We're seriously considering converting our Santana Nuovo handlebars from drops to flatbar. My Captain's back is getting stiffer and it's getting less comfortable to manage the bike with the drop bars. We've ridden flatbars and drops on other single and tandem bikes in the past and understand the arguments for more hand positions in the drops, etc.

We're curious if anyone has done this, and what advice you may have. Can you also recommend a tandem specific shop to purchase the needed parts from? We're in N.California but suspect we may need to purchase online.

We love the ride and fit of the bike and thought that although it may cost more than we want to spend, it would still be cheaper to do a conversion than trying to find another bike that's as comfortable and fits us as well. We don't want to shop for another bike when the fit on this one is perfect for us.

Thanks for any thoughts!