Converting flat bar to drop bar
 

My girlfriend owns the mens version of the 2012 Giant Escape 3. It has all lower end components and after a few years of riding she wants to upgrade. The first thing we purchased was some limited edition bar tape at a lbs and soon we are going to test out different styles of drop bars at another. We are currently looking at groupsets on probikekit.com but are not sure if the bottom bracket and chainrings are compatible with this bike? Is there a better way to shop smart for shifter levers to do a drop bar conversion? We assumed that new shifters will require a new cassette with more gears (going up from 8 speed cassette maybe) and switching to a double chainring instead of a triple. We are also going to buy new wheels.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=442921
a very old pic from when the bike was brandy new :thumb:

What's your budget? It can get spendy to swap out everything you'll be changing. Not that it won't still be cheaper than a new bike (probably), but you might be better off looking for an upright-style road bike with drop bars to buy used, or sell the Escape and buy used.

The budget is about 500$. surely not enough to buy a road bike, upgrades welcomed though! Just wondering, would that groupset work? We might sell parts of it such as the brake calipers and bb, unless of course it is compatible.

Sorry, I'm not an expert on the actual conversion. But you ought to be able to get a nice used road bike for $500 or less, if you sell the Escape especially. Any local craigslist or bike co-ops? If you absolutely won't look at used, perhaps post over in the mechanics forum, or do some research there?

We are not looking to sell the bike, it holds sentimental value to the owner, we love our bikes and would never sell any. However we would like to make the bike even more rad than it already is. Drop bars would give the bike more life by adding a few extra riding positions and additional comfort. Could this post be moved to bicycle mechanics forum pls?

The problem with swapping to drops is that you need to swap more than just the bar. It looks like your current bar may have a large enough clamping area that it's the same size as a drop bar,but you'll still want to swap the stem to make up for the difference in bar position. Brifters can be expensive,and they won't work with your current brakes. You'll either need to install Travel Agents or swap to mini-V's,canti's,or dual-pivots. As for whether the BB will work,that will depend on your frame and what BB you're looking at.

If you're just looking to add hand positions,have you considered a trekking(butterfly) bar? That would be a straight swap.

+1) Figure 8 bend trekking bars does a lot of what you want.. with out a lot of expense of shifters and such

other than that . loosen the cables, all 4 pinch bolts and take bars off as a whole and start Over.

stem for reach will be different as will everything else.

Wont be cheap .. keeping Girlfriends never Is ..

This is almost certainly a really bad idea. The Giant Escape has geometry designed for flat bars; that means it has a significantly longer reach to the stem/bar interface than would be the case with a drop-bar bike.

Given that your gf's bike has the men's geometry, if it fits her reasonably well now it almost certainly won't with drop bars unless she has freakishly short legs/long torso for her height. Far from adding "comfort" the conversion is likely to ruin what is at present a perfectly good bike.

But, whatever ... I'm sure you've considered all this so go for it. Good luck!

Based on the questions you are asking, it sounds like you may not be comfortable doing the work yourself. If that's the case just look on Craig's List and find a used road bike for a nice price. The conversion isn't hard of you know what you're doing but honestly you do not have enough in your budget for what you're trying to accomplish unless you can find a great deal on the components/wheels.

If you sold the Giant and added in your $500 you could get something nice.

Everybody seems to ignore this quote.

In an earlier thread I chronicled the story of my conversion of my Sirrus into a drop bar roadbike. Keep in mind that I started out with a much more up-market frame/components than yours.
http://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...on-sirrus.html

If you are determined to try this, especially if you are farming out the work, I would definitely recommend that you initially only change the handlebars, and probably the stem first. There is no reason to make any changes to the drivetrain/wheels until you decide if the bike is going to work as intended, first.
All you need to buy to do this is new handlebars, a set of brifters, a pair of Travel Agents (from Problem Solvers) to convert the brakes and likely a new stem to adjust the riding position. I would strongly recommend the Shimano Sora 3503 brifters (the best price that I ever found was from Ribble.

Shimano STI Levers Sora 3500 9 Speed with cables, GEARSHIFT STI / ERGO

Do this first with a modest investment and decide if it is worth it to go farther and put a lot more money into the Escape.

PS. Keep all the original components from the bike so you could put them back on, if necessary.

I did a similar conversion earlier this year. I started with an order from ProBikeKit.


Deda RHM 01 Handlebars Black Gloss 44cm x 31.7mm
Shimano Tiagra 4600 10sp Rear Mech Derailleur Medium
Shimano Tiagra 4600 10sp STI Levers
Shimano Tiagra 4600 Bicycle Cassette - 10 Speed - 12-30 Tooth
Deda EL Stem - Black - 100mm
Shimano Tiagra 4600 Bottom Bracket Cups British
Shimano Tiagra 4601 10sp Chain
Shimano Tiagra 4650 10sp 172.5 34/50

I nearly bought a groupset but also got the handlebars and stem, didn't need the brakes. Total cost was under $300. Current cost of a Tiagra groupset is still well under $300 but comes with the brakes which I'd advise you leave out of the conversion.

You'll need a crank puller, bottom bracket tool, a set of allen-head sockets and a torque wrench to get the correct installation specifications. A 3/8" beam-style torque wrench with SAE and Metric measurements is very useful and a good investment. The cables and housings come with the shifters but you'll need to cut cable cleanly and also the housings. An investment in a pair of bike-specific cable cutters (available at a bike shop) is advisable. You'll also need some way to "clean up" your housings cuts. A file or grinding/cutting tool, like a Dremel tool, is needed.

I recommend that you stay with your current brakes and use a pull adapter such as this one (http://problemsolversbike.com/products/travel_agents) made by Problem Solvers. Unless you're set on road-style calipers, I'd stick with the V-brakes because it simplifies the conversion. They are already set up and adjusted. Road style calipers may or may not fit your frame, I can't tell.

Add some pedals, a roll of bar tape, and streamers (haha) and you're ready to go.

Good luck.

PS Almost forgot. You may need to adjust the number of spacers under your stem. They come in different thicknesses. Ask how to adjust the headset, here at the forums, if you replace the stem.

PPS Note that my conversion is only offered as an illustration and is not a direct-conversion system for your bike. You may need to sort out issues with the front derailleur, shifting performance and other "surprises" that have yet to be identified.

Thanks that truly shows it can be done! Im going to get some travel agents and find a set of brifters alone.

Before you go whole hog, might I suggest that you start with a test? Pull off the old bars without disconnecting anything. Swap in drop bars and put on some brakes, put the bike in a trainer and then have your girlfriend sit on it. If she has to really stretch to ride on the hoods (if her elbows lock) don't invest any more time and money and put it back the way it was. I learned this lesson the hard with my first drop conversion. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's not meant to be.