I'm kind of in the pre-process of converting my giant escape hybrid into a drop bar, poor man's cross. i have spare bars and stems, and I'm waiting on shipment for 2x8 microshift I got on ebay for effectively nothing (ebay credit and xmas gift), so I think I need the cassette, $30 claris crankset (46-34 on nashbar),octalink BB, front mech, and travel agents (or possibly convert the v-brakes, depending on what is cheaper). i haven't totally committed to this yet, the fork on the hybrid is heavy (steel), so I may find myself wanting something lighter if I try to ride competitively with it