Noob question.. What is needed to switch from my flat bar setup to drop bars?

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Noob question.. What is needed to switch from my flat bar setup to drop bars?
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flag rm240sx
O+
Posted: Jun 27, 2017 at 7:56 Quote
Hey everyone! I've got a 2015 Diamondback Haanjo that has flat bars. I love the bike but I would like to have more hand positions for longer rides. If I would have known I would have bought the drop bar version. So my question is.. What would I need in order to convert the flat bar setup to a drop bar setup.

Now I'm not a complete noob I know I'll need the actual bar and shifters. But what about brakes? I have Avid mechanical disc brakes. What shifter combos will work with those?
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flag sienarot
Posted: Jun 29, 2017 at 8:47 Quote
I was in a similar position last winter: I wanted swap out the flat bar on my hybrid with drop bars and brifters for more hand positions.

After a bit of research I found that other than the bar and brifters, it was likely that I would need new brakes at minimum because the throw between flatbar and dropbar controls is different. You'll probably also need a new stem to compensate for the reach difference and of course, new cables and housings.

In the end I didn't go this route because after I weighed the cost needed to make this change on my winter beater, it would have made more sense to just sell the bike and get one that came with everything already since I would have either needed to buy all new parts ($$$) or wait until the appropriate parts came up on the used market.

My solution was actually to buy a trekking bar (sometimes called a butterfly bar). It's a MUCH more economic solution and you don't have to get new controls, brakes, cables, etc, though you might want a different stem/spacers depending on your desired hand and body position. Other than the bar itself ($20 at Nashbar), I only needed to buy some bar tape. The trekking bar gave me the option of at least 5 different hand positions depending if I were speeding along, cruising at low speeds, or climbing a hill.
flag rm240sx
O+
Posted: Jun 29, 2017 at 18:01 Quote
Thank you whoarusty for the info. That's what I was afraid of.. I could about buy a nice used drop bar road bike for the cost of switching.

I will have to look into those trekking bars as an alternative too. I've seen the bull horn extensions which I also thought about doing.
flag voilettaylor
Posted: Jul 24, 2017 at 0:38 Quote
Thank you for sharing this information!
mc hjälm
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