Hi all, completely new to cycling here. I have tried some city bikes in a shop within 18-20 kg range, but have found them on the heavy side for my taste. Lighter ones were pricier. I'm considering buying an entry level race bike around 12-13 kg, buy a new bar (do you call them a flat bar?), and a more comfortable seat (saddle?). Is this wise? Thanks.
Does it make sense if...
- Thread starter john user
- Start date
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vickster
Legendary Member
How much do you want to spend? Most flat bar hybrid bikes without suspension are in the 10-15kg range (of course the lighter ones cost more)
You could also go second hand and get a more expensive bike for not dissimilar cash
If you buy a roadbike to convert, depending what it is, you will need to get shifters, brake levers and all new cables as well as the handlebars and grips. It'll be cheaper to just buy the right bike in the first place
You wouldn't necessarily need a new saddle, roadbike saddles aren't inherently uncomfortable, as with any saddle regardless of the bike you have to find the right one for you
You could also go second hand and get a more expensive bike for not dissimilar cash
If you buy a roadbike to convert, depending what it is, you will need to get shifters, brake levers and all new cables as well as the handlebars and grips. It'll be cheaper to just buy the right bike in the first place
You wouldn't necessarily need a new saddle, roadbike saddles aren't inherently uncomfortable, as with any saddle regardless of the bike you have to find the right one for you
I want to spend 250-300€ for the bike, plus new handlebar and saddle. I thought I could remove shifters and brake levers from the original racing bar, and install them to the new flat bar. Do I really have to buy them all new, including the cables, and reinstall everything from scratch? I've seen these STI shifters and they're really cool but their worth would be lost on me. And I'm really not happy with the thinnest possible saddles of roadbikes I've rode in the shop. I haven't researched extensively but so far I have not come upon any roadbike in flat bar version, off the shelf.
(vickster, marihino thanks for the replies)
(vickster, marihino thanks for the replies)
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Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Hi
That's not much of a budget if you want to buy a road bike AND THEN modify it. Drop bar bikes are generally more expensive than flat-bar bikes because the integrated brakes/shifters are very pricey.
However, there are huge numbers of flat-bar road bikes/Hybrids to choose from. Here's one in your budget hot-to-trot:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-flat-bar-road-bike-black-id_8322664.html
Other retailers have Hybrids a-plenty.
Useful info - the world is moving away from skinny 23c tyres. 25 to 28c are now becoming the norm for road use.
marihino
Active Member
any drop-bar road bike will have STI shifters, and you cannot use them on a flat bar. So yeah, you'd need to get a set of shifters, brake levers, cables on top of the bar itself.
And of course there are off the shelf flat-bar road bikes:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-flat-bar-road-bike-black-id_8322664.html
And of course there are off the shelf flat-bar road bikes:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-flat-bar-road-bike-black-id_8322664.html
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
I think I get a TMN for that!
vickster
Legendary Member
I don't really understand why drop bars would be lost on you. Mostly you ride on the hoods by the shifters or the flat bits of the bar. On Sunday, I did 100 miles, I don;t think I used the drops once. But they give you the option
If you don't want gears at all, get a single speed bike
Flat bar shifters & brakes use different cabling to drop bars, hence you'd need new
If you don't want gears at all, get a single speed bike
Flat bar shifters & brakes use different cabling to drop bars, hence you'd need new
vickster
Legendary Member
Although a €250 bike probably doesn't have the sort of kit that would recoup enough to cover the extra outlay. I'm going through the same process and I reckon the parts for the conversion have cost around £100-120 new with careful shopping around
marihino
Active Member
no idea what it stands for! But the timing was good, wasn't it
I don't really understand why drop bars would be lost on you. Mostly you ride on the hoods by the shifters or the flat bits of the bar. On Sunday, I did 100 miles, I don;t think I used the drops once. But they give you the option
If you don't want gears at all, get a single speed bike
Flat bar shifters & brakes use different cabling to drop bars, hence you'd need new
Yup. In fact, I'm contemplating the other-way-round conversion to my BTwin. So if the OP insists on buying a road bike and converting it to flats, I might be happy to swap the hardware with him, free of charge
marihino
Active Member
Well, I'll most probably do the right thing, which is keep the flatbar, use it to increase my fitness a bit more, save up some money, buy a beautiful road bike next spring and keep the flatbar for commuting (which it's excellent for). The conversion tempts me because of my love of tinkering.
b'twin triban 500 looks really good, with an acceptable price of 370€, but I don't live in the UK.
I didn't know the brake levers and gear shifters would be integrated into the drop bar. Told you, complete beginner here.
Thanks for all the replies. I knew I wasn't the first to think of something like that. In short, it can be done, but not as effortlessly as I thought I would.
I didn't know the brake levers and gear shifters would be integrated into the drop bar. Told you, complete beginner here.
I'm not happy with holding the flat part of the bar, away from the brake levers. And (don't laugh) the joystick-like things where you hold the bar with your hands in a vertical position, they put too much stress between my forefinger and thumb. I test-ride couple of drop bar bikes, different price ranges, but the handles were practically the same in all of them. And I didn't feel I was holding it securely, with almost no guard to prevent slippage in case I bumped into somehing. Please note that I'm not trying to make a case against drop bars. This is simply my personal preference.
Thanks for all the replies. I knew I wasn't the first to think of something like that. In short, it can be done, but not as effortlessly as I thought I would.
