Dropbars on an upright commuter?
 

I test rode a Marin Kentfield today as a candidate for my first serious bike purchase and I love everything about it except for the fact that I'm riding so upright. My previous bike was also an upright bike but the top tube was a bit longer. Is it practical/possible to put dropbars on said commuter? If so, how hard would it be or how much would it cost to have my LBS install them?

Also, how much do low-end bars cost? What different types of drop bars are there? I've seen the perfectly round ones and the ones that look curved. I don't know too much about bikes yet so bear with the lingo, or lack thereof.

Oh and my LBS offered to sell me the Kentfield tax-free (or rather, he pays the tax) AND offered to sell me any lights/racks/locks/etc at 10% off. I'm starting to really like this shop.

I got dropbars on a hybrid, shifters and all. 25 pounds naked

Then I built up a fixed gear with an 1970's steel frame from a Schwinn Traveler. 20 pounds naked

Guess which one I rode faster and climbed better?

Seeing as to how I know pretty much nothing about fixies, that rhetorical question got me stumped. Help?

For the money you will spend your current bike, you could very inexpensivelly learn to climb better on a singlespeed bike.

I made 800 dollar mistakes not doing so earlier :brickwall

Well, they have a Mongoose Sabrosa SS for 500 that I absolutely love and adore but after thinking over my current 4mi commute a few times with the 2-3% grades, I decided on a multi-speed. I ride a straight stretch of road for my commute, I'm in the suburbs and the road's really quiet and smooth so i figured a singlespeed might not be a good choice. But hey a few more weeks of saving and I might be able to get that Sabrosa I've longed for.

The thing is, I don't want to over work myself getting to work on the uphill and not being able to go full speed when i go home on the downhill as I often love to do on my 18 speed loaner.

Opinions?

In a month you will have figured out that 5% hills are rather flat. Single speed with a coaster gear (regular gear) might sound limited but your fitness level will increment as you learn to pedal smoothly.

4 years straight without gears and there are very few roadies and other geared fellows on the same roads that i ride that can keep up.

800 dollars can buy a lot of geared bike, for 560 I bought one without multiple gears. Can you get your multiple gear bike over 35 mph downhill?

Maybe I've had a bit too much to drink for dinner tonight or maybe I've just had a long day but are you saying that a singlespeed (not a fixie), can keep up with say...a multiple at top gear? Cuz if you are...I'm saving up for that Sabrosa. You are right about that limited fitness level part, however. I've only started commuting again for about 2 months. I'm only worried because I ride low gears going to work so I don't pass out from exhaustion after trying to keep a moderate pace.

Converting a flatbar bike to drop bars requires a new bar, probably a new stem, new brake levers and shifters. You will also have to replace the cables and after adjusting the bar and lever position you will need to wrap the bars in bar tape. Figure atleast $200 to have a LBS do it, probably more.
You are usually better off buying a bike so configured from the start.

Many commuters run single speed or fixed gear. These drive trains reduce complexity and increase reliability. You don't need shifters or derailers which can simplify switching to a dropbar. However you only have one gear and it will require you to get out of the saddle to climb. I love my fixie but they are not for everyone.

Craig

You dont need to go as fast as you can all the time.

What i say is that in my experience variable gears where useful for a while, but I found myself shifting less and less. Hills, in then rural Pennsylvania, where a concerned. My hybrid was aluminum with a suspension fork. After riding all summer long I came to realize that the suspension was robbing me from my enjoyment experience, since it was slowing me down on the uphills. I came to realize that the roadies going around my routes where hauling ass in those skinny tires, and then I realize that I rarely saw one having a flat.
One day I bought a decently shaped 1971 Schwinn. Wheels where chromed, 10 speeds, atrocious saddle, same approximate weight than the aluminum mountain bike. Bike was 25$

After fitting the bike to my height and getting used to the new geometry, I was really hauling ass (measured with cyclocomputer). Wheels were a problem, since 27 inches of non tueable steel where heavy.

Slowly, I started replacing stuff. A steel frame, once peeled off, was not really that heavy. I bought a used 700 set of wheels. I bought a handlebar that was aluminum instead of steel. Seatpost was replaced with aluminum. Gears went away, so shifters, so rear brake. Braze ons went away, so cable guides, so gear hanger.

Guess what happened? I was left with a durable, maintenance free 18 pound bike.

And a hybrid.

One afternoon many months later i took the hybrid for a spin. I went to a 10 ish mile ride and measured the overall time and mentally noted the speed on the hills. I am a pretty strong fella and I can spin rather well, I was familiar with the bike and i can shift without problems.

It was almost 7 minutes difference. 7 whole minutes. That is over an hour in a century. The properly fitted, multy geared hybrid gave me slower times. And ... I did the first effort in it.

The bike that started at 25 dollars ended up costing like 400 after all was said and done. Shoes, pedals, etc are also taken into account.

I was forced off the sadde for a while due trave for work. Moved to texas. The Hill Country. Wonder why is it called like that??

I made some phonecalls - mind you, one year of the saddle - and located a single speed bike. New shoes and gear and stuff - 1,200 dollars. For a single speed. On the Hill Country. Yeah.

The bike fits me right off the shelf. I replaced the handlebars for some off my liking, the very same day i bought it. I have all tools needed in a pouch under my seat. I have an airpump, some lights. Two brakes.

18 pounds, versus 18 pounds (naked) of my dear ( :( ) steel frame i left behind in PA.

Did I have the money for a Trek 1,000? Yes. Could I have bought a Lemond? Yes could I have chosen for the same money to have a entry level 27 speed bike? Yes.

Did I do it?

No.

To me, I get a upper and lower body workout by climbing off the saddle. I get a thrill of trying to keep up with the recreational roadies (most can kick my ass all day long, but the chase is fun) I get , if i choose to, more workout per mile than most people. Or I can take it easy. I have learned to spin smoothly (because the fixed gear) so to save my knees. I have variabe speed on the bike, it is called percieved effort. I came to appreciate all the kinestetic ability that a single speed (in my case, the fixed gear variety) demans me to develop.

I am ever in pain? ... ony if i choose to go like a madman.

Do I ride with appropiate dressier clothes if i want to? Yes.

All in one gear?

Yes.

Is it better?

It's just more fun.

Well, there's my dilemma. The Kentfield doesn't seem to quite fit, the SS fits me like a glove yet there are still others out there I've yet to look at. Lastly, a 200 dollar price difference may not seem like a lot to some of the members on this board but I'm a high school graduate that just got kicked out to live on his own, I work full time as a supervisor at a retail store and still barely make enough to save 300 a month after bills. In about a month, I may get screwed with some court-ordered fines so I'm trying to get this bike while I'm still able to save any money at all.

...yeah....thats my life story...

My top speed on my GMC Denali Road Bike is 53.1mph. And it's geared like a mountain bike. Of course pedaling at that speed is fruitless... not that you need too. I can still make a difference into the low 30's though on a smaller down hill.

I understand some people loving fixed gears and all. Hey I do too... heck I like all kinds of bicycles. But I enjoy my multispeed bike... expecially on the killer hills I ride on. We're talking 10% grade and higher. An 800 foot climb in under 2 miles!

I'm not sure it would be possible on a single speed. Maybe so... but goodness that would be a tough climb.

Isn't the Denail the Wal-mart brand bike that had that uber-long post made about it? A possible candidate?

Get the SS ... 2% hills are nothing

Yeah, the same bike. I didn't read the post before buying it... I wasn't even a member here then. But the thread helped out with learning what adjustments to make.

It's not a super lite bike, but I ride it every Thursday with a co-worker that rides a much lighter, much better geared Cannondale road bike. And his bike is stripped of near everything (not even deflectors on it... just 1 blinky out back). We tend to average around 16mph on our 30mile rides... which is plenty of fun.

My dad raised me to weild a wrench and to not be afraid to take things apart and so on. I really couldn't afford a $500+ bike like what was the lowest end bike my lbs offers. So this worked out nicely. Oh and hey if you get serious problems, return it to Walmart. Just keep your receipt and paperwork.

I like my bike alot. Sure I'd like something under 20 pounds... but this works just fine.. gets me where I want to go... and I didn't have to charge it... but rather paid cash :)

They sell a nice shwinn varsity road bike as well. Many people getting into cycling seem to love those bikes as well.. and IMO they look pretty nice as well.

Oh and hey I'm about to start commuting on it as well.


EDIT: and oh walmart isn't the only carrier of the bike. Amazon.com sells it and some actual bike shops online sell it too. Walmart just happens to be the store most people have locally where it can be found. Expecially the bigger supercenters.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../messenger.htm

Sorry to interrupt but I just ran across this on a random thread on the SS forum. opinions?

On Second thought...can't I just get the Kentfield and convert it to a SS?

From what I've read, the frames are genericly made and then branded Motobecane and several other brands since bikesdirect somehow owns the rites to the name since MOtobecane went out of business several years ago or something.

You could go with it... but the support probably would be sketchy if you had any problems.

Many people said they had to take the bikes apart completely and reassemble them (packing greese in the bearings and so on) to make em work well.

Ugh...sounds pretty rough. Maybe I'll just stick to my LBS. Kentfield it is...

Converting to SS sound like too much work/money? Impractical?

How about a Bianchi San Jose? SS, drop bars, fender and rack bosses, clearance for nice cushy tires? It's what I would have gotten if I hadn't built up a FG commuter from the frame.

I've tried looking for a San Jose at any and all LBS's in my area...even the one store that sells Bianchi's and Bianchi's only. The owner wished me luck after telling me it's harder than hell to find a used or leftover Bianchi in the area... and a new San Jose...WAY outta my budget.

I love my 2007 kentfield, but I'm not the drop bar type. I couldn't imagine spending the money to pay someone to convert it to drop bars considering the amount of parts needed. I'm sure labor might be a little much too. After riding for a while I did notice that I wanted to opportunity to stretch out and not be so upright. I'm still not into drop bars so I wanted somthing in between. I got a pair of rather long bar ends that go straight forward and then curve parallel to the bar. I wrapped them with bar tape and put grips on the ends. this is enough for me and it added about 4 more comfortable hand positions. I can still up shift from the bar ends and do some moderate braking. This works for me.
Unless it has changed the Marin Kentfield goes for around $330. For what you'd spend to have it converted you could buy a different, possibly better bike that might be more of what you want. If you are going to spend the money on a brand new bike (which all of us commuters deserve if we so desire) You shouldn't have to settle. It is an investment you should be happy with, not regret.

Is the Kentfield supposed to feel more upright than say a conventional mtb? I'm used to riding a 17" mtb to work and back and the Kentfield 17" feels like I'm sitting fully upright...maybe I should just go with some new bar ends and call it a day.

well, I'm not sure. I've never had a MTB that fit me right. I have the 17 inch Kentfield. I believe the top tube is either 20 or 21 inches. My Trek MTB was a 20 inch and too big for me. on warm days I had to be careful if you know what I mean ;) yesterday I moved the saddle back as far as it would go. it gave me another 1.5 inches or so. that actually helped a lot. it is fairly upright though but with some adjustments and the right bar ends you can stretch out a fair amount. you may have to play with adjustments for a while to get things just right. Everyone is different though. I used to ride a Pacific full suspension MTB with huge ape hangers so I guess I'm a bit more of the upright type.

I'd never recommend a SS or fixie to someone who has never ridden one before as his/her only bike. It could be something you love, but then again, you may hate it. That being the case, I wouldn't recommend such a gamble. If you're interested in trying out a fixer gear bike, find an old garage sale bike or something off craigslist and convert it on the cheap. If you like it, then sink the money into a more expensive dedicated single-speed bike.

Ok so I'm pretty sure I've settled down on a Kentfield. I test-rode it the other day and boy-howdy it was comfy.

Now here's another noob question, aero bars on the kentfield? impractical? they look comfortable.

it's something I've thought about but haven't tried. Just gotta remember the bar is taperd (smaller in the middle. Might have mounting issues. That and the fact I'm too cheap to buy them are the only reasons I haven't tried them