seely

I think you'll like it. I had a Crisscross with a similar setup, though I found the top tube was far too long for me to use dirt drops, so I went with a mustache bar and a very short high-rise stem. It was a fun bike, handled well. Wish I still had it.

Yo Spiff

I think it depends on the specific bars. I had originally bought some Origin 8 Gary bars and the bend was too far out for me. I couldn't get the hood where I liked them. Frantik now has the Gary bars and he says they are perfect for him. The top tube length on this Crosscut is very close to that of my Trek900. I think with a short reach stem it will be pretty good.

Good to hear you liked the way it handled. Everything I've found out about this bike (which is not really much) has suggested it is a nice frame that I will like and a step up from the Cro-Mo/high tensile mix of my Trek 900 (Which is a very comfortable ride and gets used more than my Bianchi road bike lately)

Bianchigirll 

this is great looking, almost hard to believe it isn't "off the rack"

twolve

This is timely. I'm converting a '87 Schwinn Prelude to a riser stem and some flat bars for a friend's dad. Does anybody know a good cheap cable stop to convert from downtube to shifters on the bars?

oldskoolwrench

As some have said; it's a matter of what style of handlebar to use. Zukahn mentions the 'traditional' English touring handlebar machines, and where I worked in the mid 80's we did a fair number of drop bar to tourist conversions, especially on mixte frames.

I recall in the early 90's, either Mountain Bike Action or their counterpart, Road Bike Action did an article about the 'Matisse', a road bike converted to a + rise MTB stem, flat bars and narrower 'cross tires that scattered groups of riders were using for light trail and MUP riding. I can't remember whether this trend came before or just after the introduction of the 'Hybrid' bike.

Hey... whatever works to give you comfort with a modicum of efficiency!

thirdgenbird

It looks better than what comes off the rack at the trek dealer.

Bianchigirll 

They are not really chep but housing stops that bolt on to the shifter bosses are readily available.


Actually Ebikestop has the CampI ones for like $16, https://www.ebikestop.com/campagnolo_...ube-FS9800.php

puckett129

I'm sold on 80's trek. I got the frame and fork for $100 and I'm scouring ebay and the list for another to turn into a roadie. It's funny... when I picked it up from the powder coating place there was another old Trek frame there getting done... the secret's out.

BlueDevil63 

I built this awhile ago. I have been riding my mountain bike over my road bike for the last year or so because it was so much more comfortable (I have shoulder and hip problems) and I NEVER used the drops on my road bike. But the mountain bike just felt heavy and slow on the road or on many of the flat rail trails I ride. So I built this. 1970s Mike Melton frame, Campy Rally RD and Gran Sport FD, Electra compact crank (very C&V style), Zeus brakes, Shimano brake levers and thumb shifters (in friction mode). I have no problem with the flat bars, they are very comfortable for me.

BluesVan

And it looks sooo smart. Beautiful. Which bar is that? if I may ask

BlueDevil63 

It is a Sunlite bar from Niagara.

Bill Kapaun

This was a 74? Takara 2X5 road bike that I turned into a 3X9 for my friends son. (raise the seat David!)
I did a few "tricks" with the rear wheel to stuff in a 9 speed.
The bars/brake levers are off a cheap box store bike and I added a pair of inexpensive friction shifters. Crankset off my 86 RockHopper with just Tourney DER's.

1987cp

I just wanted to say, I like this thread!

I didn't try a skinny-tire bike till I was 18, and then it took about 12 more years to figure out why I couldn't ride more than a mile or two without hurting. I really liked the moustache-style bar I tried along with a really tall stem (the $13 Nashbar moustache on the $10 Pyramid stem), but the forward braking position is a pain in town so I tried some Albatross bars (since I wanted to use my barend shifters with normal MTB levers) on a Nitto Tallux stem, and for around-town riding on my touring frame I couldn't be happier. Wish I'd known 10 years ago to order up a swept bar and really tall stem so I could get back to enjoying riding like I did when I was 11!

I've also experimented with flattish bars on three different frames - nice control and rather zippy for really short rides, but I found I hurt after a couple of miles. Worked pretty well for short errands on my taller sport-touring frame, though.

spacemanz

From here, that looks just like whatever I used on my Frejus. I found it at a recycler's, but it looks like new, nice thick aluminum that's polished enough to look like steel. A couple more days, & I'll post a pic of it.

CenturionIM

Thanks everyone, I have a couple more questions:

As for as the riser stem go, can you suggest on which stem to get? Not sure what would fit/work on a vintage frame. In kind of a tight spot right now so would prefer as cheap as possible; weight is not an issue at all.

Also is it possible for me to use an adjustable stem like this one: amazon kalloy stem? Does this require me to have threadless steerer tube/new fork to use?

spacemanz

The first thing to do, is pull off your old stem, & see what size it is. It "should" be stamped into the metal, usually right below that "Minimum Insertion" line, but I've seen a few oddballs without that. Once you know your stem's diameter, it gets way easier. They're not really a dime a dozen, but you can easily find quill stems anywhere from $1 to maybe $10 or more, for a nice one. I've never tried those threadless adapters, so no input on that from me, but even if you do that, you still need to know the quill you're fitting to, so that's not a waste of time. The adjustable ones are a nice idea, but they're usually pretty heavy, so you'll eventually end up replacing it, probably. Don't feel like a dummy, if it takes a few tries, to find the right combination of stem & bars, that's an ongoing thing, until you get it just right.

1987cp

If your concept is to get the bars higher, I suggest just getting something really tall to start with instead of messing with something fancy and complicated. My concept is to avoid using a threadless adapter unless you really want one for some reason, and while adjustable stems are interesting, they're not always to the point.

Here's the supertall chromo stem I tried: https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Steel-...s=pyramid+stem They also have it in 21.1mm in case you have something kind of unusual (think that was an old Schwinn or Raleigh size; I've read of French stuff using 22.0mm quills IIRC). Only big drawback is that you should probably only use it with a steel bar since mine damaged the alloy bars I used with it.

Another inexpensive option might be to use your old stem with a quill riser such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Cromo-...s=pyramid+stem I see that available in 21.1, 22.2, and 25.4mm.

If you decide to spend more $$ at some point, check out the tall offerings from Nitto. I bought one of their "Tallux" stems secondhand, and it's really very nice - even has a small steel plate for the clamp bolt to thread into instead of it just threading into the aluminum.

krobinson103

Thats my take on the concept. More franken bike than vintage but very comfortable. Also cheap, makes a great park and forhet commuter.

rhm

You need to define your terms in order to avoid anachronisms. I mean, " road bike" is a term that only appeared in the 90s to distinguish then from off road bikes. 'Flat bars" also appear then, on mountain bikes. So if you use these terms, you won't find anything before the 90s. By that time, 'roadbikes' had 15/16” handlebars, while MTBs had 7/8" bars. Nonetheless, 7/8” bars such as the 'alrounder' have existed for many decades and were used on bikes made for road riding. Look at the Raleigh super tourist of the 70s, or the Raleigh Lenton Tourist of the 50s, for example.

non-fixie 

I've built several flat bar bikes, and I like the way they look, but I find they limit the distance I can ride comfortably. Either the upright position or the lack of hand positions will do me in after 20 miles or so. I have a Specialized Sirrus as well, but this one's better, if only because of the Acera brifters which make shifting a doddle:

krobinson103

I'm the opposite I prefer a flat bar with ergo grips and barends any day over a dropbar. I ride 100 miles or more on flays with no problems. If I ride more than 5 miles with drops they drive me nuts.

non-fixie 

You're right, the bar ends make a big difference. And I should mention that a (wide) flat bar gives you a lot of control, which is nice when you're dodging tramlines and busy traffic in town. But for the longer rides I've come to appreciate the drop bar, although I did have to get used to it.

1987cp

That's what swept and moustache bars are for! But since flats are so common in this country, it's good to hear that some people really like them.

1 Lugnut

This Ebay seller has quite a few riser stems, labeled as MTB alloy stems. Has several in 22.1mm & 22.2mm diameters. I bought a black one from him awhile back. I wouldn't opt for any w/ extensions or adjustable. Just complicates the C&V appearance imo!

Stems

1987cp

Does the OP know how high he might like his bars?