Originally Posted by
BNSF
I'm just getting back into biking after 30+ years away.... Back in the old days, I had a 10-speed with racing style drop bars. A Sears "Ted Williams" model! I rode it a lot. Wish I'd had an odometer on it, it would have been a pretty good number.
Recently, I acquired a new bike, a 16-speed model which also comes with drop bars, Shimano Claris shifters, etc. The trouble is, I don't find the drop bars comfortable any more. Compounding the issue, I can't apply the brakes with my hands up on top of the bar, which is where I do all my riding. The Sears bike had a second lever on the brakes which were reached from on top of the bar, and that was the way I rode. I almost never used the drop position then and I don't use it now. I don't find it comfortable.
Can I buy a flat bar and swap the shifters over onto it? It looks like it'll work, but I notice the Claris shifters for sale on Amazon and on Shimano's website specifically mention different models for drop vs. flat bars. Am I missing something? There looks to be plenty of slack in the cables. Maybe TOO much. But surely I can absorb the excess to some extent. My current bar diameter is 25.4mm and there are plenty of flat bars available in that size. Can't I just untape and remove the Claris shifters and re-attach them to a flat bar, and adjust placement so its most comfortable? Or am I just not seeing some sort of stumbling block which makes this impossible?
It can be done, but maybe shouldn't be done, because of the cost of new bars, shifters and brake levers. And, not all mountain or flat bar brake levers and shifters are compatible with road brakes and derailleurs, so you need to know what you are doing.
What I would suggest is you work with someone on fitting your bike. that may involve raising the bars a little, maybe moving the saddle up a bit, or back, and checking the width of your bars. (it is a thing. When I bought my bike, I switched out the narrow drop bars with a slightly wider bar).
Second, you can add a second set of brake levers you can use when riding on the top of your bars.