Flat bars for drop bars
 

I've been thinking about a new bike for riding around town. No long rides and probably a bit of gravel, but primarily pavement. Specifically, the Kona Sutra LTD

This bike has drop handlebars, and I'm wondering if I could put flat bars on for a (bit) more erect posture or if that would a big mistake ? (poor position, fatigue....etc.)

Questions about Flat-to-drop and drop-to-flat are quite common.
But depending on type of brakes and gears, can involve more than you'd first think. Can become surprisingly expensive.
It will get you more upright.
Whether that's overall more helpful or not only you can tell.
A search or simply scrolling back to older posts should give you lots to read.

You certainly could, but you would need to purchase new shifters/brakes and possibly a new stem to get you in a comfortable position. You may be better off searching for a flat bar road/hybrid bike.

I'm in the process of doing the opposite...going from flat bar to drop bar on my Sirrus.

Agree with others - it will get expensive by the time you replace all of the components to make the conversion. In addition to the obvious bars and the shifters/brakes/stem already mentioned, don't forget about ergo grips and possibly bar ends, and you might need to replace all of the cabling and hydraulic lines too, depending on compatibility with the new levers and how much slack there is in the existing ones. It gets a lot more involved than it seems up front. You would probably be better off looking for a bike with similar geometry and component level that already has the flat bars.

Cheers
TRJB

Easiest conversation is to install mustache bars.

You can keep the road components and still get to ride upright.

More about mustache bars here:

The Moustache Handlebar

As I mentioned in my post above, I'm going from flats to drops on my Sirius X1 carbon. I love the frame. The geometry is very similar to my Caad12 and my RLT9...it kind of fits right in the middle of the two. Make sure you compare geometries of other bikes with your current bike, and take measurements so you are confident the handlebar change won't be uncomfortable for you. It will cost me $350 for some Rival 1 shifter/brakes. I already have bars and tape. I'll also do the work myself, so that will save $100 of shop labor. To me $350 is cheaper than a new bike, and I can keep the frame I like. Plus, I just like messing around with bikes...I may switch it back at some point! 😉

many people on this forum have done this but the overall concensus is that it is not worth the $ you have to put into the bike to convert it. generally, folks that have a hybrid and want drop bars have bought road bikes after selling their hybrids or buy a road bike as a 2nd bike.

you can do it if you can do the work or get the parts cheap but in the end, sometimes the bike will not be as good of a fit based on geometry. this varies greatly bc all brands use different (albeit similar) sizes.

and if you want to "try out" drop bars to see if you'd like them or not, consider getting a used older bike from craigslist. this is a great way to test the water without dumping a ton of money into a bike you may not like in the end.

hope this helps and good luck.

Here is an example of similar purposed bikes offered by Marin. I opted for the Muirwoods over the drop bar bike. Less money, add it has Hydraulic discs. I love it. I did add Butterfly bars using the stock shifters/brakes. More upright, great for around town, etc.

http://www.marinbikes.com/us/bikes/pavement-bikes/urban

Hope this helps,

-Snuts-

So I ride a Sirrus and recently just posed a similar question. The overwhelming opinion on why/how road bikes are faster than hybrids is because of the inherent reduced wind resistance.

I did not and still do not want drop bars but just last week put on a set of carbon aero bars I got on CL of $60 and am very happy with the result! I'll try to post pics this week and also some real time/speed comparisons when I get some laps done on my common routes but I'll say this, even my indoor trainer speeds have improved - didn't expect that!

I view such conversions as counter productive. If a bike was designed with drops then changing them may upset the overall geometry aside from being an expensive exercise. I know there are tinkerers who relish this sort of experimentation and that's fine if it's your thing but for the average rider it's much better to just buy a bike with the bars you want in the first place. Change to upright and the saddle arrangement will be all wrong, crank position too most likely.

Giant Anyroad is fab bike to check out. Gives you both options and it can play on lots of surfaces.

Interested in seeing the pictures as well. Fiddling with different bars on my Sirrus as well

There are some very good points here.........especially whether or not the fit will work if you changed from a geometry drop bar, to flat. That is my main concern !

I test rode this Kona Sutra LTD awhile ago and it's a great bike. But, there is no way that I could get used to the drop bars with the style and type of riding I do. Riding on top of the bars is strange because of the cabling that goes behind and under the tape. Riding on the "hood" might work, but I'd be doing that 80% of the time.

Coming from a flat bar and liking this bike and wanting flat bars seemed logical at the time.
Perhaps this is just a matter of getting the right size frame **********

Appreciate all the input.

My old geometry


Size: 56

Reach: 413
Stack: 599
HT Angle: 71
HT Length: 150
ST Angle: 73.5
ST Length: 510
CS Length: 440
BB Drop: 57
Wheelbase: 1083
Front Center: 649
Fork Length: 435
Fork Offset: 45
TT Length: 590
Standover: 810





The Sutra LTD


Size: 54cm 56cm 58cm

LENGTH: 540 560 580
TT LENGTH: 569 585 603
REACH: 386 390 395
STACK: 598 618 640
STANDOVER: 820 840 860
HT ANGLE: 71 71 71
HT LENGTH: 147 168 191
ST ANGLE: 73 72.5 72
CS LENGTH: 445 445 445
BB DROP: 72 72 72
BB HEIGHT: 293 293 293
WHEELBASE: 1059 1070 1083
FRONT CENTER: 624 635 648
FORK LENGTH: 415 415 415
FORK OFFSET: 50 50 50

I spend a lot of time riding road bikes with drop bars and most road bike riders spend the majority of their time on the hoods. Having drop bars is about more than just aerodynamics, it's also about having different places to put your hands so they don't get numb from using the same position for a long time. My Jamis Quest has the bars up pretty high, compared to a racier bike, so the drops are as high as some people's flat bars. Stand a flat bar road bike next to an endurance geometry road bike and you'll see what I mean.

I'm not trying to convince you to go with drop bars, but if you look at one that is fitted properly for your type of riding you might be surprised. Not everyone wants to race, and some shops have a hard time dealing with that. If you are buying a new bike, you should get one that fits and has the equipment you want, and not have to pay to swap a bunch of things right off the bat. Stems are pretty inexpensive, though, and swapping to a more upright stem on the Kona may be just what you need to make the drop bars work for you. If you decide you want flat bars, then get a bike that already has them.

Pompiere: I can't argue with your reasoning. Makes total sense about the different positions. There's a lot of reasons why I like the Sutra LTD. It's 95% there. I would ride most of the time on the hood and top of a drop bar bike....no doubt in my mind (for what I use a bike for). What really bugs me is the way the cable from the shifter and brake levers passes under the taped bar. It's on the backside, but you feel this bulge. Very annoying. I suppose that could be modified.

Thanks for your comments

A good candidate for a drop bar to flat bar conversion is a road bike that is a size larger than what you are supposed to ride. For example if you are too stretched on a road bike and end up just riding the tops most of the time, then converting it to a flat bar will make for a more comfy ride. The important point is to be comfortable riding your bike. If you're not comfortable, you won't be riding that bike.

Do the bars on the Sutra have a groove for the cables? On my bikes with the cables wrapped under the tape, if the cables are in a groove, they are barely noticeable. On the ones without a groove, there is a sharp edge where the cable is wrapped.