Converting a 90's MTB into a retro drop bar bike

[Andy in Germany]

You could use trekking bars and retain the old brake levers and shifters, y'know.
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He'd dead set on drops. It's basically because he (and if I'm honest, I) want to try the conversion and riding out.

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I've got the bars, shifters and bar end shifters off this (Kona Smoke mountain bike based tourer) available for sale. Daughter #2 preferred a North Road type bar.

Hmm... I'll message you when I get back to my apartment...

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've got to say I do think you are making hard work for yourself going down the conversion route. I've never really seen the attraction of fitting drops to a MTB given the extra work involved with altering brakes and gear shifters, unless you happen to have all the bits you need lying around already. Is there no such thing as a cheap secondhand drop-bar bike in Germany? Surely buying a factory-built drop bar bike would be easier and cheaper than having to source the bits to convert a flat-bar MTB, plus buying the MTB itself.

 

[roadrash]

The op stated one of the reasons for wanting to do it....
It'll also give us both a lot of experience with more involved type repairs and maintenance and with Drop handlebar bikes, and more importantly, a project we can do together, possibly the last chance before Elder Son leaves home.

and that is something you cant buy......not even in germany

 

[Globalti]

Drop handlebars work best at road speeds of 20 mph and above. A bike like that will struggle to reach 20 mph.

It looks an OK bike. Why not keep it and buy a cheap road bike?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

It looks an OK bike.

It does indeed. Generic style 26"rigid with welded hi-tensile frame, budget parts, and very little to go wrong. Cheap cycling, ideal for general utility use and a bit of fun riding in woods etc. Can't go wrong with those type of MTB's.

 

[Globalti]

That's what my first proper mountain bike looked like in about 1990. No poncy suspension, you shouldered it up mountains then rode it back down using skill and judgement to pick a smooth line. On a big day the quill stem would work loose allowing the forks to rock in the frame.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I've got to say I do think you are making hard work for yourself going down the conversion route. I've never really seen the attraction of fitting drops to a MTB given the extra work involved with altering brakes and gear shifters, unless you happen to have all the bits you need lying around already. Is there no such thing as a cheap secondhand drop-bar bike in Germany? Surely buying a factory-built drop bar bike would be easier and cheaper than having to source the bits to convert a flat-bar MTB, plus buying the MTB itself.

Drop handlebars work best at road speeds of 20 mph and above. A bike like that will struggle to reach 20 mph.

It looks an OK bike. Why not keep it and buy a cheap road bike?

The op stated one of the reasons for wanting to do it....
It'll also give us both a lot of experience with more involved type repairs and maintenance and with Drop handlebar bikes, and more importantly, a project we can do together, possibly the last chance before Elder Son leaves home.

and that is something you cant buy......not even in germany

As Roadrash points out, this is as much about the journey as the destination. The Elder Son is gaining confidence as he learns through his apprenticeship and he's dead keen to keep going on the project, so I'm all for it.

@Globalti: we looked but they can be surprisingly difficult to find here. We tried going to a bike market but it was like a rugby scrum and there was no time to look and decide. I thought I'd got one I knew was lurking in a cellar where I worked but it was given to someone else a week before I asked, so the current project developed.

 

[Vantage]

Drop handlebars work best at road speeds of 20 mph and above. A bike like that will struggle to reach 20 mph.

Please...educate us on that one.

 

[Globalti]

Well... I stand ready to be corrected but I thought the whole point of drop bars was that they give you a choice of two heights. At cruising speed being down on the drops isn't particularly comfortable for many and doesn't give you much benefit in terms of wind resistance but when you are pushing on, being down on the drops puts you in a more efficient position for the effort and gives you a couple of MPH of free speed as well. A bike like the one pictured will not really be able to achieve the sorts of speeds where that aero benefit will count.

 

[C R]

Well... I stand ready to be corrected but I thought the whole point of drop bars was that they give you a choice of two heights. At cruising speed being down on the drops isn't particularly comfortable for many and doesn't give you much benefit in terms of wind resistance but when you are pushing on, being down on the drops puts you in a more efficient position for the effort and gives you a couple of MPH of free speed as well. A bike like the one pictured will not really be able to achieve the sorts of speeds where that aero benefit will count.

Isn't that as much to do with the "engine" as with the bike itself?

 

[Globalti]

To some extent but some bikes are just fast and some slow. Even my summer bike is faster than my winter bike.

 

[Andy in Germany]

...when you are pushing on, being down on the drops puts you in a more efficient position for the effort and gives you a couple of MPH of free speed as well.

Having never 'pushed on' in my life unless I think I'm going to miss the tram, I can see the point, on the other hand we are on a highish plateau and it has murderous headwinds, so while it may not be a bike to go fast on, a slightly more aero position could mean the difference between making reasonable progress and falling over through lack of momentum...

Isn't that as much to do with the "engine" as with the bike itself?

Also a good point. As this is theoretically a bike for the Elder Son, it will probably make little difference: He'll soon be a vanishing dot on the horizon as I srtuggle to keep up...

 

[Gravity Aided]

Isn't that as much to do with the "engine" as with the bike itself?

Gearing, perhaps, as well.

 

[Vantage]

Sheldon's take on drop bars echo my own. Not so much to do with speed, but for comfort.

"Drop Handlebar
A drop handlebar is one in which the middle of the bar is the highest point, or nearly. Most bicycles built for fast or long-distance riding have drop handlebars, which provide a range of different grip positions, allowing the rider to change positions for variety and to accommodate different road/wind conditions.

The most common style of drop handlebar is the "Mæs" bend. Variations include the "randonneur" and "anatomic" bends.

Mæs

Randonneur
The main advantage of drop handlebars is that they offer several different hand positions. For longer rides, the ability to change positions is very desirable. Riding for a long time in any one position tends to be uncomfortable."

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks for the tips...

Yesterday I remembered why I'm doing this slightly loony project:

We stripped most of the bike down on the weekend, but the cranks and BB needed some tools I hadn't got, so we arranged that Elder Son would ask his boss to lend us a couple. He was a bit unsure about this for fear of making a mistake (Thanks schools system) but agreed to give it a go.

Yesterday evening he rang the bell and reported that he did have the tools, so I went downstairs to lend moral support. He'd already started, and looked up to say "Hi dad, I though you might like to see how this works" waving the mother of all BB spanners about. He took hold of the bike, instructed me to hold it "Like this" Swung the spanner, undid all the bolt while explaining how he did it, and finished job in five minutes.

Then he bounced up the stairs and announced to the world in general: "I can fix bikes..."

You can't buy that...

[Edited: Tenses mixed up.]