John W Foster

Hello all; Just a thought here ; I have been bike shopping this fall with limited success, and I am also becoming more hesitant about spending money. I currently ride a hardware store brand cruiser which in some respects I love. I replaced the worn out 2 3/8' knobby tires with some 1 1/2" smooth GEAX tires which made a world of difference on rolling ease. I also commute(rural roads) 10-15 K round trip a day in all sorts of weather , so I love my fenders. Hear is my problem , my ride to work is eastward so I usually have a tail wind and can move along quite well. On the way home I usually am facing a stiff headwind and am looking at a 20+ minute workout . I could ride my cruiser all day in the "Sunday Driving Position" (head up, back straight, no hurry) but as soon as I try to hurry or limit my wind resistance and crouch a bit ,I have problems. With the present cruiser handlebars if I bend foreward I have to turn my elbows out and put an uncomfortable curve in my back. The current bars are shaped so that I would have to hold them right at the stem to get a more foreward grip and this reduces control quite a bit. I just got wondering if anyone has ever put drop bars on a cruiser. Would this allow me to ride a bit more comfortably in a crouch? I see old wrecked ten speeds at the dump all the time so trying would not cost anything, The obvious problem is that unless I left the brake handles on as dummies I would not be able to use them as a gripping point if I wanted to grip the bars over the top.

I know it would look goofy, but I am past the age of caring what I look like.

Anyone ever tried this or seen it done? Thanks, John

spinnaker

There are other options than dropped bars. Dropped bars add a whole other set of problems for conversion.

You might find this thread uiseful. The OP has a similar question to yours.

John W Foster

Just Curious What other problems? John

spinnaker

It's in the thread that I posted.

John W Foster

Maybe I wasn't clear; my cruiser is a single speed , coaster brake. Shift levers and functional brake levers are not an issue. I would be changing one bare handlebar for another. My question was probably more to do with rider position. My cruiser already has a longer top tube than a road bike; will the drop handlebars put my grip too far forward. Thanks for input so far John

spinnaker

You might be able to solve the reach issue by mounting a different stem. You might be able to get a more expert opinion on the Bicycle Mechanics forum.

Nightshade

Since you say you can get drops for free I say "If it feels good...do it!"

There is no other way for you to know if drops will work for you overall.

Robert Foster

Just a thought, but before you get drops and discover the saddle no longer feels right and that your hands are forward all the time you might try just flipping the bars over. The whole design of the frame on a cruiser is to give you that upright position. You can try drops if you like but you will be putting more weight on your hands for all your riding even without the wind in your face.

badmother

Why not keep an eye on those 10 speeds at the dumpster? Might find a good one one day. I found a lot of great bikes in the trash. Best one is a Miyata 912, but also other great finds.