emilime75

Hi everyone. First post here, hoping to find some answers. I have searched and found tons of information, to the point that it's overwhelming.

I haven't ridden a bike in about 15 years. Before that, there was a point in my life when I used to ride about 300 miles/week. I just picked up a used Raleigh R300 road bike. As I'm getting a bit older and I'm way out of shape, I'd like to turn it into a hybrid and not spend a ton of money on it. The R300 came with brifters stock, so those will need to be changed and new cables will need to be installed along with new bars.

My questions, really, are what shifters and brake levers should I go with? Hopefully there is something of decent quality, not too expensive and compatible with my stock front and rear derailleurs.

Also looking for bar and stem suggestions? How about cables, what are good ones, which should I stay away from?

I've already put 700-35c tires on it with no fitment issues.

Thanks in advance.

Hopslam

What brakes are currently on the bike & is it a triple? 8-9 speed?

Shimano sells some good cables at a decent price per quality , in kit form.

I've done this operation twice recently . Velo Orange has some good value in stems & bars & levers

im sure others will so jump in with model numbers when we get more details

welcome , there are a lot of good people here

bradtx

emilime75, From what info I find, the R300 is a basic touring design. That is, not very different from some hybrids to start off with.

I'm guessing that you want to change the fitment for something more upright? Changing to flat bars can become expensive as the list can include the handle bars, mountain group indexed shifters, a mountain group's front derailleur and possibly a quill stem. Then there is still no guarantee that there won't be problems.

You may be able to achieve what you want with a nitto long quill stem and some dirt drop or moustache handle bars.

Brad

emilime75

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm not up on some of the terminology, what does "is it a triple? 8-9 speed?" mean? The front and rear derailleurs are Shimano RSX, as are the front crank/sprockets. it's a 21 speed bike(3 front-7 rear). The brakes, they're Shimano as well, not sure what line as it doesn't say it anywhere on them. They're "V" brakes with brifters. I took the brifters off a while back and they're in storage, not accessible at the moment.

Yes, I want to change riding position to a more upright one. I'll have to google what "dirt drop" and "moustache" bars are.

If cost becomes an issue, I don't mind buying used as far as bars and stem go, just don't think I should do that with shifters/brakes for fear of buying worn out parts.

emilime75

I just looked at what dirt drop and moustache bars were. Interesting. They look similar, it appears as the dirt drop bars drop down a bit more than the moustache bars, is that correct?

It also looks like some folks are using brifters with both of those bar types, maybe that's the way to go for me as I wouldn't have to invest in new shifters and brake levers?

bradtx

emilime75, Yes, the moustache bars are a bit "flatter" than the dirt drops, which are roughly in between what you have and the moustache bar. Either have the correct bar diameter for your integrated shifters.

Triple, double and single are terms often used to define the number of chain rings on the crank set. In "modern" terminology you have a 7 speed with a triple. Because you have V-brakes and road shifters, there should be a gadget attached to the brake cable to equalize pull ratio.

Brad

emilime75

Thanks for all the info, guys. I'm going to look into figuring out what diameter the stock drop bars are and see if I can find some moustache bars that my brifters will fit on. I'll hold off on the stem until I get some bars and test fit. How about cables? Do Shimano brifters require anything special as far as cables go?

loimpact

I just want to say.....

I dare you to ask this in the roadie forum!!!

(yes, sarcasm MUCH intended as you would probably be sentenced to death by stoning for suggesting such heresy.)

bradtx

Nothing special is required, but I do suggest a premium cable set from Jagwire or Shimano as well as compressionless cable housing from either manufacturer.

Brad

headloss 

Emphasis on *should*

Just to clarify for the OP: road brakes and mountain bike (mtb) brakes are not interchangeable, as they both pull a different amount of cable. You already have an odd set up, as STI's/integrated-shifters are going to pull the correct cable for road brake calipers while v-brakes are actually a mtb style. Since you have this mixed system, that would imply that you have an adapter known as a "travel agent." If you install a mtb brake lever, you will want to remove this device... assuming that one is installed, which there should be, but who knows?

Jeff Wills

According to BikePedia: 2001 Raleigh R300 - BikePedia
a Raleigh R300 has cantilever brakes, not V-brakes. Cantilever brakes utilize old-style standard-pull brake levers, where V-brakes use long-pull brake levers. It's not a deal-breaker, but it complicates the conversion. There are very few mountain/flat-bar combination brake/shift levers that have the correct cable pull. A better solution is separate brake levers and shift lever "pods":
Universal Cycles -- Shimano Altus M310 Single Shifters - 7 Speed

headloss 

Good catch, but the 2000 model does have linear pull (v-brakes) which confirms what the OP has reported... it depends on the year.

Once we know exactly what we are working with, this will be much easier. I actually wrote up a big long rant about the different cable pulls and some links before realizing I was probably just going to confuse the OP if I posted it at this point. LOL

Either way, I agree that it's better to get a shifter-pod separate from the brake lever unless the OP finds a screaming good deal on a combined unit that will work. Most likely, he'll need a new front derailleur to use the M310 Altus shifter... a triple, for certain, but I'm not sure what the appropriate cage would be (presumably a road triple, but, does the OP even want to keep the current gearing? Might be a good time to convert to 48-38-28 rings, or lower)

rms13

I did the same for my wife's bike that has Sora 3x8 and caliper brakes. I used sram mrx twist shifters which work with the Sora set (no index shift on front). Found some mountain bike levers that work with standard pull brakes

Jeff Wills

Here's where pictures are helpful. Many newbies confuse cantilever and V-brakes. They look similar and mount at on the same posts, but their cable pulls are different.

Emilime, do you have photos of the bike that you can link to? I don't think you have enough posts to put photos on the forum yet.

Hopslam

Your right as rain ! That's why I no longer frequent those dark corners.

The mechianics are GOOD people , best forum group of chaps on the net !

As alway Cheers

bradtx

emilime75, The gold bike has linear pull (V-Brakes) and the blue bike has cantilever. The linear pull brake has a L shaped pipe going to one of the brake arms. Which does yours look like?

Brad

desertdork

Have you considered just raising the bars? That may put you upright enough while retaining your current components and the multiple hand positions of drop bars. And zero expense, unless you find you need a quill stem of different dimensions to get the right fit.

dedhed

Sell road bike on Craigslist - Buy hybrid on Craigslist - Done

playera

Emi,

I have done several conversions on old road bikes to build city bike/hybrid bikes. I have used old bikes with down tube shifters, not brifters. Converting those bikes meant, basically, replacing road bike drop handlebars (like on the 300 you have) with mountain bike handlebars. Mountain bike bars have the right brake handles. Mountain bike bars also have shifters on them. Since I convert road bikes with down tube shifters, I discard the mountain bike shifters, but you would keep them.

For simplicity and to cut weight, I remove the front derailleur and use the smaller chain ring. I don't need the larger chain ring. It's essential for very fast riding and going downhill, but since I don't "race" my converted city bike I don't need the larger ring or front derailleur.

Other useful changes are flat pedals so I can jump on the bike for a grocery store trip, a rack on the back for beer, a strong CREE light for night riding, and a bit more comfortable seat.

My old road bikes are a little beat up looking, with scratches, etc. It's basically ugly and hopefully not worth stealing.

Good luck with the changes, and have good rides.

OldRoadman

At least this was my interpretation of a vintage Hybrid conversion. Removed the down tube shifters and install Suntour friction thumby shifters along with Tektro brake handles. Classic road bars were traded in for 60mm riser bars. Sugino triple up front with a black & white Cyclone. Easier on my back and a joy to ride.