I have found riding on the hoods to be the optimum position for commuting. The stopping power of dual pivot brakes when adjusted correctly is as good as any other type of brake, wet or dry conditions. I have dual pivots on two of my bikes, and cantis on my galaxy.
drop bar bikes and access to brakes...
- Thread starter Maz
- Start date
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twowheelsgood said:
I have the Salsa version on my Hewitt tourer, operating Tektro Oryx cantis. With the same Koolstop pads as on my V brakes they match them. With a touring style bar with a flat top section they can be set to give the same position as a narrow flat bar, as I said the best of both worlds.
I have friends who've had different versions as standard equipment on a Focus Ergo, Ridgeback tourer and Canondale Sport something, they all seem to work the same with either cantis or callipers.
hmmm.
i'm becoming increasingly of the opinion that i want some drops for my road bike.
Come the new year i'll have had it nearly a year so will be coming up for its annual service and I want to recable it anyway then so i'm thinking that will be a good time to do it.
In addition to new cables i'll want the handlebars themselves and obviously a new shifter and brake set.
couple of questions:
1) presumably it's not too difficult to fit them onto existing mechs/brake calipers - any 'gotchas' to watch out for?
2) do either of the brake cable / shifter cable get routed inside the handlebars once they come out of the shifter thing, if so at what point do they come back out. (excuse my ignorance, i've not spent much time looking closely at drop bar bikes)
3) presumably the hood lifts up from the bit where the whole caboodle is clamped on in order to wrap the bar tape under it?
annoyingly it's going to be probably at least £150 to do it, for which i could get a new bike - but probably not as good. I still don't think i would want to get a new bike 'cos if I did i'd probably want to be spending 6 or 7 hundred quid.
i'm becoming increasingly of the opinion that i want some drops for my road bike.
Come the new year i'll have had it nearly a year so will be coming up for its annual service and I want to recable it anyway then so i'm thinking that will be a good time to do it.
In addition to new cables i'll want the handlebars themselves and obviously a new shifter and brake set.
couple of questions:
1) presumably it's not too difficult to fit them onto existing mechs/brake calipers - any 'gotchas' to watch out for?
2) do either of the brake cable / shifter cable get routed inside the handlebars once they come out of the shifter thing, if so at what point do they come back out. (excuse my ignorance, i've not spent much time looking closely at drop bar bikes)
3) presumably the hood lifts up from the bit where the whole caboodle is clamped on in order to wrap the bar tape under it?
annoyingly it's going to be probably at least £150 to do it, for which i could get a new bike - but probably not as good. I still don't think i would want to get a new bike 'cos if I did i'd probably want to be spending 6 or 7 hundred quid.
Jacomus-rides-Gen
New Member
- Location
- Guildford / London
BentMikey made a drop bar conversion to his Sirrus, so is prob best qualified to help you on this one.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Yeah, it's not a cheap thing to do, and although I enjoyed a year or more with drops, I don't think I'd do it again in the same circumstances. It all worked well, but I think in hindsight I'd have been better off just keeping that bike as a flat-barred hybrid, and getting a langster or pompino.
I had to buy a new set of cables, some STI shifters, some drops and handlebar tape, and some travel adjusters to allow the STI levers to pull the V-brakes on my Sirrus. (V-brakes and road brakes need different amounts of cable pull to operate). Otherwise it was all very straightforward.
I had to buy a new set of cables, some STI shifters, some drops and handlebar tape, and some travel adjusters to allow the STI levers to pull the V-brakes on my Sirrus. (V-brakes and road brakes need different amounts of cable pull to operate). Otherwise it was all very straightforward.
wafflycat
New Member
- Location
- middle of Norfolk
I hadn't ridden a bike with drop handlebars until I was well into my forties. I was bought a tourer by DH. Then he got me a 'racer'. It took me about a month to get used to the different riding position that a bike with drop handlebars has. Now I would not willingly go back to using a bike with straight bars. Drops are just so much more comfortable (especially on longer rides) and I've never had any problems with them riding in traffic, nor problems braking (tourer has canti brakes, road bike has dual pivot).
Amanda P
Legendary Member
- Location
- York. Well, York-ish...
One main one: if you have V brakes, you'll have to be careful what levers you buy. In general, V brakes and levers for drop bars don't mix. There are exceptions but they're not mainstream, available-in-every-branch-of-Halfords levers. If you have cantis or dual pivots, no problem. I have no idea about disc brakes.bonj said:
Shimano STI levers are designed to route the brake cable along a groove in the bars, and the gear cable grows straight out of the inner face of the lever - near where your thumb would rest if you were on the hoods. Campag levers have both cables run along the bars (and in my opinion are much prettier - and don't cause a problem if you want to use a handlebar bag). If your 'bars don't have a groove or grooves, don't worry: the cables will form a slight bump beneath the tape, but if you fit them along the front edge of the 'bars it doesn't matter much.
If you go for Campag levers, you must either have Campag elsewhere, or you'd better consult Chris Juden for what bits work with what other bits. (I have a hybrid "Shimergo" system that works very well thanks to this priceless gem of information).
Shimano or Campag, the cables emerge where the tape ends near the stem.
When you come to put it all together, use good quality insulating tape to hold the cables in place, while you fit them and the levers. THEN wrap the handlebar tape. You'll get in a tangle trying to make the 'bar tape hold the cables and go where you want it to.
Yep.
If you're careful, do your homework, and are prepared to wait for the right parts to come up on EBay at the right price, you should be able to do it for quite a bit less than that.
domtyler
Über Member
can't quite make it out in this pic, but you can clearly see the rack braze ons so it would not make sense for it not to have eyelets for mudguards too.
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/productimages/fullsize/AL_Sport_Int_Dbl_GL_Slv_Blk.jpeg
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/productimages/fullsize/AL_Sport_Int_Dbl_GL_Slv_Blk.jpeg
John the Monkey
Frivolous Cyclist
- Location
- Crewe
Pretty sure Giant's SCRs will take guards too, Maz, and are pretty well regarded (and in budget).
many thanks, Mikey & Uncle Phil...
possibly not those exact ones, but very much like that.
presumably they're what's referred to as 'dual pivot' brakes?
although i've always known them as 'caliper' brakes.
that's what i'm planning on.
I've toyed with the idea of getting a new bike, but if I did I'd not want to get your bargain basement bin decathlon 7.1, good as they probably are. So i'd end up spending many hundreds just to get drops and possibly lose a pound or two, which seems a bit pointless seeing as there's nothing actually wrong with my current bike (other than that it's just become a bit slow shifting now i'm putting the miles on it but new cables will undoubtedly sort that out), I wouldn't want to keep it for any other purpose (i'm not one of these people who has 'winter' and 'summer' bikes) and i've grown quite attached to it, so yes, I think some new parts off ebay will do the job.
e.g. these
went for £53
i put a bid on but didn't carry on bidding 'cos he didnt' know whether they were the triple ones or not. (can you tell?)
no, my bike has this style of brakes:Uncle Phil said:
possibly not those exact ones, but very much like that.
presumably they're what's referred to as 'dual pivot' brakes?
although i've always known them as 'caliper' brakes.
i'll be getting shimano most likely.Uncle Phil said:
ah ok, cheers for that...Uncle Phil said:
Uncle Phil said:
that's what i'm planning on.
I've toyed with the idea of getting a new bike, but if I did I'd not want to get your bargain basement bin decathlon 7.1, good as they probably are. So i'd end up spending many hundreds just to get drops and possibly lose a pound or two, which seems a bit pointless seeing as there's nothing actually wrong with my current bike (other than that it's just become a bit slow shifting now i'm putting the miles on it but new cables will undoubtedly sort that out), I wouldn't want to keep it for any other purpose (i'm not one of these people who has 'winter' and 'summer' bikes) and i've grown quite attached to it, so yes, I think some new parts off ebay will do the job.
e.g. these
went for £53
i put a bid on but didn't carry on bidding 'cos he didnt' know whether they were the triple ones or not. (can you tell?)
