Barchettaman

Well, a cheap disc-braked hybrid landed in my lap so it seemed the decent thing to put it to some use.

The original bike was a Boardman Comp Hybrid, 2013, Avid BB5 brakes and a 9-speed Sram/Microshift drivetrain.

Here it is, sporting some new Stronglight 35mm mudguards. Tyres are Vittoria Zaffiro 622/28.



Now, I had some long-pull Tektro RL520 drop bar brake levers in the parts bin and bar-end shifters, so it´s ended up as a 20-speed commuter.

Dura Ace shifters
Tiagra 50/34 crankset and long cage rear derailleur. I´d like the ability to stick an 11-34 cassette on it if I take it to the Alpes-Maritimes.
Ultegra front derailleur
Avid BB5 brakes
Jagwire housing/cables
FSA compact drop handlebar






Still to come: rear rack, front dynamo hub, lights, bottle cage, decent pedals, bar tape on the left handlebar!

Thanks for looking. Total spend is about €250.

bmthom.gis

Very nice! Upgrades on it look great

BlarneyHammer

I'd ride it.

joeyduck

Nice upgrades. It has a nice clean classic look.

I especially like the silver bar tape accent.

Barchettaman

Thanks all for the kind words.
I'm interested to see how I get on switching from STI to bar end shifters. Feels good so far!
It seems to be that 95% of the roadies I see have their bars set too low and are never on the hooks. Since I raised my setup I spend 80% of my time down low and am only on the tops/hoods when in town and/or cruisin' around. Seems to make more sense.....

BobbyG

My kind of bike! Nice job!

RidingMatthew

I agree that is a nice looking bike and a nice looking build. My next commuter will have disk brakes as well.

Leisesturm

When I converted my flat-bar roadie to drops (FSA Gossamer Pro) the LBS suggested getting a 20mm shorter stem. I'm glad I listened. I'm an old guy. YMMV. I thought about bar-ends too, but I went with down-tube shifters! Had to get custom shifter mounts because the diameter of my downtube is as big around as yours. If I had gone bar ends I would have routed the cables up through the bar tape so they exit the tape with the brake cables. Your way works, but... ... anyway, its your bike... nice job...

Andy_K 

I compromise between the two. I've got my bars up high like yours but I still spend most of my time on the hoods. It's the MAMIL setup.

I like the look of your build. How is the geometry/fit working out for you?

joeyduck

I think the same, but I want to wait until road hydraulics become more prevalent and I want thru axles.

blackieoneshot 

Fender line is superb. Nice job.

kickstart

I've detested rim brakes for a long time, opting for roller, or drum brakes, but I recently upgraded my trekking bike to hydraulic discs, and I gotta say they put every other braking system to total shame.

Unless I come across a really cool, must have C&V bike, rim brakes no longer exist as far as I'm concerned.

kickstart

Looks great,

Funny what you say about most drops you see being way too low. My one bike with drops is set up with them higher than yours, yet I still virtually never go lower than the hoods. I have found that trekking bars better match my physique, and riding style.

Looking forward to seeing it when finished.

ypsetihw

that's a pretty commuter, GCN would be proud. I'd flip my converted MTB in a second to score a rig like that.

CliffordK

Nice job.

I still like commuting on a road bike, but a snagged a used Jamis Hybrid for cheap a while ago and have been meaning to convert it into a drop bar gravel bike.

Barchettaman

Seems Ok so far! The first longish ride is today (ca. 16 miles). Then the Brooks B-17 needs to go on, which is currently on another bike at the back of the loft.

Barchettaman

thanks. I've actually cocked it up a bit and cut a couple of a stays a few MM too short, so am now committed to 622/28 as a maximum tyre size. Ah well.

Barchettaman

I have an 80mm stem ready to go on if the current 100mm proves too 'reachy', but it feels OK for the moment.

I've seen bar-end shifters routed under the tape, and thought about going that way, but went for a more traditional routing in the end. Shifting is *silky smooth* with the Jagwire Road Pro cable setup. I highly, highly recommend an upgrade to Jagwire cables and housing for any bike.

Barchettaman

TRP Hylex road hydraulic brakes are a definite upgrade possibility in the future.

Wait a moment - I've hardly ridden the thing and am already thinking about upgrades!!

Paramount1973 

I'd steal that bike.

Barchettaman

Ride report:

It's FAST.
It needs new brake pads.
Sprocket 5 slips under load, moral of the story: new chain = new cassette.
The saddle is horrid so the B-17 is going on.
The reach is a little too much so the 80mm stem is going on too.
It handles fine, the slightly longer wheelbase means (I think) it's less twitchy and more relaxing than my Merckx.
I love the bar end shifters.
Did I mention how fast it is...?

Barchettaman

Update.
The rear mudguard took a bang and cracked at the stay, so both 'guards have come off and it's my fair-weather training bike for the summer!

For what is a repurposed hybrid, I've managed to find a really nice position with a zero-offset post and it handles nicely, maybe a bit slower than a dedicated road bike with the 80mm stem but that's no bad thing on rough paths.

It rides really, really nicely. Shallow-drop road bars and bar-end shifters are bloody marvellous!

The Avid BB5 brake are now properly dialled in but I need a new rear disc, I think. It's just a bit too warped to get satisfactory performance without slight rub when riding. A 0.7mm shim on the fixed pad seems to be the best one to use when setting them up.

This will be coming on holiday with me so it's set up with a dynamo hub ready for our trip to Sweden in July. Until then my steel commuter is on evening duty so no point putting on the lights just yet.



nice and dusty after a 90 minute spin up the River Nidda bike path, with my 10yr old son following on his MTB. Great fun!