Converting a drop bar touring bike to a flat bar baby hauler
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Converting a drop bar touring bike to a flat bar baby hauler
Hey everyone, I've got a drop bar 2010 Jamis Aurora Elite touring bike that I use as my commuter and grocery-getter right now. It's a bit long for me so it has a short and tall stem on it and rides more or less OK with that. It's got a 3x9 tiagra front drivetrain and controls and LX rear derailleur. Avid BB7 road disc brakes. Having a baby this year and wondering if it would be a good candidate to convert to a flat bar with baby carrier in the back. Interested in doing flat bar to have a more upright seating posture for commuting around town with the baby. I think the bike may be a good candidate because it is a touring frame that has a very sturdy rear rack (50lb capacity) and front rack, disc brakes, and wide gearing.
Any handling considerations for doing a flat bar conversion? I know I'd need the bar, brake levers, and shifters. Do the BB7s work with any shift levers? Any other opinions? If I go down this route I'd spend the next 6 months or so just sourcing used parts locally, so I don't anticipate it would cost too much money.
Any handling considerations for doing a flat bar conversion? I know I'd need the bar, brake levers, and shifters. Do the BB7s work with any shift levers? Any other opinions? If I go down this route I'd spend the next 6 months or so just sourcing used parts locally, so I don't anticipate it would cost too much money.
#2
Jedi Master
Handling should be fine. Flat bar won't get you much more upright than a drop bar. I'd probably go with north road bars, something similar or at least risers to shorten the reach if the bike is too long.
BB7's don't care what shift levers you have, but get the avid SD7 brake levers. They work the best with BB7's and aren't too expensive. Several different shifter options available. I have 3x7 gripshift on one bike that I like ok.
That's what I always think when I start a project like this.
That's what I always think when I start a project like this.
#3
Really Old Senior Member
Your "road" FDER will be incompatible with a "mountain" front shifter. (different cable pull)
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
#4
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Your "road" FDER will be incompatible with a "mountain" front shifter. (different cable pull)
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
https://www.modernbike.com/shimano_s...ad_shifter_set
Last edited by dedhed; 01-25-20 at 06:18 AM.
#5
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I myself would probably just pick up a decent used Hybrid of rigid mountain bike and have that exclusively for kid duty.
Or possibly even as a "donor bike" for cockpit parts on the Jamis
Or possibly even as a "donor bike" for cockpit parts on the Jamis
#6
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The road BB7 many not care about shifters but it does care about the levers. Road BB7 and mountain BB7 are two different beasts. The road version uses a short pull lever while the mountain uses a long pull lever. The adjustment in the SD7...the “Speed Dial” part...isn’t enough in my experience to make up the difference. The road BB7s need a flat bar road lever or even an old cantilever lever. Shimano Claris would be a good choice.
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Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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#7
Jedi Master
I stand corrected. Forgot about the road vs mtn versions. Thanks @cyccommute
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Your "road" FDER will be incompatible with a "mountain" front shifter. (different cable pull)
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
You need this FDER-
https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...illeur-964.htm
Regarding the OP's "baby hauler" requirement- challenge accepted:
https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/...-by-bike-73731
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Except that derailleur is "not available". I think there's a Microshift equivalent but I can't find it. It exists because I put one on my new bike. It's a front derailleur that works with older "flat-bar" and mountain triple shifters but the cage is contoured for large chainrings.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
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#10
Clark W. Griswold
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I would try something like the Velo Orange Crazy Bars, Surly Moloko Bars or Koga Denham bars. Give you more hand positions like a touring bike but without the drops.
For shifters I would personally go with thumbies. MicroShift makes some for different speeds and the front is friction so it don't care what derailleur you are using (though I bet you could shift a road FD with a mountain trigger shifter just fine it is the RD that would be the issue on 10 speed and up)
Also make sure you get the correct pull brake levers for your brakes. As some have stated BB7s come in a Road (short pull) or a Mountain (long pull) configuration. Or you can swap out for some hydraulic brakes for better stopping power with kids on the back if you are going the flat bar route.
For shifters I would personally go with thumbies. MicroShift makes some for different speeds and the front is friction so it don't care what derailleur you are using (though I bet you could shift a road FD with a mountain trigger shifter just fine it is the RD that would be the issue on 10 speed and up)
Also make sure you get the correct pull brake levers for your brakes. As some have stated BB7s come in a Road (short pull) or a Mountain (long pull) configuration. Or you can swap out for some hydraulic brakes for better stopping power with kids on the back if you are going the flat bar route.
#12
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I would try something like the Velo Orange Crazy Bars, Surly Moloko Bars or Koga Denham bars. Give you more hand positions like a touring bike but without the drops.
For shifters I would personally go with thumbies. MicroShift makes some for different speeds and the front is friction so it don't care what derailleur you are using (though I bet you could shift a road FD with a mountain trigger shifter just fine it is the RD that would be the issue on 10 speed and up)
For shifters I would personally go with thumbies. MicroShift makes some for different speeds and the front is friction so it don't care what derailleur you are using (though I bet you could shift a road FD with a mountain trigger shifter just fine it is the RD that would be the issue on 10 speed and up)
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Best bet, on a budget would be to go old-school; North Roads bars, MTB canti levers, and friction thumbies or bar-end shifters.
Keep in mind, kids are only baby carrier size for a couple of years. A ‘healthy’ 2-3 year old may be more weight and wiggles than you want to have strapped to your bike.
These mods would also be good to have when/if you wanna use the bike for pulling a trailer or tag-a-long when they outgrow the baby seat.
Keep in mind, kids are only baby carrier size for a couple of years. A ‘healthy’ 2-3 year old may be more weight and wiggles than you want to have strapped to your bike.
These mods would also be good to have when/if you wanna use the bike for pulling a trailer or tag-a-long when they outgrow the baby seat.
#14
Senior Member
Go for it. It's just a bunch of parts and a little elbow grease.
#15
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for the tips and info everyone, but I have one question - I thought all 9 speed were interchangeable (road and mountain). There is a lot of talk here about incompatible shifters and derailleurs. The brake incompatibility I get.
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What about foregoing all the shifter/brake/handle bar stuff & scope out a decent used trailer on your favorite want ads website?
$200 & no complications. I did need to take out the kid harnesses & build a solid floor.
20190911_164234 by Richard Mozzarella, on Flickr
My dog loves this thing, BTW.
He'll go to the garage & sit by it or get between me & whatever bike I'm working on when he wants to go for a ride.
$200 & no complications. I did need to take out the kid harnesses & build a solid floor.
20190911_164234 by Richard Mozzarella, on Flickr
My dog loves this thing, BTW.
He'll go to the garage & sit by it or get between me & whatever bike I'm working on when he wants to go for a ride.
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#18
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Shimano "mountain" front triple shifters and derailleurs were designed around much greater cable movement than their "road" triple counterparts. I tried them and they were incompatible.
At least they were when mountain bikes had triple cranks. With the latest Sora triple cranks, the shifters' cable pull has been unified so the front derailleurs are identical for drop-bar and flat-bar shifters.
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#19
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Shimano "mountain" front triple shifters and derailleurs were designed around much greater cable movement than their "road" triple counterparts. I tried them and they were incompatible.
At least they were when mountain bikes had triple cranks. With the latest Sora triple cranks, the shifters' cable pull has been unified so the front derailleurs are identical for drop-bar and flat-bar shifters.
At least they were when mountain bikes had triple cranks. With the latest Sora triple cranks, the shifters' cable pull has been unified so the front derailleurs are identical for drop-bar and flat-bar shifters.
#20
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And get off my lawn!
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That is more the touring triple which I similar to what I am running on my touring bike albeit with a 11-34 (though for some reason I had briefly toyed with a 12) However with the new compact and sub compact cranks it is nice to get the lower gearing without a triple.
#22
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Shimano "mountain" front triple shifters and derailleurs were designed around much greater cable movement than their "road" triple counterparts. I tried them and they were incompatible.
At least they were when mountain bikes had triple cranks. With the latest Sora triple cranks, the shifters' cable pull has been unified so the front derailleurs are identical for drop-bar and flat-bar shifters.
At least they were when mountain bikes had triple cranks. With the latest Sora triple cranks, the shifters' cable pull has been unified so the front derailleurs are identical for drop-bar and flat-bar shifters.
Is this moving forward or is there some kind of backward compatibility?
#23
Senior Member
If all else fails just slap a set of thumb shifters on it and forget about it.
#25
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In the past, Shimano's triple "flat-bar" and mountain shifters were 100% interchangeable. I have used Shimano SL-R660 shifters and SL-M751 shifters with the same front and rear derailleurs and they perform identically despite one being advertised as "flat-bar road" and the other as "mountain".
I understand that flat-bar double shifters work with road front derailleurs.
As I pointed out above, Shimano has muddied the waters further by making the current Sora "flat-bar" shifters work with the "road" front derailleur. If I weren't already crazy, this would push me over the edge.
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