Milestogo3252

Hi,
I ride a Trek 520 and it currently has mustache handlebars with end gear shifters. I think I wan to switch to drop bars and am fairly good with maintenance but need a little help on how to go about switching the bars without messing up any of the cables. Would anyone want to walk me through or point me to a place that can show me how?
Thanks!

SlowJoeCrow

If your stem has a removable faceplate it is pretty straightforward. Remove the face plate to free up the handlebars and get slack in the cables, remove the bar tape and then carefully remove the shifters and brake levers then reinstall on the drop bars and re-tape.
Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog has how to install tape and other odds and ends.
If you have an older stem without a removable faceplate you will have to strip one side completely before sliding the bars out

DMF 

[strike]How the heck are you going to reasonably deploy drop bars with bar end shifters? Figure that out first. Yah, maybe it can be done, but could you even reach them?[/strike]

Wrong.

fietsbob

Simple , you put the bar end shifters in the Bar ends , thats where they Go.

DMF 

[strike]Which would put them out of reach to anyone but a contortionist...[/strike]

Never mind! Brain fade.

fietsbob

Been Using bar end shifters for 40 years on my Drop bar bikes . Mr DNF.


It was what was on the Trek 520 in the first place.

IthaDan 

Yep. Nobody has ever put bar end shifters in the ends of drop bars in touring bikes. Ever.

You're entering uncharted territory here, OP, tread lightly.

Real answer: you need to remove the shift levers from the housings/pods/things with shift studs to get the allen key in to remove (allen key LEFT to loosen) them from the bars. Especially helpful here will be a slotted housing stop- take the housing ferrule out and you'll have all the slack you'll need; similarly, if you have cable stops that bolt into the downtube shift bosses (there are lot of different trek 520s), those can come off- put the mounting bolt back into the boss once the stop comes off, the bolts are really easy to lose (ask me how I know...). You can create the cable slack you'll need in a couple ways- you can shift to big/big and WITHOUT pedaling, shift back down to detension the cables (the chain being keyed on the ring/cog will keep the derailleurs from moving) or you can push the derailleurs to create the slack. I'd recommend the former, you're going to need space for a decent amount of time.

It will be tight, but I'm nearly certain you can do it without messing with the cables.

JohnDThompson 

Bar end shifters were designed to be used with drop bars and were quite popular with racers as far back as the 1950s. E.g. from 1950:


Source: The Data Book

Camilo

I wonder what DMF is thinking about since he obviously doesn't know what bar-end shifters are.

dubes

As others have said, if you have a stem with a removable face plate, this is not too difficult. Drop bars and moustache bars take the same brakes, so there are no new components you need. The complication is "without messing up any of the cables." Depending on the brake levers, you may need to remove the brake cables to get to the bolt that secures the clamp to the handlebar. Alternatively, you may need to loosen the cable pinch bolts to create enough slack for you to work around the cable. For the bar end shifters, you almost definitely will need to loosen the cable pinch bolts (i.e. where the cables connect to the derailleurs) to create enough slack. For both brake and derailleur cables, when you loosen the pinch bolts you may find that the cables have frayed at the bolt and will need to be replaced, anyway.

All that said, replacing cables isn't hard, especially with bar-end shifters, and especially if you use friction shifting on the rear derailleur. (Setting up for index shifting is a bit more fiddly.) As long as the cable housing is in good shape, all you would need are the replacement cables, a decent pair of cable cutters, and crimps to keep the ends from fraying once the cables are set up. Re: instructions, see the Park Tool website for instructions.

Mike

rmfnla

Assuming you have flat-bar brake levers you will need to switch those out, and the cables as well...

fietsbob

above assumption may be off.. Nitto's Mustache bars are made to Use road bar brake levers .. IF in-fact that is what they own, now .

Someone before them made the swap from drop bars , I expect they bought it used, as Is.

Measure to Know flat bars are 7/8" tubing, But the center .. Road Is Bigger.

andr0id

Haha, yes the human race has evolved away all flexibility since bar end shifters were invented.

OP, I would say you should take this opportunity to replace cables and housing. It will make this easier in the long run and that stuff needs to replaced annually anyway.

DMF 

Arrggh! I plead brain damage ! For some reason I was picturing the bar backward, which would put the shifter out in front.

Ummm... Is old age an excuse??

cale

Hey, dude. Bikes have been changing a lot in the past 40 years. You don't have to hide. It's okay.

cale

There certainly is a temptation to see a handlebar swap, involving going to a drop bar, as requiring new parts. Those posts for help appear pretty regularly.

I think the swap is very straightforward though I doubt particularly satisfying from the standpoint of comfort. I like drop bars, have never ridden on mustache bars, but imagine that the hands on the hoods position sounds attractive to the OP. I'd discount that in the absence of brifters.

Just my $.02

SkyDog75

It may make the handlebar replacement easier, and might even be necessary depending on the cable & housing length and handlebar geometries. But replacing cables and housing annually probably isn't necessary for most people. I don't think I've replaced cables or housings on my road bike in at least 3 years. Braking and shifting are still very good. When performance starts to degrade, I'll replace 'em.

fietsbob

New Bikes are still shipping with Bar End shifters in the end of drop Bars.. though the race community uses them for different Purposes .


so the Component Corporations, in competition with each other make them in 8,9,10. and maybe even 11 speed versions and use them on Time trial Bikes ..

Camilo

Any time you need to use it - that's my strategy anyway. Cheers!

rmfnla

Where did you see anything about Nitto; did I miss something..?

rmfnla

There's alot to be said for not leaving your bike outside...

fietsbob

in the OP I had to guess maybe the OP will be specific next time (few are)

rmfnla

moustache handlebar | eBay

5,848 results...

fietsbob

You are not the Original Poster that started the question. ask Him what he has , not what you find on e-frickkin-bay..


I have used the Nitto ones .. which ones do you use?

those cheap ones appear have too much drop for Me. more drop than the Riv-Bike-Nitto ones ..

after years of using them , I took my Nitto ones Off ... already too Low, for my elder self

Fitted The MTB levers and bars, so I could sit up More ..

rmfnla

Are you always this cranky? Or irrational?

The OP didn't say what kind of bars he uses, only that they are mustache (which is a style). The point of the eBay link is there are lots of them out there.

You assumed they were Nitto brand; I was wondering how you came to that assumption.

Maybe a little less coffee..?