timstone

I'm gonna try and finish up my drop bar conversion on my bike and still need:

-bar tape
-shifters
-brake levers
-stem

So...I'd like to keep it at as low of a budget as possible but don't want parts that won't work correctly.

Here is what I have so far in my shopping cart....suggestions for different parts are more than welcome.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...0+Stem+05.aspx

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...ke+Levers.aspx

I don't know what color tape to buy...my bike is like a blueish gray color...so maybe I'll just stick with black...

But please post your ideas/suggestions for me.

meanwhile

The brake levers are the right ones - they're long pull for v-brakes, and the ergonomics are excellent (they're a copy of Campagnolo Ergo lever/shifters shapewise.)

Re. the stem and bars: getting the right length and width for your body dimensions is the most important thing. Do some googling on "bicycle fit". Slightly too wide and too short are better than erring the other way unless you really *like* your chiropractor. Go cheap at first on the stem and be prepared to change.

Black tape is boring! For a blue grey bike I'd go with flouro yellow, orange or green.

timstone

I've already got a set of bars so no worries there...they were pretty cheap too and felt the right width...about the width of my shoulders. Stem is only $19 and is regularly $80 so I will try that out I guess and see how it fits.

I still don't know what to do about shifters.

meanwhile

The two cheapest options are bar end shifters and the Minoura Space Bar Hack:

https://www.ecovelo.info/2008/11/12/a...ith-drop-bars/

The other option is using combined shifter/brake levers from a racing bike with "travel agent" adaptors to make them work with v-brakes. This is NOT cheap.

Other advice: SIS gear cable is tricky stuff. If you cut it with normal wire cutters you can crimp the special casing and ruin your shifting. The best way to cut it is with a dremel type tool with a cutting wheel, I'm told. Second best (but fastest) is an expensive SIS wire cutter, third is to cut slightly over length and then shorten with a file.

timstone

I ended up getting everything from Jensen and got the SHIMANO SL-BS50-8 SPEED BAR END SHIFTER but apparently they are on back order and only have 1 set due to come in on July 12. So as long as I'm the only one on the waiting list I guess I will get them...if not who knows how long it will be. This infuriates me too because there was nothing on the site that said they were back ordered til I checked my order status today.

meanwhile

Check elsewhere - including ebay - and cancel if you are really narked.

timstone

Every other vendor sells them for about $30 more...unless you know of another site that will price match and has them in stock?