Pairing drop bar with Montague
 

Has anyone tried a drop bar on a Montague folding bike? Thinking about modifying their current single speed Boston model with a drop bar.

Can anyone think of any reason why it may not be a good idea? I am aware of its bigger size and will intrude on the folded size. Apart from that, is there any geometry or compatibility reasons why it should not be done?

No reason you can't do it. If the bike has brake levers you will need to change them to road levers that work with the brakes you have. You also need to make sure the bars will fit your stem. Roger

It is perfectly good idea, and I liked the setup a lot. Actually montague bikes rather short top tube compared to other bikes so it is better suited for drop handlebar setup.

You can do it, but it's not necessarily simple or cheap.

Dia-Compe, Tektro and Cane Creek make road levers that are compatible with V brakes and standard cable-operated disc brakes. You WILL need to make this swap, because standard road levers do not pull enough cable. They will bottom out against the bars without fully activating the brakes.

You'll need to figure out what to do about shifting. No one makes integrated road shifter/brake levers that are compatible with mountain brakes. You will NOT be able to use Shimano STI road levers (the ones with built-in shifters) due to the brake compatibility issue, unless you switch to cantilever brakes (if you currently have V-brakes) or Avid Road Discs (if you have discs). Cantilever brakes are a pretty significant step down in performance from Vs, however. Avid Road Discs are designed specifically to work with road levers and work great, but will cost you about $180.

Most folks who run drop bars with mountain brakes use simple brake levers as I described above in the first paragraph along with bar-end shifters. This is what I myself do on my mountain bike, which has drop bars and discs. Paul and Interloc Racing Design both make adapters that allow you to clamp your bar-end shifters onto the top of the bar, which is more convenient. Even if you do that there is STILL one compatibility issue: road shifters work perfectly with mountain rear derailers, but not mountain front derailers, where they theoretically don't pull quite enough cable to shift across all 3 chainrings. Many folks who do this setup run single or double chainrings anyway, and avoid this problem; I was able to JUST BARELY get it to work on my mountain bike (with Shimano 8-speed bar-ends and a SRAM x.gen derailer), so it may depend on your exact setup.

Thanks all. I've also found a photo on Montague's FB page that showed an owner's drop bar conversion. Looks good.

To GlowBoy: As I am looking at a Boston (single speed), gear shift isn't a problem. But at some point I may consider an Alfine hub. As for the brake lever, I'll look into replacing the road rim calipers should it not work out in terms of cable pull.

I am waiting to take delivery of Montague's new Boston 8 which has a Shimano Nexus 8 speed IGH, and I'm considering changing it to drop bars for the extra hand positions. The Nexus & Alfine hubs use a twist shifter, so in order to use drop bars a Jtek Bar End Shifter or a "Hubbub Twist Grip Adapter" from Harris Cyclery would be possible solutions, albeit expensive ones.

Yes, saw those shifting options too.

I further note that rear drop out spacing is 120mm on the Boston, not functional with the wider spaced internal geared hubs. Nexus 8 can be brought down to 123mm and may just get through for a conversion. Or maybe not.

Anyone know how much of a difference 3mm is?

.118 of an inch or a bit less than 1/8th of an inch. Roger

A difference of 3mm does not sound significant. Each side would only have to be 1.5mm wider at the hub, less so at the frame. Have you measured the actual rear drop out spacing on your Boston? You may find that due to manufacturing tolerance it won't be exactly 120mm.

Thanks on the spacing advice. At present I have yet to find a specific confirmation on the Nexus 8 spacing and the supposed 123mm minimum. Continuing the search.