What to do with my 2007 Specialized Crossroads Sport
 

This thing weighs 38.6 pounds, not including panniers and cargo.

[IMG]http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...a/CIMG5071.jpg[/IMG]
BRAKE LEVERS
Tektro alloy 3 finger lever, Kraton contact area, for twist shifter
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano C-102, 31.8 clamp
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano Acera
SHIFT LEVERS
Shimano RS-41 Revo Twist
CASSETTE / FREEWHEEL
Shimano HG-40, 8-speed, 11-32t
CHAIN
Shimano HG-40, 1/2" x 3/32"
CRANKSET
Shimano TX-71, square taper w/ c'ring guard
CHAINRINGS
48S/38S/28S (riveted c'rings)
BOTTOM BRACKET
TH cartridge, square taper, 68 x 122.5mm for 47.5mm chain line
PEDALS
Wellgo platform nylon w/ Kraton top, 9/16"
RIMS
Sunrims CR18, 700c
FRONT HUB
Specialized, forged, double-sealed, 36h, QR
REAR HUB
Shimano FH-RM30S, cassette, 36h, QR
SPOKES
2.0mm (14g) stainless
TIRES
Schwalbe Marathon Winter Studded, 700x35c

What modifications would you make to lighten it up?

By the way, the right shifter is broken -- while it works, it is probably only a matter of time before the thing gets clogged and stops functioning.
http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...a/CIMG5072.jpg
While I go about lightening it, I'd also like a more aero riding position.

Any thoughts?

I should be more specific:

Can I cut weight by substituting drop bars, and address the riding position and weight in one shot?

Also, what about a rigid fork? I don't need the suspension fork, but I don't know how much it weighs.

And since this bike cost about $325 new, is it worth it so spend money on it?

For more aero, I would think you could lower your quill stem, rotate the adjustable portion down, and install a flat bar. For $10-15, there are lots of bar options without the high rise. If you are concerned about your grip shifters life, get an MTB shifter set while you are at it, I think both Altus and Alivio have 8 speed sets, or you could look at the SRAM named stuff (like Attack) which is made for Shimano compatibility. I would guess $60 would cover shifter set and flat bar at places like Amazon or Nashbar.

As to weight, it looks like you are all set up for commuting with racks and fenders, and you talked about pannier weight. Looks like it is decked out for your purposes, so don't go crazy.

Drop conversions can be done cheaply or expensively, and results can vary.

As to doing anything to a $325 bike, that's totally up to you. Worth depends on means. If you want a second bike, get one. If you want only one bike, then don't

Yeah, I suppose I could do this much, without spending any money, just to see where it gets me in terms of riding position.

Thanks for the info.

Determine if keeping grip shifts or transition to triggers, then get the Ergon grips to match those controls to go along with the flat bar. Swap out the fork for a rigid one. Maybe consider a clip on aero bar at some point?

I know it sounds ridiculous, but as an experiment, once you drop the quill and adjust the stem, roll your current bars forward 90 degrees. Instead of having them act as risers, have them act as below level forwards. This will lengthen out your body position, and let you get a feel for a stretched frame.

Personally, I love a totally flat or 3 deg rise bar, cut as short as possible, with a crazy long stem. My primary bike is a flat bar hybrid road bike, and I can get fairly low on it. Don't think that drops or aero bars are your only solution for a much improved position. They are prolly the pinnacle of aero, but there are other reasonable alternatives.

Something else to consider, though may not work with your current bar, is to put some bar ends inboard of the controls.

I don't think it's ridiculous. I was thinking along these lines too after your first suggestion. I think it's worth a try.

Sorry, I don't understand. Are there pictures of this kind of set up somewhere?

My searches with Google and Bing came up empty. What I'm referring to was dubbed I believed 'antler bars' or 'stag bars' for a while (only to replaced by real antlers).

The concept is to take some bar ends that are on the mid to longish side and place them inside of the controls of a flat bar- sort of like an aero bar without the elbow pads. If you've ever ridden a flat/riser bar bike and rode with your hands on the bar near the stem, fingers lightly curled around the control cables to cheat the wind just a bit, then you should be able to conceptualize it better.

I think no1mad is referring to a setup that looks like this:

http://i.imgur.com/s5iXrl.jpg

I have a bike that started out a lot like yours:

http://i.imgur.com/15L7Il.jpg

Here's how it looks now:

http://i.imgur.com/fGCqMl.jpg

Swapping out the heavy, inefficient front suspension for this rigid chromoly fork shaved about 3 pounds off the bike. If I ditched the fenders, rack, locks, seat bag, pump, lights, kickstand, bell, water bottle cages, cyclometer, and mirror I might be able to get it in under 30 pounds, but then it would lose its intended purpose as a functional commuter. I will admit that riding an unadorned, lightweight bike is a lot of fun, but I need this bike to be utilitarian.

A drop bar conversion will probably cost more than you're willing to spend, but there are alternatives that will allow you to get into a more aero position. Two solutions that I've used that allow me to use flat bar controls are Ergon GC3 grips and trekking bars:

http://i.imgur.com/rPTsel.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rDIlxl.jpg

Both allow me to reach out to a forward hand position, stretching me out into a more aero riding position.

Concerning flipping the bars; rotating forward is going to result in grips angled forward instead of the more ergonomic backwards sweep that they have when used as designed. If you decide upside down bars will give you a better position, you should probably flip them around as well as upside down, so the grips will remain angled back. I can't imagine trying to ride with the grips angled forward.

What he said. When I was looking at the pics of your bars, I was trying to figure out how to get them rolled forward and angled either back or down. Flipping end for end sounds more than reasonable.

Ahh. Yes, good thinking. Thanks no1mad and irclean.

I'll play with the set up this weekend and see where it gets me. Good to know there are all these possibilities without spending a ton.

The trekking bars are intriguing.

Thanks again to you all for the great suggestions.

So this is what I get from modifying my handlebars. I think it will do for now.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...a/CIMG5077.jpg

The hand positions may take some getting used to, but if worse comes to worst, I can always rotate them back, or try flipping them as suggested earlier.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...a/CIMG5078.jpg

Thanks all for the ideas.

I may drop the idea of replacing he fork as it seems it will not reduce the weight much.

I probably will keep lubricating the right shifter to keep it operable. If it stops working, I think I will probably replace just the right one with a trigger shifter. However, if I do sometime decide to swap out the bar and shifters, I will keep your suggestion of Ergon grips in mind.

Cool. Did you not flip the bar end for end, cause it does look like your grips are angle extremely forward? If they are, your wrists may hurt, and you may look like a large flightless bird with your elbows out..:thumb:

Nope, didn't flip the bars. I want to see if this will work. For the 5-7 miles of commuting, I don't think it will be a problem. But if it is, I can either rotate the bars back, or flip them end for end.

Yes, you really should really flip end to end also, which is a chore as you will have to remove everything from the bars and reinstall but it will definitely be worth the effort.

It shouldn't be too difficult to find the bolts you need to loosen to remove the shift and brake levers. Loosen and move inwards to allow room to get at the grips. Then slide a screw driver under the grip and drip some liquid soap (I use dish soap) down the shaft of the screwdriver into the gap between grip and bars. Remove screwdriver and rotate the grip gently back and forth to spread the soap until the grip can easily slide off. Be careful not to stretch the grips too much while your working the soap in. If the grips get stretched out they might not stay put after re-installing.

Remove brake and shift controls, flip bars, reinstall controls. Clean the excess soap off grips and reinstall while still wet so the grip will slip on. If a little soap is still present it might help with slipping on. When the soap dries it should get a little sticky which will help grips stay put. Allow to dry thoroughly before riding.

When reinstalling the brake and shift controls be careful not to get the cables twisted up, keep them in the original orientation relative to each other.

It's not as hard as I'm making it sound. Feel free to post questions here if you run into any problems with the procedure.

It makes sense to ride a bit with the bars as you have them now to see if you like the lower position, but if you decide yo do like, flip end to end.