Cameron a

So this is a bike for my wife. She is 5ft3in. We need a bike that can handle light gravel, light trail, and is fast in the city. With the ability to have fenders and racks. Road tires or fatty tires. So that narrows it down to touring/cyclocross. Because of her height it narrows it even more down as a lot of cyclocross/touring don't make her size or are more men's.. She is a inexperienced rider who has fallen off her comfort Raleigh hybrid 700cc wheeled bike.

Because of that as well I can only find this bike... https://salsacycles.com/index.php/bikes/vaya_3

The Vaya 3 makes sense because it would seem my wife would be more comfortable lower to the ground with 26" wheels. And give her more confidence. She however is afraid of using drop bars. So I am trying to figure out if I can get a moustache bar or similar to a cruiserish or flat bar... However I don't know how to convert bar end shifters and don't know if you even can? Because bar end shifters are out. I doubt it'll work for my wife at all.

So if anyone can tell me if diff bars and shifter mechanisms are available for this bike.
Of course I am open to more suggestions of bikes as well hit me please.

calyth

Why is she afraid of the drops? just curious.

Sora front and Deore rear, shouldn't be hard to find flat bar shiftwers to work, at least for the rear.

jcmkk3

When I first started reading your post, the Vaya was the bike that immediately came to mind. There are plenty of options for changing out the handlebars. I wouldn't worry too much about making everything work. If you purchase it from a good bike shop, they should be able to switch out the proper parts for you with no problem.

Mustache bars are most commonly used with bar-end shifters to begin with. Like this:


You could also buy some mounts to mount them like thumb shifters. Paul and VO make some. You could also change them out for trigger style shifters. If you decide to use a different type of brake lever, you will probably be better off changing the brakes out to the mountain version (you may want to think about upgrading to hydraulics) to give you more lever options. Some other handlebar types to take a look at would be city style bars, H-Bars, and butterfly/trekking bars. Note that there are many variations of all of these bars and different price points.

Again, I would find a bike shop that carries Salsa that you feel like you can trust and talk to them about your options. Keep in mind that depending on the type of handlebars used and how sporty of a position that she prefers, she may need a larger frame than she would for drop handlebars.

Cameron a

it is the fear of the unknown. Never having before done something I believe.

Cameron a

Thank you so much. Thankfully I do believe I have a good lbs by me who will build one up and customize it without to much trouble so for sure that is what I will do! And I love the two thumb shifter idea from Paul and VO that is great stuff!

calyth

Maybe get her on a test ride ? Modifications aren't hard, but might cost more money.
I prefer the grip options now, but I don't think I would've gone for that had I not tried a road bike from a friend in the first place.

tarwheel 

Here's the deal with drops. If you run the handlebars high enough, just about anybody can be comfortable riding with them. The reason why so many people hate drop bars is their handlebars are too low to begin with, so reaching the drops is torturous. I run my handlebars the same height as my saddle, and I can ride in my drops all day if needed -- and I am far from what you would call flexible. Drops are really nice to have when riding into headwinds or wanting to go faster or just ride in a different position.

Get the Vaya. It's a great bike, very versatile.

If drops are really out of the question, you could put bullhorns on the bike or your wife could just ride on the top and the hoods -- like 95% of cyclists anyway.

blakcloud

The Vaya with FSA with Metropolis bars, Paul Thumbies or the IRD shifters. The bar has multiple places for hand position, including a nice flat part near the stem. That bar will also help decrease the reach that may be a problem with a flat bar. I have these bars on three of my bikes, so I am biased. You can even mount them upside down or called cafe style for a more aggressive position.