shimoyjk

Hello guys!

I'm so stoked buy surly lht, but since it's expensive, I'm planning to upgrade mine.

now I have Jamis Coda Sport 2012, which I like it a lot.

I want more speed, and maybe better brake?


If I change my handle bar, what would you recommend?

drop bar?

is it easy to diy or should I just bring to bicycle store and let them do it?


Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english !

catonec 

more speed, and better brakes. drop bar conversion. one at a time

speed- my first though would be to change your rear gearing but according to bikepedia you already have an 11 tooth cog. your front rings max out at 48. not sure if you can but a larger big ring (52,53) will gain you something for sure.

secondly, you may get a mile or two by changing your tires to a 23mm slick, maybe.


Brakes- This is going to sound quite generalized but all brakes will stop your bike. some are easier to setup than others but....I will suggest replacing your pads w/koolstops or some other quality product. Ill also recommend cleaning your brake surface and keeping it clean. everything else is (assuming your cables and housings are in good shape) is in the setup.

side note: if you change your Design of brakes (cantilever, V, sidepull, disk) you will need to change the brake lever. this may be difficult if your shifters are integrated into your levers, which brings me to your handlebars.


Drop bar conversion - Im sure there is a thread on BF, maybe even a sticky, that addresses this issue directly. yes it can be done but it isnt as easy as you may think.

Mtb stems and road bike stems have a different diameter bar clamp, you may need a new stem to use drops.

your shifters will be extremely awkward if even useable at all on drops. You will want to replace them eventually.

same thing with your brake levers.

And heres the best part, if you wanted to change to drops for the aerodynamic advantages, it will be a negligent difference unless you are going like 40mph.

My final suggestion/solution- keep your hybrid as it is, ride it for the type of riding it was designed for. If you want to ride in a different style, get a bike specifically designed to do that.

shimoyjk

Thanks for helpful advice.
Yeah, I wanted to buy Surly 2013, but money wise... I'll just ride this one more year and next summer, I'm planning to do bike touring, maybe if I have a money then I'll get Surly or,

I'll just ride mine.

Thanks Again!

Bill Kapaun

Drop bars require different brakes/shifters. The shifters than require a different FDER.

I'm an old guy, but I find it difficult to believe you are maxing out a 48:11 ratio for any significant amount of time.
IF the need for speed is on the down hill, you'd be much better served by saving your energy for the uphill. You'll get to your destination sooner!

MRT2

If you have your heart set on a Surly, just put the money away and when the time comes, buy a Surly. I have taken little detours before when it comes to bikes. I don't really regret it, but I have spent more money than I needed to.

Could you make your Jamis slightly faster? Maybe, if you switched out wheels and tires, you might make the bike a tiny bit faster, but at a significant cost that could go towards a new or used Surly. Brakes? Do your current brakes fail to stop your bike? Though linear pull brakes on hybrids are cheap, my experience with them is, even the cheap ones work fairly well. Handlebars? Switching to drop bars and brifters is an expensive proposition. Just ride your Jamis until you get enough money together to get the bike you really want.

shimoyjk

Thanks for advice, yeah I'll just leave it as it is, or maybe change only a handler bar (not drop bar) to any other bar that makes me comfortable with long riding.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate for your advice and time

Willis24

I converted my Coda to a drop bar and it is definitely more efficient. Mine is an '02 and was literally getting worn out, so I did an extreme makeover on the cheap. As an example, it needed a new bottom bracket, but I found a complete FSA crankset cheaper than a a replacement cartridge. It took me about 3 months of deal hunting but essentially everything but the frame is different and is getting dialed in quite well.

dr1445

sorry to hijack the thread. mrt2, i see you have a bianchi advantage, mine is a 92 updated to 9 speed, on the heavy side compared to the coda but i really enjoy riding the bianchi.

fietsbob

this a desire to get more velocity with less effort?

the biggest obstacle is your comfort, it is sacrificed , you have to bend way over
and down Low to present less chest to the air resistance ..

Move to a high altitude place will help, too.