This is an old family bike that I’m repurposing for my son’s cross country trip. It rides great but has a really short reach so I’m loooking at drop set up. Can somebody suggest a cost appropriate drop handlebar and shifter setup. it’s a 3 x 7 Shimano Alivio drive train. Cheap but solid.
I guess the other option is to get a taller, somewhat curved upright handlebar, but still flat and maybe a longer stem so that the reach is more comfortable He and I both ride drop gravel bikes but need a beater for the trip!
by coatseast
3 Comments
If reach is the only thing you’re trying to solve I would first look at a different stem.
Finding brifters to replace those brakes and grip shifts that are compatible with your front and rear derailleurs might be tricky.
There are very few options for drop bar 3×7 shifters – Shimano starts at 8 speed with the Claris line. [Microshift makes the SB-R473](https://www.microshift.com/models/sb-r473/) which seems like it should work.
For bar, use whatever. If you want a nice build I’d use a quill to ahead adaptor and do a threadless stem with a 31.8 bar. If you want a cheaper but flexier build, just jam a 26.0 road bar into your existing 25.4 stem.
A drop bar conversion vs a curved upright bar will give a very different position on this bike.
Is this bike the right size for him? Old MTBs fit kinda small – might not be ideal if he’s on the taller side.
I learned from putting a drop bar on a hybrid frame that geometry of the frame really screws up the handling at especially slower speeds.
Forethought is required about where you want to go and how you are going to do it because the bike will handle horribly.