cs1

Anyone running their Pacer's as a flat bar? I'm expecting a Pacer frame in any day for the wife. She insists on having a flat bar. Rather than argue, I'll just oblige her. I need some tips on shifters, stems and flat vs riser bars for an occasional use bike. This is not a serious road bike.

fietsbob

Lots of bikes are made as flat bar setups. Trek PDX for example..

Shimano even offers a flat bar road brifter. for the purpose..

as far as bars go take her to a shop with a variety of bars and hold some in hand,

Sweep angle ala, 9 vs 15 degree, etc, neets to be felt , rather than talked about.
stem is just a means to get the fit right , and experience is important there,
feel the difference, reach , rise .. etc.

Jeff Wills

I'd put the bike together except for the handlebars and then go to a well-equipped bike shop with a selection of flat handlebars. Let her choose and see if it works for her. If she's leaning forward, she'll probably be more comfortable with a straighter bar. A more upright position will probably make her want a bar that's more swept back. Also, a more upright position will require a wider, more padded saddle- make sure you talk to her about this.

Normally I would say that a straight bar on a "road" bike frame would require a longer stem, but women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos (proportionally) than men anyway, so that may not matter.

As has been pointed out elsewhere on this forum, if she wants Shimano "trigger" shifters, you'll need a specific front derailleur (see "flat bar conversions).

mconlonx

Hint: if you do this, don't cut cables/housing to length...

Find a flat bar bike that works for her, take measurements, translate that to the Pacer build.

Jeff Wills

Thanks- what I should have said is "get the fork, wheels, cranks, and pedals on the bike so she can try it on for size".

cs1

Great suggestion so far. I knew this was the place to come. The frame actually arrived yesterday. My brother did a Pacer earlier this year. He swapped groups from his old Trek 1200 onto a Pacer. He loves it. That's when I started to become a fan of Surly's. Honestly, if I was in the market for a bike, I'd be thinking seriously about a Pacer or CC.

Jeff Wills

And seat. The seat's important.

eofelis 

I had a tiny 42cm Pacer as my first road-type bike. Had mine set up with 9sp Ult triple, mtn bike gearing in back for big climbs here in Colorado. Not light and fast like many road bikes, but amazingly comfortable and stable. A real workhorse, great for all day rides. If you don't cut the steer tube too much it should be a great set up for flat bars. I've moved on to other road bikes (...Gunnar Sport, with the Pacer fork), but I still admire the Pacer. It's a great great bike.

cs1

Surly's are highly regarded. I'm digging into my parts stash to see what I have and what I need.