Drop bars on an mtb?

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 10:41pm

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a bike soon for touring to Norway from England next year, looking to pick up a cannondale cx3 or something similar in the next month or two.

I'm just wondering whether fitting drop bars to a bike like that would be possible and the pros/cons of doing it.

I have little experience with bikes, but just figured drop bars may be more suitable for long distance so I have more positions to ride in?

But yeah, if anyone could let me know the pros/cons and if it's worth doing that would be great.

Thanks,

Jordan

Valbrona · Post by **Valbrona** » 28 Dec 2014, 10:46pm

But what's a Cannondale CX3?

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 10:53pm

Uh, not the same thing I'm looking at exactly actually aha, will find a link now

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 10:57pm

http://www.gumtree.com/p/other-sports-l ... 1090823166 this is what I was looking at originally, are drop bars an option/worthwhile or are there other options for varying riding position?

SteveHunter · Post by **SteveHunter** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:20pm

I had a very similar bike which I planned to use as a commuter so I fitted it up with a rack and small panniers only to discover I couldn't pedal it as my heels hit the panniers.
Just something to bear in mind.

gaz · Post by **gaz** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:21pm

Butterfly bars?

You'll be able to use the existing shifters and brake levers.

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:22pm

https://m.facebook.com/bicyclepitstop.b ... &source=42 or something along those lines

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:24pm

gaz wrote:Butterfly bars?

You'll be able to use the existing shifters and brake levers.

Oh cool, that's another option then! So if I went with drop bars how hard is it to change levers/shifters?

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:25pm

SteveHunter wrote:I had a very similar bike which I planned to use as a commuter so I fitted it up with a rack and small panniers only to discover I couldn't pedal it as my heels hit the panniers.
Just something to bear in mind.

Yeah someone else said to make sure of that, so I'll keep it in mind when I find one I want to buy, thanks!

beardy · Post by **beardy** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:33pm

JordanEkland wrote:
gaz wrote:Butterfly bars?

You'll be able to use the existing shifters and brake levers.

Oh cool, that's another option then! So if I went with drop bars how hard is it to change levers/shifters?

You can not use the existing levers and shifters on the drop bars. The replacement ones are expensive, STI units for drop bars being amongst the most expensive of components.
Then they may not be suitable for your existing brakes anyway.

If you are buying a new bike anyway then it is hard for it to be a feasible way of doing things (buying straight and converting to drop.)
Butterflies on the other hand can be as little as £18 for a pair of bars to do the job.

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:40pm

Okay, well I'll definitely take a look into the butterfly bars then!

Valbrona · Post by **Valbrona** » 28 Dec 2014, 11:48pm

I use a 'roadified' MTB, but I was sure to buy a fully rigid one - a front suspension fork on roads really saps your energy. I opted for a cheap Dawes MTB (Dawes Saratoga Rigid) and fitted slick-ish tyres and butterfly-style bars (Humpert ErgoTec from SJS). Yeah, one of the problems with fitting drop bars is that the brake and shift levers are not compatible, and the top tube on an MTB can be really long making the reach to the drops too far.

NATURAL ANKLING · Post by **NATURAL ANKLING** » 29 Dec 2014, 12:08am

Hi,
Works for me.
I disagree that front suspension does any noticeable harm to anything, your not TT'ing are you.
Panniers need to be mounted as far back on rack as possible, I have panniers on two MTB's.

Edited - MTB's are two a penny of course, this owes me about £80 - 100 even though that cost consists of half the bits coming from my stock (bought them off myself) thats for 4000 miles of riding over a year.

RonK · Post by **RonK** » 29 Dec 2014, 12:14am

Perhaps you should be looking at bikes like the Salsa Fargo or Specialized Awol, or if you have deep pockets, the CoMotion Divide.

JordanEkland · Post by **JordanEkland** » 29 Dec 2014, 12:29am

RonK wrote:Perhaps you should be looking at bikes like the Salsa Fargo or Specialized Awol, or if you have deep pockets, the CoMotion Divide.

Fargo looks perfect, sadly I don't have a grand to spend haha!

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