I recently bartered my way into owing this beauty, Its a Trek 770. I want to know, what would be the best route to change the head set to a road bikes. I know I would need new shifters, but could i use the same derailers? And also, if I were to sell it as is, what should I ask? Also, any idea on the saddle?

Sorry if this isnt the right place for this post.

I'm guessing you mean you want to convert it to a drop bar? That will require a new stem,bar,and shifters. You'll also need new brake levers,but since you have long pull V brakes,you'll either need long pull drop bar levers($$) or Problem Solvers Travel Agents for the brakes. Also note,that frame was designed for a flat bar,so it has a long toptube,so you'll need to go with a short stem. Depending on which shifters/brifters you use,you should be able to keep the derailleurs. I'd budget at least $150 if you want barcon shifters,and at least $250 if you want brifters.

As for what it's worth,what year is it? I'd guess early-to-mid '00's from the frame design. It has decent parts,but shows a good bit of wear. How are the tires,brake pads,and chain? If nothing needs replacing,I'd ball park it at around $350-400.

The 2013 sora shifters supposedly work with v brakes via a mod switch. Cost about 165 on Amazon. Barcons will likely be half the cost - plus the other stuff mentioned above will apply.

edited to add: sora are 9 speed, may need more changes. Personally, I'd use it as is first.

Well What I had planned was swapping out either the wheelset for a narrower one, Or if I can find different tires for this wheel set.The wheels them selves are narrow, but the tire expands like a muffin from them. And then, while keeping the stem, replacing the bars with drop bars and adding Shimano ST-2300 brake/shifter levers. I want to keep the drive train the way it is if possible, def. change the pedals. So with everything I have described, is it do able? or MUST i change the stem for the drop bars?

I thought you mentioned on your other thread the frame was too small for you anyway, and you plan to get rid of it.
DO THAT. Don't fluff around spending money on a frame too small because 6 months down the track you will be back on Bike Forum asking what road bike should I get. (happens all the time)
I think just get over to your local Giant / Trek dealer (same factory) and have a look at this or similar. https://www.giant.co.jp/giant13/bike_...?p_id=00000039
Don't waste your money on anything less than Tiagra, if you are buying new.

A headset is the bearings and races in the head tube that allow the fork to be turned...

The last response is the most logical, start over ... If you want to change the cockpit around AND want a better wheel set ... There is no way this will be cost effective, it will however be awesome for the upgrade thread ...

Yes the trek and the giant are both too small, but not to where riding would be good uncomfortable, But yeah you are right.

So, if I was to put this beaty on the market, what would a good asking price?

First reply to you offered an estimate.

Don't know what year it is, finding that out would help. It obviously has some cosmetic issues that might be an indication that it hasn't been handled well, or that it was in a crash. Don't know. Those scratches are obvious things that could put off prospective buyers.

You'll want to find out what similar bikes are going for in your area. Do some research on Craigslist, see what prices are out there on the market. Any stale listings of similar bikes will give you a clue what might be an unreasonable price.

Thanks for your help everyone! Ive decided to keep the bike after talking with the guys at the local bike shop. And they agreed it wouldnt be a good idea to change it the way i want. But after much talk, i realized all i wanted was the bike to go faster, and they helped me with some cost effective ways to do so. Like switching the tires.

I appreciate everyone's help and time. I know next to nothing about hybrids, since I am a vintage road bike guy, but I saw a good deal, and couldn't pass it up. I got this bike for a forty dollar Raleigh I spray painted black and put new tires and cables on. So in total I put maybe 60$ into the Raleigh and got this out. Not bad.

EEWWWW.. why would Giant sell that with the handle bars all bent over ?? I've seen people on those, but they wear tight little suits.

The Defy isn't their "race" model. Just level your bars and saddle to equal height, and wear what you want.

Get a tall head tube/short top tube road bike, babyboomers fav... basically a hybrid with a drop bar.

Like a Bianchi Infinito, its cf tho ...

Not to hijack the thread, but the Defy is a nice bike. I've also invested in loose padded MTB shorts, & a Orange reflective shirt for riding.

Yes it is. Mine would certainly be competitive for local crits with a lighter wheelset. It's certainly in the same league as the Cannondale CAAD's and other alloy road bikes.

Not an ideal crit bike as the stays and wheelbase are kind of long. Not saying you can't be competitive on a Defy as the engine will be more important than the bike.