tudorowen1

For various reasons I am not using my Bike Friday NWT much these days..but I do need a new road bike..Anyone put drop bars on their BF ..thinking of taking off the carrier ,mudguards ...adding brake levers for V brakes and Schwalbe Kojak / Stelvio 20 by 1,35 tyres..Anyone done this or similar..Will it make it any quicker? Not a particularly quick bike with 20 by 1.75 tyres on now..!

bargainguy

Sure, I've done drop bar conversions on my Fridays. This is a Tikit I converted from flat bars and single twist shifter to drop bars & STI shifters. Works just fine, but the fold is not as compact. That's OK for me, because I find drop bars & brifters much easier to live with.

speeding tikit 2.jpg

speeding tikit 1.jpg

bhkyte

See my threads. Bullbars made from cut down upside drops can be set up to give 2 out of the 3 hand postions of dropped bars with the same geometry. But with a much more compact fold. If you add a QR stem it can be as compact as standard.

smallwheeler

funny you should mention that. i've been considering getting out the pipe cutters and converting to bull bars on my NWT. converting would definitely make the bike a little easier to pack. but, i hesitate because i'm not sure how well that will work with the barcons and the bars are BF custom separables, so not exactly expendable...

invisiblehand

Tires will matter. Aerodynamics will matter. Making it somewhat lighter will help climbing.

If it matters, I used my NWT during club rides for over a year. Rode great. Rode as fast as the engine would provide.

12boy

You can use drop bar bar ends and see what a difference that makes. if you go that route you can retain Ergon type grips on the flat part. Is the point to the drops to bend over more and become more aero?

tudorowen1

..I just find riding on the brake hoods of drop bars very comfortable and they give a much narrower profile from the front..

Nachoman

tudorowen1

I have put drop bars on my Bike Friday NWT now and I am amazed what a difference it makes..I have had the bike 13 years now and always thought it rather slow..But now it seems to be able to keep up with normal road bikes..I have fitted a 1.35 Schwalbe slick tyre on the front and a Marathon 1.5 on the back..I have also taken off the mudguards and pannier rack..I fitted mini V brakes so my old brake levers I found in my bits box could pull on the brakes..Really pleased with the result..Just want a thinner tyre for the back now..

fietsbob

Usually It is rider posture in the wind that affects speed .
Its why the racers only sit up at the finish line Or picking up the feed Bag.