Quick Handlebar Change Question
 

Hello,
I am wanting to try a handlebar swap on my Surly LHT. My big hesitation is that I am not sure if I will like whatever I try better than the drops currently installed. I also think the drops might be what I will need on longer distance rides, with the other options (not sure what yet) working better for commutes and cruising. Is there a way to leave everything mounted on the drops (bar end shifters, brake levers, tape) and to quickly swap out the new bars which will also have their own shifters, brake levers, and tape/grip on them?

I guess I'm looking for a way to just remove the drop bar, put on an alternative, and not have to re adjust all of the brakes and derailleurs. Is there some system that would allow me to quickly sever and reattach the brake and shifter cables near the handlebars so that I could just use whichever bars I needed for that particular ride? Does this even exist? I wasn't able to search because I have no idea what to search for.

I'm new to this whole thing.

No

You will need to have a complete bar/stem/levers/cable set up to the QS system for each changeover and they will need to be length adjusted correctly and/or have INCA to help fine tune the cables.


Bruce Gordon QS2s

""Foolproof, even when used with finicky index shifting systems." - Bicycle Guide Magazine

QS2 stands for Quick Switch System gear cable splitters. Switch from drop bar to flat bars in under 3 minutes, without having to readjust derailleurs or brakes. Packaged to do cables on one bike.

$30.00

Bruce Gordon QS2 Gear Cable Splitters $30.00
http://www.bgcycles.com/access.html

I think I've gone through 5 different bar changes on my LHT, every time with a complete removal and re-installation of tape, levers, and shifters. I'm currently trying out the Midge bars but I think I might go back to either the Ritchey Biomax or the Salsa Bell Laps.
Which bars were you thinking about?

For a first time use, this would require more labour than just swapping the bars out. You'll need TWO of those kits + labour to install it if you want to swap two bars out quickly. And that is if you plan on keeping them both around.

You could easily do without this gadget if you don't crimp cable ends and you have a good hex wrench available. In fact it would save you a lot of money for almost no measureable loss in speed, unless you were really swapping out two sets of bars repeatedly and very often.

I just dialed in the fit on my midge bars this week, after much rumination about removing them or selling the bike. I finally bought the taller stem that I needed from the get-go. With the new stem the bars are just above saddle height, and a little closer. They feel pretty damned good like this.

I'm not 100% sure what i'll end up with, but for starters I want to try the nitto moustache bar, the midge, and also some generic cruiser-type bars (since the second set of bars just has to make due for around town). The primary set will end up being drop-bar style for sure, but which specific bar I don't know. Thanks for the help everyone.

As noted Bruce Gordon and Da Vinci Designs both make cable splitters (Da Vinci makes a splitter for the rear brake cable too. Bruce Gordon does not) that are popular on S&S coupled bikes as they allow guick and accurate bar/stem removal and replacement. They work very well and the shifting doesn't require any adjustment after reinstallation.

In fact Bruce Gordon offers a bike he calls "Rock and Road" that comes with both drop and straight handlebars and stems and the appropriate shifters and brake levers.

That said, this is going to be a very expensive experiment if you are going to duplicate all the bar controls on both (or several) handlebar configurations.

While the cable splitters are needed for the brakes, you can save yourself some time and money by using downtube shifters, that way there are no shifter cables to mess with, although they do have other disadvantages.

+1 Also adding non aero brake levers you could switch between bars w/out pulling housing.