Converting a Roadie to a Commuter. Please Help!
 

I love riding my roadie around, but due to recent events, I now must use it also as my commuter to school and work. Therefore, I'm going to be converting it to more of a comfort ride. I want to put on some risers, and take off the front derailleur. I think I'm set as far as which risers I want, but there are a few things I'm not sure about.

First, I'm not sure about which shifter to get. I'm running a SRAM Rival 10 speed rear derailleur. Do they make 10 speed compatible shifters? Or can I just switch my cassette to a 9 speed? Also, do they make modern down-tube shifters that would be 9 or 10 speed compatible? I'll be removing the front derailleur, so there will be no issues with that.

Second, as far as break levers are concerned from what I have read, I need to make sure they are cantilever compatible, and not for v-brakes?

I think otherwise I don't forsee any major issues. Am I missing anything?

I know nothing of your particular situation or desires, but there is one thing you might want to consider.
You may end up spending more on the components to "commutify" your bike than you would spend on a cheap used bike on CL.
There are TONS of cheap (>$100) older bikes on CL that would allow you to get to school/work very comfortably and save you the time of altering your road bike, as well as allow you to not leave a nice road bike on the rack waiting to get stolen.

This is what I would do, but not saying you ought to do it if that's not your cup of tea. I figured I'd suggest it in case you hadn't thought of it yet.

Thank you for the recommendation, but I'm pretty set on what I want to do. I don't have room where I live for a second bike, and for the amount of money I could get for my bars and shifters, I could easily pay for all the new components. In fact, I'm fairly certain I would come out ahead. However, this isn't really a thread to try and sway me one way or the other. I'm just looking for some help on the conversion.

There aren't that many modern road bikes that have actual shifter bosses on the downtube so that may not be an option. Truthfully though, I don't think you want down tube shifters anyway if you're using risers. You're going to have to reach a long way for them. Your bike would be a better commuter in its current configuration.

Have you thought about just getting a stem that would raise your current bars up higher? Actually, if you enjoy riding the bike on weekends as it is, IMHO there's no reason to change it just because you're going to use if for commuting.

I guess my question is, why "convert"? I guess we need to know a bit more about the bike you're converting to understand what you're trying to achieve. When I converted my former "road" bike to commuter duty, all I did was add a rack and lights, and change over to a "city" tire.

You can commute with drop bars, you know.

The real money should be spent on fitment for storage/carrying. Are you going with a backpack, messenger bag, or a rack on the bike? If there is any way to mount a rack, I recomment that. Then get some panniers. You'll be able to carry lots o' stuff.

If your main problem is space, maybe try to find a second hand folding bike? You can carry a lot on them and take them on the bus or train easely. Visit the folder forum! I know you did not ask for such advise, but it is a shame to hack your road bike like that.

I use my road bike as a commuter. If the roads you travel on aren't in bad shape I really don't see any reason to change your setup aside from adding a rack, or getting a backpack.

Too many questions in one post, and seems pretty appropriate for the mechanics forum.

To get you started though, the simplest (though not the cheapest) shifter solution would be to use the sram flat-bar road shifter.


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Personally, I would sell the bike and buy another one.

I use my road bike as a commuter, it is a giant scr 1 and has rack bosses so I have a rack on there too. If you can find a decent backpack or rack then you are all set to commute. I far prefer my drop bars on commutes especially when the wind picks up.

If your bike has a quill stem, get a stem riser. Then, you'll have a comfortable riding position. If it's wide enough to put fenders on, do so. If you can rack it, do that as well. You're done.

Thanks everyone for your concern, but like I said before, this is not a thread to sway me one way or the other. All I'm looking for is answers to my questions. I know I can still commute on drops. I know I could just get a stem with a higher rise. I know that what I'm doing might not be the most economical solution.

Please, all I want to know is: 1. Do they make SRAM Rival 10speed compatible flat bar shifters or 2. can I use my current 10speed RD with a 9 speed cassette and 9 speed shifter, and which would be a good choice?

1. If you are throwing money at your bike, why not just pick up a x5 twist shifter ($30), derailleur ($50) and a giant range rear cassette ($25) since you're removing front gearing?

2. You didn't ask but if you are removing your front derailleur, take your big chain ring to a belt sander and grind off the teeth. Cheap and easy bashguard/pantsguard.

This is definitely what I am looking for, thanks. Would the 9 speed be compatible with a 10 speed derailler and 9 speed cassette? And correct me if I'm wrong, but these don't include brake levers right?

Shimano also makes flat bar road shifters, which work with a double or triple front.

Or, do what I did and put bar-end shifters in Soma Sparrow bars, with a longer stem.

Once you get the shifters, all you really need is a handlebar and possibly a different stem. Although, they make flat and riser bars in 31.8 diameter now, so even if your road stem is 31.8 you can still get new bars for it.

If it lets you ride your bike more often, it is worth it. I was riding mine less because I didn't like the drops. I ride it a lot more often now. According to my cyclecomputer, I didn't even lose any speed switching to the new bars, except when it is really windy.

Also, if it is a normal road bike without rack mounts, that doesn't mean you can't get a rack for it. You can get this rack, which mounts to the rear brake bolt and the rear axle:

http://www.axiomgear.com/product/rac...uct.php?id=142

Get the new shifters, new bars, that rack, and possibly some fenders, and you will be commuting in speed and style. You will be going so much faster than the commuters on converted mountain bikes and hybrids. And you can always put the drops back on later if you want to ride it like a road bike again.

There exist SRAM flat-bar shifters:
http://www.bikesonline.com/index.php...-set-Flat-Bar#
That store is the cheapest one I found in a quick search; I have no idea if it's a good one. See if you can find a single shifter on eBay.

You could also team up a thumbie http://www.paulcomp.com/thumbshifters.html with a 10-speed Shimano or SRAM barend. You'd similarly need to do some searching to find only a rear one.

Oh! Thank you! I had never thought of this, or even knew it existed. I'll definitely take this into consideration.

I forgot to mention brake levers. If you go with Shimano's flat bar road brake levers you will be fine. Tektro also makes these, which I have: http://velo-orange.com/tertbrle.html They can be switched between caliper and V-brake setups by moving the cable pivot point.