Show us your drop-conversion!
09-17-11, 10:58 PM
#26
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
I consider "special tools" to be tools that I don't own yet. 
Well, when I did mine, I used some Allen wrenches and cable housing cutters. The Park Tool cutters I have also have a spot for crimping the cable end caps.
I think that's it. Oh, and scissors for the bartape.
Well, when I did mine, I used some Allen wrenches and cable housing cutters. The Park Tool cutters I have also have a spot for crimping the cable end caps.
I think that's it. Oh, and scissors for the bartape.
09-19-11, 09:07 AM
#28
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Posted these before, but this is a 2006 Trek FX 7.3 I converted last year. Bar-end shifters, non-aero brake levers used because I had them already. Much more comfy to me than a flat bar. Actually did a lot more than just the drop bars (new crank, new BB, new wheels, new brakes) because there was a lot of good post-Chirstmas sales last year, and most of the parts on the Trek were worn out after 5 years.
09-19-11, 06:45 PM
#29
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I consider "special tools" to be tools that I don't own yet.
Well, when I did mine, I used some Allen wrenches and cable housing cutters. The Park Tool cutters I have also have a spot for crimping the cable end caps.
I think that's it. Oh, and scissors for the bartape.
Well, when I did mine, I used some Allen wrenches and cable housing cutters. The Park Tool cutters I have also have a spot for crimping the cable end caps.
I think that's it. Oh, and scissors for the bartape.
09-19-11, 06:53 PM
#30
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Once I acquired the Moulden the Trek 7500 became redundant and whereas the Trek was an awesome bike, the handbuilt Moulden is even better. The rigid steel Moulden curbs out at 5 pounds less than the Aluminium Trek (also rigid).
09-19-11, 07:02 PM
#31
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
Well, one tool I forgot to mention is a "third hand" tool. It keeps tension on the derailleur or brake cable when you're tightening its fixing bolt.
Are you replacing the crank, too, then?
09-20-11, 03:14 PM
#32
Senior Member
It's like an inversion of my old bike colour-wise:
My current main ride has the stem flipped:
Once the new handlebar arrives I might lose a 5mm spacer too.
Once the new handlebar arrives I might lose a 5mm spacer too.
09-20-11, 03:36 PM
#33
You gonna eat that?
My faux LHT:
I went from this (1994 Nishiki Sport XRS)
to this
Hint: If you decide to route your shifter cables under the handlebar tape, you may need a tandem shifter cable to get the length you need.
I went from this (1994 Nishiki Sport XRS)
to this
Hint: If you decide to route your shifter cables under the handlebar tape, you may need a tandem shifter cable to get the length you need.
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
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"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
09-20-11, 08:33 PM
#34
Senior Member
Thread Starter
09-20-11, 11:25 PM
#35
STFD
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2002 Sirrus A1
$0 drop bars from my old Windsor
$35 shorter stem
$20 Tektro v-brake levers for drop bars
$25 SunTour Command shifters, later changed to $10 modified (so they would work on drop bars) Shimano triggers, them most recently a Command shifter for the FD and a trigger for the RD (see below)
Let's call that $100, with cables and bar tape.
Later, I put fenders on it it, and had to switch the FD from a Shimano MTB model to a Sora, so that the fenders would fit. That meant I couldn't use the modified trigger shifter for the the FD anymore, so I went back to using a Command shifter for it. So adding fenders was:
$40 for the denders
$5 for the FD
$0 shifter
But that doesn't count as part of the drop conversion, really.
$0 drop bars from my old Windsor
$35 shorter stem
$20 Tektro v-brake levers for drop bars
$25 SunTour Command shifters, later changed to $10 modified (so they would work on drop bars) Shimano triggers, them most recently a Command shifter for the FD and a trigger for the RD (see below)
Let's call that $100, with cables and bar tape.
Later, I put fenders on it it, and had to switch the FD from a Shimano MTB model to a Sora, so that the fenders would fit. That meant I couldn't use the modified trigger shifter for the the FD anymore, so I went back to using a Command shifter for it. So adding fenders was:
$40 for the denders
$5 for the FD
$0 shifter
But that doesn't count as part of the drop conversion, really.
Last edited by mcgreivey; 09-21-11 at 06:51 AM.
09-21-11, 08:15 AM
#36
Senior Member
It's a 2010 Stevens Strada 600. Comes stock with a flat handlebar and full Shimano Tiagra drivetrain including Mavic CXP-22 road wheels with Tiagra hubs. The Stevens Strada series could be considered flat bar road bikes in the vein of the Trek FX series, for example.Shifters, derailleurs and cassete have been replaced with Shimano 105 for the conversion, the rest is stock Tiagra. The only Ultegra component is the chain
10-08-11, 10:59 AM
#37
Senior Member
Thread Starter
It's done!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
All new drivetrain, same old brakes but with travel agents, 105 5603 shifters and crank. Still fine-tuning things, the brakes aren't quite perfect, the front deraileur is a little sticky, and I can't figure out where my seat should be (might need a shorter stem). Overall very happy, noticeable faster on all terrain owing to the aerodynamic improvement and I really think the crank (gearing) and bottom bracket (much smoother).
BEFORE:
AFTER:
All new drivetrain, same old brakes but with travel agents, 105 5603 shifters and crank. Still fine-tuning things, the brakes aren't quite perfect, the front deraileur is a little sticky, and I can't figure out where my seat should be (might need a shorter stem). Overall very happy, noticeable faster on all terrain owing to the aerodynamic improvement and I really think the crank (gearing) and bottom bracket (much smoother).
Last edited by monkeydentity; 11-27-20 at 07:53 AM. Reason: pics were gone.
10-10-11, 10:23 AM
#38
Velocommuter Commando
It's done!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
All new drivetrain, same old brakes but with travel agents, 105 5603 shifters and crank. Still fine-tuning things, the brakes aren't quite perfect, the front deraileur is a little sticky, and I can't figure out where my seat should be (might need a shorter stem). Overall very happy, noticeable faster on all terrain owing to the aerodynamic improvement and I really think the crank (gearing) and bottom bracket (much smoother).
BEFORE:
AFTER:
All new drivetrain, same old brakes but with travel agents, 105 5603 shifters and crank. Still fine-tuning things, the brakes aren't quite perfect, the front deraileur is a little sticky, and I can't figure out where my seat should be (might need a shorter stem). Overall very happy, noticeable faster on all terrain owing to the aerodynamic improvement and I really think the crank (gearing) and bottom bracket (much smoother).
Did you keep the oem stem???
10-10-11, 10:48 AM
#39
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Whether you like it or not, but theres a lot of great looking conversion here! Maybe a new sticky "Conversions"?
10-10-11, 10:58 AM
#40
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
10-10-11, 01:05 PM
#41
Senior Member
Thread Starter
yeah...has the old stem and it's LONG. But, I was always pushing the seat back with the flat bars, i'm gonna give it a week and see if the reach is really too far, then will likely get a new shorter stem. Look at how the seat is shifted in synch with the hand position.
just beat my old 10mi time (3 laps around prospect park) by FOUR MINUTES! this feels like a whole new bike
just beat my old 10mi time (3 laps around prospect park) by FOUR MINUTES! this feels like a whole new bike
Last edited by monkeydentity; 10-10-11 at 01:09 PM.
10-10-11, 02:52 PM
#42
Velocommuter Commando
yeah...has the old stem and it's LONG. But, I was always pushing the seat back with the flat bars, i'm gonna give it a week and see if the reach is really too far, then will likely get a new shorter stem. Look at how the seat is shifted in synch with the hand position.
just beat my old 10mi time (3 laps around prospect park) by FOUR MINUTES! this feels like a whole new bike
just beat my old 10mi time (3 laps around prospect park) by FOUR MINUTES! this feels like a whole new bike
10-10-11, 03:16 PM
#43
Senior Member
Thread Starter
so, no.
10-10-11, 03:58 PM
#44
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Seeing these makes me want to find a decent 700c hybrid and refit it with drops and brifters and the biggest tyres I can fit...if I want to go fast on the road I have bikes for that but would like to have an all terrain drop bar hybrid rolling on 29'r wheels.
10-10-11, 05:02 PM
#45
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yeah...has the old stem and it's LONG. But, I was always pushing the seat back with the flat bars, i'm gonna give it a week and see if the reach is really too far, then will likely get a new shorter stem. Look at how the seat is shifted in synch with the hand position.
10-10-11, 06:56 PM
#46
Senior Member
Thread Starter
1) my knees hitting my belly...dammit....work in progress.
2) the wind petting my back...as it picked up i could hear it get louder, but didn't feel it anywhere except smoothly down my back from my neck to my...shorts. The one thing i DID NOT feel was an increase in resistance. yeah, i think the really low and extended position influenced my ride time in a BIG way.
10-11-11, 09:22 AM
#47
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Hang on, how did you do that? You had a flat bar before right? How did you get hoods, brakes, shifters etc on your new drops without buying them? I want to convert my MTB commuter to use drops.
10-11-11, 12:08 PM
#48
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Yes. I had flat bars. I bought brake levers for cheaper, andthen fitted my shifters to the bars via an adapter I made. I will post some pictures when I get home, because it is kind of difficult to explain.
10-11-11, 12:13 PM
#49
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Cool, thanks. I know regular flat bar shifters won't fit on a drop bar so I'm very curious.
10-11-11, 04:05 PM
#50
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Here are the photos of the whole process, before and after. As is said in an earlier post, I spent $15 for used bars, $25 for brakes levers that work with V brakes, and some money for new brake cables and bar tape. I did the labor myself, and had to create the shims, with some extra pipe I had laying around, although Lowe's or Home Depot probably has some good piping.
Before: The basic stock bike with flat bars.
During: The bars with brakes attached, and the on the stem, and finally with the homemade adapters in place. I had to shim them to make them fit, and drilled through the whole setup to prevent spinning.
After: Drops bars. The shifting is surprisingly easy. I taped over the metal with duck tape to make it appear more professional, and then sanded down bar-caps to fit.
BTW, i taped the bars myself, and had to replace my first attempt, but was fine on round 2. Overall, the labor took maybe three hours, but I had some time in between problem solving. If i did it again, it would take maybe 30mins, since I know what I am doing.
Before: The basic stock bike with flat bars.
During: The bars with brakes attached, and the on the stem, and finally with the homemade adapters in place. I had to shim them to make them fit, and drilled through the whole setup to prevent spinning.
After: Drops bars. The shifting is surprisingly easy. I taped over the metal with duck tape to make it appear more professional, and then sanded down bar-caps to fit.
BTW, i taped the bars myself, and had to replace my first attempt, but was fine on round 2. Overall, the labor took maybe three hours, but I had some time in between problem solving. If i did it again, it would take maybe 30mins, since I know what I am doing.