I am helping a friend get back into cycling - she's in her mid-20's now but hasn't ridden since she was a kid. Her main interest is in riding for fun & fitness, and I think a road bike would be a good choice for her, but her budget means that a fitness/city/performance hybrid makes the most sense. Also, she test rode a few today and found them more accessible and easier to just get on and ride for the time being than a road bike.

So she's probably going to pick up a Giant Rapid 3, or maybe a Trek 7.2. What I'm wondering about is if it would be stupid to consider swapping the flat bars for drops in the future once she gets more accustomed to riding again if she wants the option of more hand/body positions while riding (say next year sometime).

Obviously the brake levers & shifters would have to be swapped along with the bars, but I assume that it shouldn't be too hard to find appropriate STI brake/shifter units (like a Sora 3 front / 8 rear) that would work with the derailleurs on either of these bikes. It might not be cost-effective, though - but it might not be bad if we scored some good deals on eBay and also sold off the stock stuff.

Thoughts?

No, it's not stupid - but could end up cheaper just reselling it in a few years, and buying one already "switched." There are options available to make performance Hybrids more comfortable for longer rides. (Ergon grips, bar ends, Origin 8 bolt on drops, Trekking bars, etc.

The FX, Sirrus, etc - are good platforms to switch from, since they are so roadworthy already. Sell and re-buy a roadie.

And, also, the FX is also a good candidate to switch bars and controls (pick 'em up cheaply on E-bay over time) with room for fenders, especially after switching to skinnier tires. That makes it a functional roadie, not limited to fair weather riding.

Just make sure she buys the one that rides the best, for her.

I agree it is not a stupid idea but sounds like something to not worry about for now. have her buy a comfortable bike and get into riding. then when she wants to go farther and faster either make changes to what she buys or keep it for a run about and get a road bike.

Thanks a lot. Plenty of good info here, I really appreciate it.

That is exactly the plan. It's what my wife did and it worked out great for her. It's what I did, too, except that the bike I thought I was keeping for a run-about got stolen. Doesn't much matter since I was never riding it anyhow - spoiled by my good bike.

its a lot of work and expense to do that swap. I went the cheap route but eventually bought another (road) bike anyway

I did the same to my Hybrid. It cost about 120$ but I love it. Just know you cant put any sti brake/shifters on any bike. Hybrids usually have v brakes which means you would have to get a Travel Agent if you want to use sti brakes with your bike. I went with the tektro rl520 brake levers which work with v brakes and some shimano bar end shifters.

Cheapest/easiest way would be to just swap on a trekking/butterfly bar. You could use all the other stock components,and you'd get plenty of hand positions plus be able to get aero. You'd just need the bar and some tape or grips.

Thanks again folks. She went with the Giant Rapid 3, which supposedly has exactly the same frame as the Defy road bike (but no carbon fork). It has dual-pivot calipers and the 700 rims will take 25 or 23 tires. Similarly, it has Sora derailleurs (I think), which should work fine with Sora STI brake/shifter units.

I think that if she does decide she wants to set up the bike to be more road-focused she'll be in good shape.

I did this to my Sirrus in the winter.

my recommendation would be just buy a new bike...I didn't have that option. I enjoyed the conversion process and the bike works pretty darn good, however.

Check this thread for pics and a bill of materials

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...irrus+drop+bar