hoovbikes

Hey friends,

So I've proudly been on the All City Space Horse train for a few months now and have been absolutely loving the bike. It's all the versatility I've always wanted, crushing in nearly every category from commuting, to light touring, to light gravel. Not to mention is a total beast when handling the rocky roads of LA (where I currently live). This being said, my lone yet noticeable caveat, I flat out (pun not intended) miss the good ole fashioned flat/riser bar set up. I've seen Space Horses and Macho Mans here and there online that have been converted from drops and I think it's time for me to do the same.

Problem is, I have very little experience in bike building/modification and the last thing in the world I want to do is funk up my awesome machine by attempting to put on parts that aren't as compatible as they should be. Anyone out here have any suggestions on bars, shifters, brakes, and whatever else one might need to make this switch a success? Budget is always important, but quality obviously is too. I definitely don't want to undersell the rest of the bike by putting on new parts that are less than compared to the rest of the bike.

I'm also aware that All City also makes the Pony Express, which I considered for a bit, but wasn't thrilled about the smaller sized chainring that comes on it, or the fact that they only make it in red (instinctively just feels like a bad decision as far as bike ownership and theft go when living in a big city).

And fyi, my Space Horse is the now old school cantilever version that I'm pretty sure has been discontinued, if that factors in at all to the new brake situation.

Thanks for reading everybody, open to any and all suggestions from those in the know!

fietsbob

You have a bike co op (Has to be more than one in LA) or a public library to learn about bike mechanics, hands on or reading

Of course this is a FAQ, and you can also look up all the other times someone asked about something like this

for any brand of bike, because in general the name on the frame is besides the point..

Koyote

I'm no expert, but I don't think your brifters will work with a flat bar. So, at minimum, you will need new shifters (there are a few options), new brake levers, and that new handlebar with grips.

tyrion

Specify what derailleurs you have now and someone will probably tell you what flat bar controls will work with them. Post pictures if you're not sure exactly what you have.

MRT2

I would consider it a downgrade, and a potentially expensive downgrade depending on what generation of Space Horse you have. I am thinking maybe it might make sense to look for a different drop bar before switching out bars, shifters, and maybe derailleurs (hopefully not necessary, but Shimano road derailleurs don't always work with rapidfire shifters). Soma, Salsa, Velo Orange, and Nitto make some interesting variations on drop bars worth checking out.

ksryder

If you do it, keep your drop bars and shifters because if you ever want to sell it, no one's going to want a flat bar setup.

HTupolev

You'll need a handlebar and grips. Probably also a longer and/or lower stem, to put the handlebars in a reasonable position. New cables and housing for both shifters and brakes would probably be a good idea, to make sure that everything works well and is optimally-routed.

Your drop-bar brifters won't fit right or be ergonomic on a flat bar, so you'll need new brake levers and shifters. The cantilever brakes on your bike are designed for short cable pull, so you'll want a "road" flat-bar brake lever.
What's your drivetrain? I *think* your bike would have come with Tiagra 4600... if so, you might just stick flat-bar 2x10 4600 shifters on it, they're still around.

When changing a bike's steering interface, don't expect the handling to feel completely normal.

What is it that you dislike about the drop bars?

Craptacular8

If your space horse is one of the most recent sram versions of the canti models, you can use sram's doubletap flat bar shifters, or nearly all of their 2x10 mtb shifters work with their 2x10 road derailleurs. If this was the Tiagra build SH, There are also 2x10 Shimano Tiagra flat bar shifters that will work with the rest of the drive train. You'll need flat bar brakes handles, like the Tektro city ones you can find on Velo Orange, but the rest of the braking system can stay the same.

Depending on how your SH fits you, they tended to be a little long in the top tube, might need a more swept back bar, or shorter stem when you convert to flatbar.

I've similarly loved my canti SH. Long rides, gravel, touring...very comfortable and capable.

tyrion

Not sure why you want to switch to a flat bar, but interrupter brake levers might be a solution for you.



It would be easier and cheaper to install these than switch to a flat bar. I have these levers because often I'm riding among pedestrians and dog walkers and like to be relaxed but have a finger on the brakes.

ksryder

Well, as long as we're spitballin' here -- I'd suggest looking into a Jones Bar. Store - H-Bars - Jones Bikes

Gives you that more upright position of flat bars, but you can still have multiple hand positions, and the slight sweep backwards might not be so hard on your hands. I'd like to put one on a commuter/bikepacking rig some day.

Plus it's about 100000 times cooler than a flat bar.

hoovbikes

@tyrion I've got Shimano Tiagra across the board- front and rear derailleurs, chainring, thru axles, and 10 speed shifters. Thanks for that specification!

@fietsbob there are definitely a few around town, of which I've only been to one so far- Bikerowave in Mar Vista. Super nice people and more than willing to help, but I went in there with a bent rear derailleur problem on another bike and they kind of made the wrong judgement on what needed to be done. I probably will still go back in there at some point bc their customer service was great, but it just goes to show that it's always good to gather more than one opinion on any given issue. Also much to my dismay I've only been able to find surprisingly little when it comes to the specifics about this conversion on this bike when I search online. It makes sense that's it's more like what @tyrion said and has to do more with the individual corresponding parts that are working together as opposed to the bike as a whole.

motrheadsroadie

interrupter levers look so nasty. drop/flat conversions are super easy. dont overthink it.
old 4 finger mtb moto levers work great with cantis because thats what they were made for. or if you wanna spend some extra money you can get some modern paul levers with the proper cable pull and call it a day.
also, old mtb thumbshifters can be set to friction and easily have enough travel to move your rear der across the entire cassette. or if you wanna spend some more money you can get the proper indexed flatbar road shifters to mate to your drivetrain.

befores and afters

hoovbikes

wow @motrheadsroadie that specialized is sick and pretty much exactly what I'm trying to do. Thanks for the pics!

I'm looking over some of the Shimano flat bar shifters. How important is it to have the Tiagra 2x10s vs other flat bar 2x10s? I guess having matching models is ideal..

HTupolev

To maintain your indexing, you'll need a shifter that pulls 2.35mm of cable per gear change. That should be basically any Shimano 2x10 road shifters except for the current-gen Tiagra 4700. There are some Shimano-compatible shifters out there that should also work, like the Microshift 2x10 Thumb Tap shifters.

hoovbikes

@HTupolev thanks for the input. After glossing it over a bit I think I'll probably end up going with the Tiagras just to be safe. My technical knowledge isn't enough to where I'd be able to put a precise finger on something if it feels a little out of whack, so I think I'd rather just eliminate any doubt and get what is sure to fit. Even if I have to spend a few bucks.

And to answer your earlier question it's not that I don't like drops for certain purposes, like longer rides. But this bike I've begun to use a lot for commuting and I like to be as agile as possible handling wise when zipping through streets, which for me equates to flat bars. When I'm riding really aggressively, and especially when hopping curbs (and if off road, roots, rocks, etc) riding on the hoods just feels awkward to me. Like it's pure bicep when you want to pull up, as opposed to flats you've got your whole chest in the mix, which just feels more natural to me. Maybe it's bc I rode BMXs as a kid.. I'm actually a little surprised there aren't more flat bar gravel bikes in production right now considering the craze, but I guess folks like me are still in the minority. Maybe in another year or two!

katsup

I think those are called hybrids; or in my case, a rigid 90's mountain bike.

Estimate the cost before converting, it may be more cost efficient to go n+1 with your bikes.

gomango

From the All City blog.

https://allcitycycles.com/blog/jonat...build#comments

My wife wants one, so this is the direction I'll go.