BattuPy

Hi guys. I have a GT Traffic Comp 3.0 Hybrid, and I think it's really good for the city I live in. Nimble, agile and fast; I wouldn't change it for a road bike, not for commuting/city riding at least. It comes standard with a very low end groupset (not even full Shimano tourney) and I'm looking forward to upgrading it. However, I'm not having any luck finding proper flat bar road bike groupsets. Is it a good idea to just get some drop bars? I reckon the bike would become less agile in the city, but faster and would allow for a more aero position on the road. So, what do you think?

You can find the bike on Evans cycles dot Com /gt-traffic-3-0-2017-hybrid-bike-EV281719

travbikeman

Actually there are many flatbar road bike groupsets. For examples, look at Specialized Sirrus line of bikes, they have road bike groupsets. Cannondale Quick or Trek FX series.

What I would worry on your bike, is if it has a cassette or freewheel, I'm assuming it's 7 speed. All I can find are the Tourney 7 speeds on the GT Traffic 3. If it has a freewheel, you would need to consider a new hub or wheel to convert to a cassette that can be used with the other road groupsets. If it's a cassette, how many speeds can that wheel hub handle? Will it accommodate 8,9 or even 10 speeds? From there, all that is keeping you from changing is the amount of money your willing to spend.

Of course, you may also want to consider that if you are spending alot of money on upgrades, is it worthwhile to sell the bike and get something newer and closer to what you want?

tyrion

Shimano Altus, Alivio, Acerca, Deore, SLX, XT, and XTR are flat bar groupsets. SRAM has their own lineup of mountain bike groupsets.

You can still get the high end XT 3x7 and 3x8 stuff on ebay.

Mitkraft

prj71

No such thing as flat bar road bike groupset.

Flat Bar Groupset = Mountain Bike Groupset.

Shimano and SRAM offer both.

Mitkraft

You are wrong (as I learned when I did the upgrade mentioned above). Shimano MTB pull ratios changed between 9 and 10 speeds so I couldn't turn my 9 speed XTR derailleur into a 10 speed using a Shimano MTB shifter. The 10 speed road shifters have the same pull ratio as the MTB 9 speed derailleurs so I was able to turn my 9 speed rear derailleur into a 10 speed by using a set of Tiagra road flat bar shifters. As I said, they also have an Ultegra level version (SL-R770 and SL-R780) which are clearly designated as "Road" hence the "R" in the model number.

fietsbob

Where you looking .. ?

Seen some offered for European and Australian market.. Looking online ..

"Fitness Bikes" ... skinny tires like Road Bikes But With flat Bars




....

Phamilton

You might enjoy the drop bars regardless of drivetrain. Bar end friction shifters will accommodate any type of drivetrain. I've converted an old Trek hybrid to a drop bar commuter in this fashion. It's not nimble or agile or fast, but those qualities aren't related to the bars/drivetrain. I like the drop bars as some stretches of my commute are 15-20 minutes without stops into a sharp headwind.

Helderberg

I can't handle a drop bar so I run flat bar bikes only. I have a Quick 7 which runs a triple crank which is a MTB oriented setup. The Quick 3 I have is a Sora setup that is used on some entry level road bikes and is reflected in the gearing and sifters. The frame geometry is reflective of the gearing as the 3 runs a totally different rear triangle and a carbon fork than the 7. I keep the 7 for what I deem as my gravel/trail bike and the 3 with the tires plus gearing as my road bike. Just my .02 but it works for me.
Frank.

blakcloud

I don't know if they still sell it but Shimano made/makes the Metrea groupset for commuting flat bar bikes.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...rea-u5000.html

BattuPy

Okay, thank you all for replying. I've been doing my research and I've found that pretty much nobody sells a road flat bar groupset as a bundle, but you can source the parts separately. I was able to find every 105 R7000 part on Merlin Cycles, with the exception of the shifters (not integrated with brakes, so separate break levers) and brake levers. It won't be too expensive so this is what I think I'm going to do: I'll get the 105 groupset with flat bar shifters and brake levers and a compatible wheelset.
Which in theory, should work just fine. I do need to figure out which type of bottom bracket the GT Traffic has, and see if it is actually compatible with 105. Hopefully I'll be able to shed some weight off the bike, which currently comes in at almost 13kg.
Later on I'd like to buy a proper road frame set, stem, drop bars, bottom bracket if relevant, 105 STI shifters and just switch the 105 groupset to the new frame. Is that a good idea/possible?
The GT wheels and frame set are not that good, so after the change I might just convert it to single speed and use it as a winter-type bike for rainy seasons.

prj71

That's what I was trying to explain above. Flat bar components = Mountain Bike Components.

BattuPy

Actually that's not what I meant. Mtb components are not compatible with road components. I found some dedicated flat bar road shifters that (in theory) should work with Shimano 105 components. You just can't find those shifters as a bundle. The shifters on their own are about $100 on Evans cycles.

prj71

Yes. You can't find in a bundle. But you can for instance match 10 speed mtb shifter to a 10 speed "road" derailleur.

DorkDisk

Shimano use what they call "non-series" pieces to add additional capability to groups. Items like 36-46 110bcd 5 arm cranksets, cantilever brakes, and flat bar brake levers for long pull or short pull can be substituted to fit different builds for cyclocross for example. In the case of shifters, they accomodate road bike cable pulls instead of mtb cable pulls for both front and rear.

To better match your existing gear, get the most relevant model number to your groupset. For example, CX70 brakes and cranksets are Ultegra level (7xx series)

Considering that a comlete group (whatever that is these days) is not a single SKU, its really not much difference.

hybridbkrdr

I've built a mountain bike and flat-bar road bike piece by piece (and still have a touring bike project in boxes at the moment).

First, from what I've read, the frame geometry for a bike is specific to the type of bars you have. It's not recommended to use drop bars with a hybrid.

Second, if you buy a road crankset for a hybrid, there may be a chance that the crank arms may hit the chainstays. (Road cranksets are closer to the frame, while hybrids are made to accommodate larger tires.)

Third, I didn't find a 105 flat bar shifter on the Shimano web page. This means if you've already ordered 11 speed 105 components, they aren't going to be compatible with 10 speed Tiagra components (where flat bar shifters are available).

My flat-bar road bike has R400 series shifters with R400 series front derailleur (Tiagra equivalent) and Deore LX rear derailleur. It shifts beautifully but when I converted a bike I found on clearance at Canadian Tire (for a winter bike), I changed the grip shifters to Shimano Altus 7x3 speed (found on eBay), installed Shimano Acera V-brake levers and regular-sized grips. I was amazed how well the Shimano Altus shifters worked with the Shimano Tourney derailleurs. It's almost similar to my higher-end parts. So, you ought to be able to do this cheaply.

It's also true like someone said, if you want to change from a 7 speed rear wheel to more speeds, you may have to change the rear wheel.

Why don't you want mountain/hybrid components?

Some places I've ordered from in the past: bike24 (Germany), Rosebikes (Germany), xxcycle (France), Chainreactioncycles (England)

badger1

Shimano RS700 shifters; been around for awhile now: https://www.evanscycles.com/en-ca/sh...fters-EV220651

csrpenfab

CliffordK

If you can't find a complete groupset, then start making a list of the individual components you want and purchase them piecemeal (used on E-Bay?)

prj71

You can use drop bars on a hybrid. No problem at all.

This is a function of the spindle length. Not the crankset.

You don't have to find a "105 shifter" just an 11 speed shifter such as this which will pair with 11 speed 105 components.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-SL...11-Shifter-Set


Just the cassette, chain and rear derailleur...not the whole rear wheel.

hybridbkrdr

To answer the post above, many 7 speeds bikes come with a freewheel, not a cassette. You'd have to change the rear wheel (unless you want to change the hub and re-build the wheel, you may have to use new spokes).

And yes, maybe Microshift makes shifters compatible with Shimano but that doesn't mean the original poster wants Microshift on his bike.

And as far as the spindle length is concerned, I think that applies to square taper cranksets. I'm pretty sure Shimano 105 uses Hollowtech II. And I'm not familiar enough with Hollowtech II to say if you can adjust the chainline.

EDIT: I found a link to using spacers on Hollowtech II... https://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/...et-779341.html

DorkDisk

For SRAM rears, yes. For Shimano rears, you will need a conversion pulley. Front shifting will be interesting (not fun) to sort out and may involve reverting to an mtb model

DorkDisk

Frames are designed around an intended chainline, which differs from MTB to road. Road cranks on MTBs tend to collide with the chainrings and /or arms. A quick solution was to run a wider spindle. Chainline would get run out a bit but can be acceptable.

The problem with modern hollow cranksets is the fixed spindle width. There is some adjustment by playing with shims but its for chainline - not spindle width. Also, many new MTBs use a 73mm BB shell, and road cranks are 68.

Having said that, it is possible. I am running a CX70 crankset on a frame designed for a triple. YMMV

DorkDisk

Tiagra 4700 is a unique group. Its the only Shimano 10 speed with 11 speed cable pull, so there is much interoperabillity.

Mitkraft