beginning to see why people recommend buying a new bike vs building one.

Brakes - I haven't been able to find anything indicating I can run road calipers on slick 26" tires, so I'm sticking with V-brakes for now. I read that road calipers wouldn't work well with V-brakes, so I'll throw regular mtb levers on there. Not as pretty as aero levers - I know. I really want those integrated shifter/brake levers. That's some Top Gun sh*t right there.

Rear derailleur - I wasn't planning on keeping the rear derailleur as a tensioner. I was going to use either a single speed chain or shorten an MTB chain. Seemed easier than keeping the derailleur on there. I must admit I didn't read up on this one though - maybe I missed something crucial.

Front dérailleur - I'm confused about this as well. Some people recommend getting a bash guard - others say keep the derailleur on there - others say any cheap aftermarket parts are ultimately a waste of money. I need to spend some time reading up on what's worth its salt and what isn't. For the time being, front derailleurs are a simple way of keeping the chain on there. I don't plan on riding this bike hard, so I'll experiment with and without the derailleur and see what comes out of it.

Since I'm unsure about whether to convert this to a single speed, I figured I would leave the rear cogs in place. It seems like one less issue to contend with. The weight issue doesn't really bother me.

Front wheel. I do plan on occasionally removing the front wheel to throw the bike in the car. I don't mind spending 1 minute tensioning two bolts. Honestly - the threads I found about converting bolted front wheels to QR confused me even because the details were inconsistent.

Handlebars. Yeah, I just went ahead and bit the bullet on this. A decision had to be made - I've been stalling and delaying this project for nearly 1 week. I know myself and procrastinator is my specialty - a decision had to be made. (I could easily spend 2 more weeks perusing the classifieds, eBay, and Google for deals, but ultimately the time lost outweighs the plausible savings). I went ahead and got a decent stem (Easton).

I'm not too worried about minor sizing misgivings - most things can be compensated for. I've lost enough time! The weather sucks right now, so I'd like to make use of this time to scavenge for parts, get advice, and order my toys. I'm trying to quit smoking, so the sooner I get this project going - the sooner I can start saving money by not buying smokes!