Change drop handlebars to an alternative
 

Hello

A couple of years ago I was fortunate to win a trek domane 1.2 in a competition.

Although I love the bike, I have never felt safe commuting on it. I feel a lot more stable on my flat bar Specialised Cross Trail. Due to space restrictions, I need to go down to one bike. I would love to keep the Domane and am considering putting flat handlebars or bull bars on it. Is this possible and is there another alternative? I'm struggling to work out what would happen with the gear shifters and break leavers. What would a reasonable price be for a dealer to adapt the bike? Sorry for all the questions and many thanks in advance.

Shimano road gear systems have begun to move away from their ATB systems WRT shifting cross compatibility. This is why many touring bikes using ATB cranksets also use friction front levers (bar end levers on drop bars).

To get more specific info you need to supply more specific info. What are the model numbers of each component? These model numbers are stamped onto the ders, levers, cranks. Also the cog count front and rear. Shimano has made flat bar shifters that are road der/crank compatible in the past. They're not real common so some people have never had the need to know about them. Andy.

Nitto Mustache Bars wil take simple* road bake levers & bar end shifters

* Complex brifters really only work when vertically mounted, (but they're worth resale Money)

If you're OK with cables swaying in the wind, a flip & chop is an inexpensive solution.


While doable, drop bar levers tend not to do that well on bullhorn bars, particularly if you run the cables under the bar tape. There's a sharp bend they don't see otherwise, and the available stroke before the levers bottom out against the bar is less than on a drop bar.


But if you turn your bar upside down, you get to choose how far up to slide the levers to get required stroke, and a sharper bend than bullhorns/base bars tend to use. You can test ride a few different positions to see if they work out for you. Then you cut the bars above the levers, apply new bar tape and you're done.

Assuming you have brifters of some sort and depending on the number of speeds, you could possible sell the present handlebars and brifters for enough to mostly cover the costs of the new setup.

Actually, what I am curious about is what is the difference in riding position that makes you feel less stable on drop bars than on your bike with flat bars. This could possible be addressed by changing nothing other than perhaps your stem, far cheaper and easier to do. I certainly didn't feel any change in stability when I changed from riding a flat bar bike to riding a drop bar bike for commuting. I have even used my commuter bike off road mountain biking with my friends on some very tricky trails without feeling unstable

+1 I am also curious. One option might be simply getting slightly wider drop bars. Personally I find drop bars to be the most flexible of bars, with multiple hand positions.

I also find flat bars give me wrist pain. Ergonomically flat bars are terrible. Drop you hands to your side and look at where your palms are. The palm are naturally parrallel with our body not perpendicular as they are on a flat bar.

The other thing to look at is the the domain 1.2 is race oriented bike. it will by nature have quicker handling than the cross trail....so it is more likely the bike as a whole is the issue than the handle bars

Excellent point, if the bike by its nature has different handling characteristics, changing handlebars may make very little difference

I agree with [MENTION=3026]alcjphil[/MENTION] and [MENTION=61707]squirtdad[/MENTION].

Changing out the components to flat bars will require new brake levers & shifters, and will get pretty expensive if you pay a shop to do it. Drop bars and flat bars have different diameters, so the controls from one can't physically be mounted on the other.

I recommend that you try raising the existing handlebars with a riser stem or a steerer extender, or a combination of both.
Raise the bars so that the tops of the bars are about level with your saddle, that way you have a more comfortable semi-upright posture.

Or, sell both of your bikes and find one that is juuuuust right.

If you go with the moustache bar, you will need a steam reach 50mm closer than your road stem in order to get the same reach on the bar.
Not a complaint - I really like mine, all the hand positions - but you must dial them in correctly or the stretch will be a torture rack.

I really like my Ahearne Map bars that I put on a CX frame. An 80mm stem puts the grips even with the steerer tube (back of the stem), you can dial from there.
http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...PG?format=750w

Does require mountain levers, and Microshift Thumbies shift Shimano perfectly.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...a1e805d5c3.jpg

here's a great article with a lot of bar choices - check out the Jones H bar - the Map bars match the sweep of the Jones H
http://oldglorymtb.com/round-up-alte...ke-handlebars/

I built my road frame with flat bars...

nice bike, but I would not call those bars flat...... flat is maybe a misnomer, but in context when most say flat mountain bike bars they are talking about bars that are essentially straight across, not those with the angle for hands like yours

I can see that.

I originally built it with CF MTB bars, so to me it's always been flat-bar, perhaps just a little less so now... :)

Brifters on Porteur bar?
 

If you have brifters, this--brifters on porteur bar, is a great option, offering at least three distinct hand positions.

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/i5mphlbquxe...2133.jpg?raw=1

So I did a bit of research concerning the 2 bikes that the OP owns. It isn't surprising that he finds the Crosstrail to be more stable. The Crosstrail has a head angle of 70.5 degrees while the Domane has a much steeper head angle. Along with that the Crosstrail has much wider heavier tires which would also make the bike feel more stable. Changing bars on a road bike isn't going to change either the head angle or the wheels and tires

The Map/Ahearne bar is very similar in shape to the FSA Metroplolis bar which puts your wrists at a nice angle. The FSA has a bit more rise than the Map/Ahearne if you want to sit up a little more. Both bars come in 31.8 so they will fit your stem. Purchase brake levers, grips and the appropriate shifters and you will be ready to go.

Lots of people make this switch so you aren't the only one.

Here is the comparison between the two bars.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k...psjhuwerdz.jpg

All the bars we're throwing up are Alt bars.

http://oldglorymtb.com/round-up-alte...ke-handlebars/