cyclehealth

Converting 2013 Specialized Roubaix Compact 10 speed to upright. A few years ago I converted all stock components to all Ultegra 6800 including the wheels. It is now eleven speed. As a result I have about $2500 into it. Tried to sell on local Craigslist for $1100, no action. So decided on conversion.
I am looking at Velo Orange Porteur Handlebar black 23.8 mm. I will install shim to fit stem. Question is will my Shimano 6800 brifters fit on the curve of the handlebar just beyond the handgrip area? And if they will fit there how well does it function ergonomically. Or do I have to ditch the brifters and go with another type of shifter and brake lever. I have considered bar end shifters.
I am currently running 23 mm x 700 tires. How do I determine if 28 mm will fit? I know they are wider but are they also taller? I am thinking the 28's will offer a more cushier ride.
Reason for conversion is because of increasing discomfort as the years roll on. Will my efforts be wasted in trying to make this bike something it can never be?
I primarily used this bike for Sunday morning rides of 25-35 miles. I realize with the conversion that I may not find it suitable for the longer rides but I am OK with that. I have pickup up an older Easy Racers Gold Rush Recumbent and that now serves my needs for the longer rides. Much to my surprise as I had never thought of myself as a recumbent rider.
Thanks in advance for you thoughts and suggestions.

fietsbob

a "fitness bike" is one name for a flat bar converted road bike with narrow tires..

may be consider swapping bikes for a high end Trek FX 5? they're carbon frames and forks, and nice 105 11 speed components .

Or go thru the component pick list maybe the bars and levers purchase will suffice..

FrenchFit 

My two cents, not worth the effort. Sell the bike on eBay & buy the bike you really want. 28mm are higher and wider, you can't predict how much until you factor in the rim they will be sitting in. You can get some idea here by reading the measured difference between 23, 25, 28 : https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...0s-ii-23-25-28

squirtdad

it is going to be hard to get the brifter to work on a porteur bar, and even if it works it will be not good ergonomically

You might go simple first...... raise your existing handle bars and put the biggest tire you can on (trial and error) you should be able to get to 25's at leaset

another option is to get a frame more designed for upright and move wheels and ultegra stuff over, new levers and bar end shifters. Check out C&V for some work like this

jlaw

As you have discovered, bikes - even very nice ones like yours, depreciate dramatically after purchase/upgrade. You might actually get more for it by trading it to a bike shop for a new bike that fits your needs better. Spending even more money on the Roubaix to make it an 'upright' bike may prove to be an exercise in frustration.

Maybe a visit to a couple local bike shops would yield some new possibilities.

Good Luck!

cyclehealth

Thanks everyone for your replies. As far as upgrading to a new bike that would be more suitable I think I will pass. As jlaw pointed out the depreciation on new bikes is steep. The Roubaix was my first new bike in thirty years. I do not see my self going that route again. I am much more accustomed to buying used and fixing up. I also mentioned I purchased an older Easy Racers recumbent and that has become my main ride. At this stage of my riding career it is working for me. I find it very comfortable. I have a couple of bikes from the 80's that I have rehabbed and converted to varying degrees to break up my riding routine. One of the reasons for converting the Roubaix was that it is not selling on the local Craigslist. Before letting it go for pennies on the dollar I would hang on to it, spend some money on some changes and get it out on rides occasionally. Another thought is possibly part it out. Time will tell.

Mr IGH

Have you considered upright bar shifter for 11 speed road derailleurs? Shimano has the SL-RS700 Double Flat Bar Shifters:


Combine them with a set of flat bar, short pull brake levers:

And sell your brifters, they'll sell easily on ebay.

zze86

I took a LeMond Al/CF road bike and turned it into a porteur/cafe racer thingy. Started with a frame /fork/wheels I got off CL and decided I wanted to do something a bit different.

went from this:


To this:


You could possibly use the brifters much like the reverse brakes I have on this bike. I see it done all the time on bullhorns. I don't see why they would not work with porteur bars.



Just make sure the bar diameter (not the clamp diameter) is the right size for the road style levers and not MTB style levers.

Handling may be an issue and you may need to adjust the stem length. I had to really extend the stem out for ergonomic and handling reasons. With the stem in the finished pic above my hands naturally wanted to be about a half inch out of reach of the levers. The ride was also quite twitchy due to how far the steering was away from the steering axis. IIRC, I settled into a 130mm, 7deg stem which made the steering much more neutral. YMMV.

Canker

Yeah loose the brifters, you can probably sell those pretty easy, or just hold on to them in case you want to sell the bike later down the road so you can convert it back. Either go with the shifters IGH pointed out or bar ends and new brake levers, just make sure they are made to work with the pull ratio of road brakes.