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    Is drop to straight bar a possible solution to a oversized frame?


    Hi! A recently trained bike mechanician here. I’ve been just practicing on old bikes donated to our non-profit bike shop so far. And I’m looking for a possible first project: I got my eyes on a frame that’s one size too big for my height, and I’m wondering if changing from a drop bar to a straight bar would be a possible solution for the size problem?

    The frame is from a 2013 Specialized Secteur Sport Disc, link to full specs here: [https://bikeindex.org/bikes/645180](https://bikeindex.org/bikes/645180). I don’t think just shorting and/or angling the stem would be enough, so what about changing the entire handle bar and stem? Especially as I’m more used to straight bar/upright position. The frame also have the original brake and drivetrain on it, which I also have been wanting disk breaks on my next bike.

    I’m obviously not experienced enough to do this on my own but I can ask other mechanician at the shop to help. And the parts in the shop is also available for me to choose from, so if I can find ones that fit, I won’t need a huge budget on this. In return I’ll volunteer more at the shop to refurbish old bikes 🙂

    Is it do-able? Or is there something critical that I’m not thinking through?

    by Valuable_Toe_179

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    4 Comments

    1. AJ_Nobody on

      Try doing some kind of a mock-up before committing. A flat bar won’t do anything for standover height obv, and you’ll have to replace the brake levers and shifters at the very least. I’d want to ensure that it fits before investing time, effort, and $.

    3. LongSpoke on

      I can’t say for sure that it will help you but it might. 

      I did just the opposite. I converted a Trek FX one size too small to drop bar and that is working well for me. 

      But before you do that, I recommend you try a super-short stem and replace the 20 offset seatpost with a zero offset seatpost. Much simpler than a full conversion. 

    4. Original_Assist4029 on

      I guess this solves nothing. Having a dropbar has nothing to do with “I’m used too…” . 
      If you’re uncomfortable with a dropbar than you would be uncomfortable with a flat bar as well since it doesn’t change anything  from the rest of the frame. Yes road bikes are sexy but many dont want to see that they need something different. Get a better frame or use as is would be my advice. 

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