TravelBiker

Hey guys, i dont mind purchasing a bike with drop handles but i was wondering is it possible to mod the bike to move the brakes to the straight part of the handlebars instead of the down lows? thanks

blamester

It can be done with interrupter levers. Which I think is the correct name. Some bikes come with them installed.
Some

dabac

Possible - sure.
But it might be more involved than you think.
Moving the current brake levers to the straight section is a bad idea. The shape of the lever means it pretty much has to sit on the outside face of a bend to work. If you put it on a straight bar the bent-in end of the lever is likely to hit the bar before you get good braking.
The best option if you have levers with the cable routed under the bar tape is to install some ”interrupter levers” on the flat section of the bar.

Kapusta

I would go with interrupter (also called in-line) levers. Google it.

Geepig

An alternative is to buy the bike you like, then get the handlebars that suit your riding style - and the levers to suit.

Another is to modify your handlebars by turning them upside down and cutting away what was the lower and front section - google for bicycle bull bars. This will allow you to keep your current brake levers.

TravelBiker

Thanks a lot, the flip seems like a good idea for short term. i dont enjoy the drop position but i need the extra light bike weight.

Kapusta

if you don’t like the drop position but are OK on the hoods, raise your bar until you’re comfortable in the drops at least some of the time.

if you are not comfortable in the drops or on the hoods and need to ride on the “tops” the whole time then you are either ill-fitted to the bike or you should be using some type of flat bar.

Edit: I guess the bull horn idea works, too. No harm in trying.

shelbyfv

DUI or Bum Bars https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...ars-uhhhh.html

Russ Roth

If older 7-10sp get a set of mtb shifters and levers and install them, problem dealt with. If newer you'll have to get flat bar shifters which do exist for 4700 series 10 sp and I'm sure there's an 11sp version I've never looked into. The integrated road levers are designed for a curved bar and tightening them to the flat doesn't seem like the wisest idea.
Thinking you need a road bike for weight means you haven't looked into performance hybrids and similar flat bar road, both of which, dollar for dollar can be potentially lighter then a drop bar system.

Iride01 

Are you talking about the old style brake levers on vintage bikes or are you talking about modern STI's which containg both brake and shifter?

Old stuff you can put a turkey leg on it or get one that has a turkey leg. More properly I think they were called safety levers and some other things back then.

For STI's, if your bike the correct size and set up properly, then you'd naturally want your hands to be on the hoods themselves when you aren't in the drops. Not on the horizontal part of the bar.

alcjphil

Bull horn bars don't move your hands any higher than a standard drop bar. Only the brake levers are higher than they would be on a drop bar. In addition it can be difficult to route brake and shift cables on a bullhorn bar. Interrupter brake levers on the other hand are located on the straight portion of the bar top allowing braking with your hands in this position. Even professional cyclists use this type of brake lever for certain races like Paris Roubaix where they ride with hands on bar tops over the cobbled sections

veganbikes

It sounds like you just literally need to HTFU unless you have some medical issues that are preventing you from lifting 26lbs up some stairs once a day? You can modify a road bike but honestly that is not going to really solve the issues a set of weights or just doing reps with your current bike up the stairs will help more.

mack_turtle

If you cannot use the "drop" part of a drop bar, you should be able to ride from on top of the hoods on most bikes made in the past 25 years or so. Most people with drop-bar equipped bikes don't actually use the lowest part of the handlebar often, some not at all.

There are light, agile road bikes with flat handlebars on the market if you don't like drop bars at all. Again, I'd make sure the bike is properly fitted for you either way. If you want access to your brakes and shifting on the closer flat part of the bar, get a bike equipped with a flat bar.

Switching a bike from drop bar controls to flat bar controls is more involved and expensive than you might think.

TravelBiker

Did you mean drop bar controls to flat bar controls? i am used to riding my trek fx 2 with flat bar size medium but i do like the drop bars look if they also have the interrupt brakes that would be fine.

mack_turtle

Do you want a bike with a drop bar because of the way it looks? There's no practal reason to get a drop bar bike if you're not going to use the whole handlebar.

TravelBiker

No just because most bikes with a drop bar weigh less

surveyor6

I had a mountain brake lever on my fixie. I was using ghetto bullhorn bars (made by flipping and cutting conventional drop bars)

Kapusta

It sounds like what you want is a flat bar road bike. Keep looking, they are out there. Or if you want something high end you may have to buy a drop bar bike and do a conversion.

There is no point in buying a drop bar bike if you only use it in the tops. A flat bar set up is far better in this case.

For starters, the interrupter levers are not shifters, so you still need to reach forwards to shift.

But also, the hand position on the tops is not that great for general riding or especially real fast riding. I mean, it has its uses, but there are reasons that most experienced cyclists people only spend a minority of the time ( I am going to guess less than 25%) on the tops. A flat bar is designed to ride the whole time in that position: even the narrowest of flat bars are much, much wider than the hand position on the tops of drop bars.

mack_turtle

nonsense. what gave you that idea? there is no reason why a flat-bar road bike would weigh more than a similar drop-bar bike.

how light is light enough for you? you may have your reasons, but I don't think having an ultra-lightweight bike is important as you think. are you racing competitively? if so, the aerodynamic position available with a drop bar would give you more of an edge for speed than weight. if it's really that important to you, prepare to shell out $$$ for a truly lightweight bike.

icemilkcoffee 

But bike manufacturers always make their lightest bikes drop bar only. The flat bar road bikes are always lower end utilitarian type bikes. The OP is entirely right in posing this question.

mack_turtle

Yes, so the questions are: why lightweight and how light is light enough? Sure, most of the lightest bikes available are drop-bar road bikes, but there are also flat bar "fitness" bikes that are also darn light. If something like a Trek FX Sport carbon (just happens to be the first example I found) is not "light enough" for some reason, spend another $1000 and put carbon wheels on it and some race-day tires.

The other question I'd ask is: have OP ridden a drop bar bike that actually fits him and is designed for his riding style? I find that most people who say they don't want a drop bar have only experienced old bikes that are too long and low to be comfortable for the average person without a great deal of acclimation that is often not worth it. A relatively modern drop bar bike can and should be as upright and comfortable as the rider needs, even if they have poor flexibility.

In other words, if OP has an open mind, a drop bar bike might be the best solution.

70sSanO

Find a bike you like and do this ^^^.

It doesn’t matter if it is weight, looks, or whatever. Riding a road bike is nicer than a flat bar hybrid.

My wife’s road bike has interrupter/inline/cross brake levers on the top and they work great. The best thing is that she will sometimes brake from the hoods and occasionally ride in the drops. But having the interrupter brakes gives her a little more confidence.

And you will be able to use both brake locations. You don’t remove anything just add another location. At least things have gotten better than the old suicide lever extensions.

John

Camilo

I'd recommend to either look into using the drop bars "on the hoods" vs "in the drops". I would guess that 99.9% of recreational riding is done on the hoods. Some serious riders only spend 70% or so on the hoods, but many more casual riders spend 100%.



Compared to the interrupter levers you're thinking of and which are described above, this position gives you great control, puts your arms and wrists in more of a neutral position and your hands are in the right place to shift. If you use the interrupters, you have to move your hands to shift.

My wife is a 100% hoods rider. When I bought her first road bike it had interrupter levers and I thought she might actually like them. She NEVER used them so I removed them next time I changed her cables. She told me that she felt much better control with her hands on the hoods rather than on the "tops" (where the interrupter levers are). The hands are very close together on the tops and that makes, to most of us, the bike less stable feeling. Plus the mechanical advantage of using the real brake levers vs. the interrupters, and the shifting thing.
Or look for and buy the best flat bar road bike you can find and afford. There's a lot out there.

Or buy the lightweight drop bar bike you like and can afford and re-fit it with flat bars and the appropriate brake and shift levers. Have the bike shops you're working with give you a price estimate, or do the conversion yourself if you have the interest and time to do it. Technically it's not hard, you'd probably need to watch some videos, read some guides, etc. Then sell the drop bars and shift/brake levers as "never used 'take off'" to recoup some of the costs. Might even come out even-ish.

The last two suggestions, I think, are best if you truly don't plan to use the full design of drop bars. The brake levers will be better functionally, your hands will be where they belong at the ends of the bars rather than close together near the middle, and will allow you to shift and brake from the same hand position.

But I might also suggest you just try the new road bike handlebars and get everything adjusted so you can ride comfortably on the hoods. It will give you some options for hand position compared to flat bars.

70sSanO

While not to be critical of your advice, but a suggestion, next time you talk about shifting and moving hands, don't use a pic of a Soma equipped with downtube shifter bosses.

John

mack_turtle

That Soma Smoothie clearly has integrated brake lever/ shifters (look like Campagnolo). The downtube has bolt-on stops for the shift housing. There's nothing confusing about that.