drop bar to replace straight bar

Hello group,

I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there
be roughly?

Thanks.

Kevin

(Kevein B.) wrote in
om:
I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there
be roughly?

Depends on what kind of shifters you want to buy. Those fancy STI systems
are not cheap.

(Kevein B.) wrote:

I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there
be roughly?

"Ken" wrote:

Depends on what kind of shifters you want to buy. Those fancy STI systems
are not cheap.

$129.95 for Sora, really not that expensive when you consider it's both
bake levers and shift levers, including all 4 cables, housing and the
housing stops for the down tube.

You'll likely want to replace the stem with one that's a bit taller
and/or has less forward extension.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/shifters.html#brifters

I'm assuming that your bike has traditional center-pull cantilever
brakes. If it has "direct-pull" cantilevers (cable comes in from the
side) you'll need additional doodads to match the cable pull of the
brake levers.

Sheldon "Upgrades" Brown
+-------------------------------------+
| Only those who attempt the absurd |
| will achieve the impossible. |
| --Albert Einstein |
+-------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:49:29 -0400, Sheldon Brown wrote:

(Kevein B.) wrote:

I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there be
roughly?

"Ken" wrote:

Depends on what kind of shifters you want to buy. Those fancy STI
systems are not cheap.

$129.95 for Sora, really not that expensive when you consider it's both
bake levers and shift levers, including all 4 cables, housing and the
housing stops for the down tube.

You'll likely want to replace the stem with one that's a bit taller and/or
has less forward extension.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/shifters.html#brifters

I'm assuming that your bike has traditional center-pull cantilever brakes.
If it has "direct-pull" cantilevers (cable comes in from the side) you'll
need additional doodads to match the cable pull of the brake levers.

Sheldon "Upgrades" Brown

What about some of them fancy Nitto moustache bars like y'all sell online?
They're not drops, but they'd offer a lot more hand positions than crummy
straight bars.

You could mount the grip shifters with regular grips + tape, or just tape
the whole bar. You'd probably want to get some new road brake levers since
they work better with moustache bars. One could even go for some bar-end
shifters,but then things start to get spendy and up towards the price of
going the drop bar/brifter route, unless you get some used and/or friction
jobbers of the net somewhere...

Waddaya think?

(Kevein B.) wrote in message . com...
Hello group,

I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there
be roughly?

Thanks.

Kevin

You can either go with bar-end shifters and conventional road levers
or STI brake/shift combo levers. On eBay the possibilities are
endless. If you want new parts, probably the most economical route
would be Shimano Sora 8sp STI levers, which are compatible with 7
speed drivetrains (you will just have one unused "click"). Sora STI
is about $120 a set. You will new new cables and housings (approx
$20), bar tape ($10) and of course, drop bars ($30-$932,000!). One
thing to watch out for is the clamp size on your current stem and
straight bars. The MTB standard is very slightly smaller than the
road standard, which will usually work. If you have an oversized or
other funky sized stem you will either have to find road bars that
match, or replace the stem.

"Kevein B." wrote in message
om...
Hello group,

I was thinking of replacing the straight bar on my Trek 720 with a drop
bar. I am not sure what to do with the 3x7 grip shifters and brake
levers. If I have to buy all these components, what cost will there
be roughly?

Thanks.

Kevin

if you go to a drop bar i recommend the STI shifter/brake levers. they
enable one to concentrate more on the road and riding. when i first tried
them was a little skeptical but now will never go back!
-alan

maxo wrote:

What about some of them fancy Nitto moustache bars like y'all sell online?
They're not drops, but they'd offer a lot more hand positions than crummy
straight bars.

I don't think I agree on that. There are surprisingly few usable
positions on Moustache bars. I'd rather have straight bars with bar
ends, and maybe an aerobar if I wanted a lot of positions.

You could mount the grip shifters

No, Moustache bars are a fatter diamete, 15/16" (23.8 mm) like drop
bars, so you can't fit standard twist shifters, straight bar brake
levers or handlebar grips on them.

with regular grips + tape, or just tape
the whole bar. You'd probably want to get some new road brake levers since
they work better with moustache bars. One could even go for some bar-end
shifters,but then things start to get spendy and up towards the price of
going the drop bar/brifter route, unless you get some used and/or friction
jobbers of the net somewhere...

Waddaya think?

You'd definitely want a MUCH shorter stem extension and probably a
taller stem as well.

In my eperience, Moustache bars are fine for short hops around town, but
the limited range of positions makes them less suitable for longer rides.

However, there are those who disagree with me on this.

Sheldon "No More Mustache, But I've Still Got The Beard" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question |
| is an answer. --Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #208 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown wrote in
:

maxo wrote:

What about some of them fancy Nitto moustache bars like y'all sell
online? They're not drops, but they'd offer a lot more hand positions
than crummy straight bars.

I don't think I agree on that. There are surprisingly few usable
positions on Moustache bars. I'd rather have straight bars with bar
ends, and maybe an aerobar if I wanted a lot of positions.

You could mount the grip shifters

No, Moustache bars are a fatter diamete, 15/16" (23.8 mm) like drop
bars, so you can't fit standard twist shifters, straight bar brake
levers or handlebar grips on them.

Another option that doesn't get mentioned much is the "trekker" bar design:

http://tinyurl.com/yq6eq

That page is confusing because they show the bar upside-down (from the
rider position). I've been using this for a few months now, as a way to get
more grip positions on a MTB/Commuter bike. I like it better than bar ends.
The side grip position has a hand position that's not much different than
riding on brake hoods with drop bars, and you can stretch out on the far
end of the bar for a semi-aero position. There is also plenty of forward
bar area for mounting accessories like computers or a headlight.

The big drawback is that you'll need a stem that clamps the bar MUCH
further forward and higher than a stock flat or riser MTB handlebar. After
you solve that problem and get enough reach, it's easy to make small
adjustments to raise or lower the main grip area, just by rotating the
handlebar in the clamp.

--
Mike Barrs

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 20:20:15 -0400, Sheldon Brown wrote:

You could mount the grip shifters

No, Moustache bars are a fatter diamete, 15/16" (23.8 mm) like drop bars,
so you can't fit standard twist shifters, straight bar brake levers or
handlebar grips on them.

Whoops.

Hmmm, I thought I'd seen a bike at momovelo with moustache, or was it
albatross, bar with grip shifters. Perhaps I'm just seeing things. That
said, I really don't like grip shift. It saddened me when most nexus city
bikes went from thumbshifter to gripshift.

Too bad those dirtdrops are out of production. :/ There's always the Nitto
Randonneur as well.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 20:29:21 -0500, foldedpath
wrote:


Another option that doesn't get mentioned much is the "trekker" bar design:

http://tinyurl.com/yq6eq

That page is confusing because they show the bar upside-down (from the
rider position). I've been using this for a few months now, as a way to get
more grip positions on a MTB/Commuter bike. I like it better than bar ends.
The side grip position has a hand position that's not much different than
riding on brake hoods with drop bars, and you can stretch out on the far
end of the bar for a semi-aero position. There is also plenty of forward
bar area for mounting accessories like computers or a headlight.

The big drawback is that you'll need a stem that clamps the bar MUCH
further forward and higher than a stock flat or riser MTB handlebar. After
you solve that problem and get enough reach, it's easy to make small
adjustments to raise or lower the main grip area, just by rotating the
handlebar in the clamp.

What I'd like to get is this:

http://www.petercrandall.net/biketrip/images/bars.jpg

Unfortunately, I believe, they are no longer made anywhere commercially.

-B