Converting flat bar to drop bar

[mjr]

She also seems oddly excited about potentially switching to a drop bar... If we were even remotely the same height, I would let her have a go on my bike, but I'm 5'2" and she's 5'8"...

I have ridden the bike of someone that much shorter often for testing... it's do-able, although the main drops become unusable and it's rather twitchy. Hiring a test bike for a day might be another option, especially somewhere as cycle-friendly as Bristol.

 

[vickster]

Just go to Evans and get a no obligation testride on a suitable bike. Go on a dry weekday and she'll be able to ride for a good amount of time

 

[Vantage]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HYUSGEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_00NpzbNJH3HBH
100 quid. I use the older 2200 models. Perfectly nice shifts and fully compatible with mini v brakes. I had them for a while before switching back to cantilevers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M5JEWQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_E8Npzb7CRGQB3

7 quid. As mentioned, you'll need a much shorter stem given the frame has a longer top tube designed for flat bars. That's the shortest I can find.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DSRCVQI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ydOpzb9AF9RZV
4 quid for your inner cables. Not stainless I grant you, but they work nonetheless. I personally use them without issue.

The outer cable doing the through frame routing do NOT need rerouting again...just leave them where they are. If they are a bit short then just add a bit of extra outer cable and link the 2 cables with an inline barrel adjuster like this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GL9TGFO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_mkOpzbW57GG58
You will lose the brake cable barrel adjusters that the flat bar levers have built in and these ones would fill solve that issue. They're available for gear cables too if you hunt for them.
That's another 14 quid tops.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009C6T18A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AtOpzb0FK65BR
£1.21. A bit of double sided tape at either end will sort the lack of glue.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0083QPLT8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_PyOpzbKV5BGZQ
25 quid. It's the widest drop bar I can find and I use one myself. I personally don't get along with narrow bars like most drop types.

So there you have it. £150 ish quid all in.
Cheaper than a new bike.

 

[vickster]

A 5'8 female likely won't need a wide drop handlebar. Measure shoulders to determine. I'm 5'10, not exactly petite and use a 38/40cm C-C compact drop bar. Too wide puts my wrists at the wrong angle on corners/hoods and causes De Quervains tendinitis

 

[Vantage]

I can't say I ever believed in any of that "correct bar width" stuff for the simple reason that mountain bikes have very wide bars for control.
I went with wide bars on my tourer because I needed the extra width to facilitate a bar bag with sti levers and the control and have no issues with sore hands or wrists. I'm 5'5".
I mentioned wide bars because since the end user is considering swapping to drops from flat bars, the wider bar might be less of a handling shock as some find when making a similar change. It's different for everyone.

 

[vickster]

I can't ride personally wide MTB bars anymore due to shoulder issues. My physio advised that a narrow road bar is better. I sold my remaining flat bar for that reason, too much pain

YMMV

 

[cyberknight]

I have done a drop bar conversion on a mtb using linear pull brake levers with separate bar end shifters, the front being friction shift which overcomes the need to change the front mech as mtb and road deraillier have different cable pull ( or so i was told )
I have a similar issue but its more more dodgy shoulder doesn't get on so much with flat bars , very comfy and my go to bike for winter commuting .
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/mtb-drop-bar-conversion.197717/

 

[bonsaibilly]

My wife rides a pinnacle neon 2 hybrid. She finds the flat bar position makes her wrists uncomfortable, and wants to try a drop bar bike. How easy would it be to convert her bike? It has a shimano claris groupset. Would it just be a case of buying a set of shifters, a drop bar, and swapping everything out? Or am I missing something?

I would focus on adjusting the fit of the existing bike. Is the saddle level or is it angled forward and down, which would put more pressure on her hands? Also most flat bars are not literally flat, they have a certain amount of angle and that means people can try rotating the bar to find a hand or wrist angle that fits.