Doing some handlebar, brake, and shifter replacement on a mountain bike.

I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears.

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

On Mar 11, 1:13*am, piscesboy wrote:
I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears.

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

Hi there.

As long as you stay with 7 gears in back the conversion is most
*LIKELY* possible with your existing stuff. However, you will need
steel handle bars not alloy ones as alloy ones have a wider diameter
than steel ones do. You''ll probably want to mount your existing
levers on top of the drop bar. Before you go getting a longer stem
bear in mind that if you ride with your hands about where the hoods of
drop bar brake levers would be that your reach is a fair bit greater
(at least a couple of inches more) than it is on a straight bar.

Do you have cantilever brakes or V-brakes? If your brake levers are
not integrated with your shifters you can get drop bar brake levers
for either type of brake relatively inexpensively. *BE SURE TO GET THE
LEVERS TO MATCH YOUR TYPE OF BAKES* as they are *NOTSAFELY*
interchangeable.

Changing from 7 sped to 9 speed will get fairly expensive as you'll
need both a new rear gear set and a new 9 speed chain which is
narrower than a 7 speed chain. You might also need to spread the rear
triangle or redish the rear wheel or perhaps both to get a 9 speed
gear clustercentrein the dropouts.

Steel drop bars can be scrounged at a local bicycle co-op or a junk
yard or maybe even a bicycle shop that repairs old department store
road bikes.

Hope this helps. Good luck and cheers

On Sunday, March 11, 2012 3:07:43 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Mar 11, 1:13*am, piscesboy wrote:
I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears..

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

Hi there.

As long as you stay with 7 gears in back the conversion is most
*LIKELY* possible with your existing stuff. However, you will need
steel handle bars not alloy ones as alloy ones have a wider diameter
than steel ones do. You''ll probably want to mount your existing
levers on top of the drop bar. Before you go getting a longer stem
bear in mind that if you ride with your hands about where the hoods of
drop bar brake levers would be that your reach is a fair bit greater
(at least a couple of inches more) than it is on a straight bar.

Do you have cantilever brakes or V-brakes? If your brake levers are
not integrated with your shifters you can get drop bar brake levers
for either type of brake relatively inexpensively. *BE SURE TO GET THE
LEVERS TO MATCH YOUR TYPE OF BAKES* as they are *NOTSAFELY*
interchangeable.

I've got cantilever brakes. How do I know if the brake levers are integrated with the shifters?



Changing from 7 sped to 9 speed will get fairly expensive as you'll
need both a new rear gear set and a new 9 speed chain which is
narrower than a 7 speed chain. You might also need to spread the rear
triangle or redish the rear wheel or perhaps both to get a 9 speed
gear clustercentrein the dropouts.

Steel drop bars can be scrounged at a local bicycle co-op or a junk
yard or maybe even a bicycle shop that repairs old department store
road bikes.

Hope this helps. Good luck and cheers

On Mar 11, 3:21*am, piscesboy wrote:
On Sunday, March 11, 2012 3:07:43 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Mar 11, 1:13*am, piscesboy wrote:
I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears.

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

Hi there.

As long as you stay with 7 gears in back the conversion is most
*LIKELY* possible with your existing stuff. However, you will need
steel handle bars not alloy ones as alloy ones have a wider diameter
than steel ones do. You''ll probably want to mount your existing
levers on top of the drop bar. Before you go getting a longer stem
bear in mind that if you ride with your hands about where the hoods of
drop bar brake levers would be that your reach is a fair bit greater
(at least a couple of inches more) than it is on a straight bar.

Do you have cantilever brakes or V-brakes? If your brake levers are
not integrated with your shifters you can get drop bar brake levers
for either type of brake relatively inexpensively. *BE SURE TO GET THE
LEVERS TO MATCH YOUR TYPE OF BAKES* as they are *NOTSAFELY*
interchangeable.

I've got cantilever brakes. How do I know if the brake levers are integrated with the shifters?

Snipped

- Show quoted text -

Integrated brake levers/shifters have both of those items mounted on
the same clamp.

Cantilever brakes is good news as it means you can get drop bar levers
(if you decide to go that route) just about anywhere. Do you have a
bicycle co-op near you?

Cheers

Per piscesboy:
It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable....

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.


I'd try handlebar extenders like this first:

http://tinyurl.com/6usm7lx
http://tinyurl.com/7kf45gf

They are angled down a few degrees and wrapped with handlebar
tape.

I find them not *quite* as comfortable as riding on the hoods of
drop bars, but they're close enough. And they offer more usable
positions - all the way from bold upright to semi-aero, hands
flat, hands sideways, and so-on.
--
Pete Cresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):
all the way from bold upright to semi-aero, hands
flat, hands sideways, and so-on.

Also, I find them better than drop bars for out-of-the-saddle
climbing: grasp them all the way forward and it feels much more
ergonomic than anything else.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 3/11/2012 1:13 AM, piscesboy wrote:
I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

You could go to a swept handlebar, or even an add-on aerobar -- just
spitballin'.


It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears.

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

Drop bars have the advantage of a lower hand position, which many riders
never use.


My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

I've never seen trigger shifters on drop bars. MTB handlebars are
usually smaller diameter and MTB parts usually won't fit on road/drop bars.


If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

7 speed cassettes are narrower than 8/9 speeds, so the frame's rear
triangle has to be spread slightly, it's no big deal, especially for
steel frames. See Sheldon Brown's site for a how-to. You will need a new
rear wheel.

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

I wouldn't discourage you from doing this, but be aware that a new rear
wheel, brake levers, shifters, bars, stem cassette, chain, etc. may cost
near a new bike. Unless you buy heavily discounted or used components,
it's very hard to match the markups of new bikes with components. I've
done this several times, but only because I need freakishly large frames
and I have lots of family bikes to swap parts around on. Unless you're
really attached to the frame, it doesn't sound economically
advantageous. The usual 42T big ring on a MTB is usually a little
undergeared for the road, too. That said, lots of people commute on
MTB's, perhaps a different bar & stem combo and skinny slicks could make
it more roadworthy with a reasonable outlay.

On Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:13:35 -0800 (PST), piscesboy
wrote:

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette,

Seven speeds in back are worlds aplenty if they are the *right* seven
speeds.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net

On Mar 12, 12:10*pm, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:13:35 -0800 (PST), piscesboy

wrote:
If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette,

Seven speeds in back are worlds aplenty if they are the *right* seven
speeds.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net

Any of my road bikes that the 9 speed cassette and chain wears out on
are going back to 7 speed to as the cassettes and chains are a lot
chaper for 7 speed. And no pesky quick-link to fiddle with either.
Besides, I don't need the high cog that many 9 speeds come with.

Cheers

On Mar 11, 1:13*am, piscesboy wrote:
I want to turn my mountain bike into more of a road commuter bike.

It has a flat straight handle bar, not very comfortable.

It's got the standard brake levers, trigger shifters 21 speed 3 x 7 speed cassettes on the front and rear respectively. Using Shimano brakes/gears.

I want to replace the existing handle bar with a drop bar and maybe even replace the stem for a longer one.

My bike is pretty old, almost 20 years, but still in good shape.

Can I stick with my old trigger shifters and brake levers, or do I need to get new ones that will be compatible with the drop bar?

If I decide to replace the 7 speed cassette for a 9 speed cassette, is there any adjustments I need to make to the frame of the bike, would it fit or do I need to get a new frame, or maybe just be better off getting a new bike altogether?

Feel free to ask me questions about the brand etc about my bike I'll try to be as accurate as possible this is my first time doing bike repairs.

If the drivetrain isn't worn out, don't throw money at it. 7 speed
stuff is cheap and durable. You might want a closer ratio cassette for
the road--perhaps twenty bux. My daily has a road cassette and a
triple--perfect in Nashville.

I ride trekking bars on my commuter/all rounder. Love 'em--and they
make the bike goofy looking enough to discourage hipper thieves. Ride
with sandals and brown socks and you can tell folks you're German and
on tour. They're cheap, mebbe $20, so if you hate 'em, no big loss.

I have Salsa Woodchippers on my other daily ride, and I like those as
well--but for serious town riding, I prefer my controls right at hand.

If you do insist on drops, you might be able to score some bar ends--
but I doubt you'll walk away for less than 150USD in bits. Try a
different bar first.