Recently finished my 1986 Bridgestone T700, and am now thinking of converting it to more of an upright tourer/city/?-type bike. Why? The reach is a bit too long to be comfortable (I’m 6’3” with a 36” inseam but apparently not a long enough torso) and I already have a 1985 Voyageur to fulfill my 80s dropbar touring needs. Will of course save the original stem/bars/levers.

I’m thinking of using a Nitto Technomic stem to raise things up a bit and adding a VO Postino bar with Tektro FL750 brake levers. Going to leave the shifting as is. Has anyone done anything similar? This will be sort of a guess-and-try exercise, and I’m wondering which length stem would be most comfortable and offer the best control with those bars? I’m thinking the 90mm but that’s just a guess…

Below are my four Schwinns with more upright bars. The 86 Tempo has a Sunlite stem with drops, the 87 Super Sport has a Nitto Technomic 60mm with drops, the 86 Peloton has Velo-Orange Left Bank handlebars , and the 73 Super Sport has Velo-Orange Porteur bars with Guidonet brake levers. I have been very pleased with the the more upright stance with my 56 year old body. I think the Technomic looks the best with drops.

image by vonfilm, on Flickr

Untitled by vonfilm, on Flickr

Untitled by vonfilm, on Flickr

0430201173SS 125 by vonfilm, on Flickr

I had downtube shifters on this Gitane until I almost hit a parked car while reaching down to shift. You have to remember to keep your weight centered as much as possible.

When shopping for a tall stem, keep in mind that a taller stem needs more extension because it will be angled back.

I went to a Dirt Drop style stem and Nitto Noodles on my Trek 620. I'm not so much of a fan of the look of the stem, and the bars seem much wider than 44.

If I were to do it again (or when I decide to re-do it) I will try the Technomic stem, and approximate the reach. What did kind of scare me is that I had a taller Dirt Drop- and it wouldn't go low enough.

Whatever stem you get- make sure it's not too tall to effectively lower.

As much as I like the positivity of upright bars, upright brake levers and especially thumbshifters... The multitude of hand positions on drop bars is invaluable to me.

Update: Finished my conversion, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Went with a 110mm Nitto Tallux stem from Rivendell and the VO Postino bar with Tektro FL750 brake levers. Added the Jagwire braided cable and some Brooks leather grips as well.

Ride is very comfortable and I like the look - a little more upright but not too much (stem could actually go higher but this feels right). I can see riding this around the neighborhood as well as on longer treks, since it's got the nice long touring frame with the ability to add racks and fenders.

Looks great! I'm doing the same with my '81 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 because I have a super short torso, combined hand and wrist issues that don't take well to long rides on dropbars. Upright is about the only way I've been able to get comfortable.

So is reaching the downtube shifters a problem for you? That's the only thing I'm really worried about.

No so far - I'm used to downtube shifting, and frankly I don't shift a lot - fairly flat rides around here. Who knows - may look into some thumb shifters in the future just to give them a try...