melmonius

Hey all! I don’t think you could even call me a novice in the field of bike mechanics. I want a second bike for riding packed dirt trails and fire roads. I really don’t have a budget for one but I have the summer off, a great LBS and bike co-op too. Truth be told, YouTube put a video in my feed of a dude converting a MTB leaning hybrid into something like I would want and now I’m obsessed. I’ve really been wanting to improve my knowledge and skills, seems like a great or terrible way to do it. Love thoughts, experiences, etc. on the topic. And feel free to direct me to other posts. I’m not awesome at navigating this sight yet. I did find the Frankenbike conversion thread. Super rad!
Happy trails 😆

CliffordK

There is a long thread on drop bar MTB conversions.

Here is a Jamis Coda Hybrid that I did a Drop Bar conversion on a while ago.


There are both good and bad things about these types of conversions. The MTB and Hybrid frames can be dirt cheap.

However, on my Coda, I changed out just about everything on the bike other than the frame to suit my needs. And, it still could take a few improvements.

So, depending on your choices, it can still get expensive.

wheelsmcgee

As someone who has done this, my random thoughts:

• It can easily creep up in cost if you’re not careful. In my case, I already had cable actuated disc brakes (good) so I “just” bought a pair of tektro RL520 levers, a drop bar, a high angled stem (more about that below) cables/housing, and bar tape. For shifters, I grinded open a little extra diameter on the MTB shifter clamps so I could reuse them on (larger diameter) drop bars. It worked okay, shifting was pretty good, but only on the drops…no shifting from the hoods.
• all told, I probably spent close to $150 for this budget conversion…you might get by without re-doing the housing for example, but unless you have a deep parts bin, it might be worth taking a minute to see how much you’ll actually spend doing this and whether or not it’s worth it.
• If your plan entails using a modern integrated brake/shift lever, do your research on compatibility. Both shifter and brake cable pull is different across most mountain and road groups (even in the same brand) but there are some exceptions.
• the geometry change will be noticeable…putting drop bars on a modern “long and low” mountain bike can be difficult. The bars will likely be too far out and too low for you without an angled stem…there are some “LD” or gooseneck stems that can help in extreme cases (see Velo Orange and Crust bikes websites), but even then it might not be possible to get your bars in a good spot. With a hybrid, this is less likely to be a problem.

dwmckee

I agree. We did a MTB conversion to a drop bar gravel bike and started with proper gravel bike dimensions for the owner then tried to make them work on the MTB frame. The handlebars had to be right on top of the stem and up about four inches. We got it as close as we could for the customer, but it was only a mediocre fit. That was all the customer could afford however so we did the best we could.

Rolla

What I would do:

• Get a 90s steel mountain bike with 26" wheels, a rigid fork, and rim brakes.
• Do a drivetrain conversion that gives you a 1 X 8 or 9, with a 32 or 34T chainring and an 11-32 cassette.
• Keep it moto and use a flat or riser bar. If you want to run drops, spring for a VO Cigne stem; you'll need the height.
• If the brakes are cantilever, switch to V-brakes and appropriate levers.
• Continental Double Fighter 26 X 1.9" tires, with tubes.

It's probably not shoestring budget-friendly, but you would be well equipped for a lot of different conditions and surfaces without any further futzing around. I don't know how much of this you'd want to tackle yourself (some shop tools required), but it's not an overwhelming endeavor, especially if you've got Co-Op or LBS help on standby.

melmonius

Thank you. Awesome bike! I miss living in Oregon. Especially this time of year

melmonius

Thank you so much for the detailed information this is really helpful!

melmonius

I’m worse at replying in this thread than I am at mechanics. Gah! Should probably look at this on a laptop instead of my phone. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience and advice. Y’all are awesome!

Fentuz

This might give you some inspirations
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-b...m-rebuild.html

Just before covid, I rebuilt a folder as a road bike to commute faster and my youth bad habit came back and i started to take it off road... that was my 1st dropbar conversion (search for Helios TT).
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-b...e-type-tt.html

then i need a 2nd bike that can take a child seat... carbon does not so I pull out the jetstream from storage and raided to spares in the garage...

As mentioned by others, position might be an issue although you will have more choices. In my cage i was limited by the 25.4 dia handlebar and the drop that worked well with the helios did not with the jetstream; the reack was to long. And gravel ritchey would have been the correct reach but, 31.8 dia so I went TT like dahon did with the speed TT.

the second big issue is brakes. If you keep the V-brakes (even the mtb cantilever) you will need “travellers” to convert the small pull from road lever to mtb. Or you dont go STI and fit drop v brake lever and separate friction shifter.
i wanted STI as I need full control on 1 hand went giving a pull to my daughter up a steep gravel hill.

then, transmission. If you start with a 8speed cassette of better, you can upgrade easily to 9 or 10 speeds. If start for 7, you need new hub.
I wouldn t try to upgrade to 11/12 speed as you need to modify/bend the frame.
9 speed in Sora is good. I dimensioned mine so that it is geared similarly to my 11speed gravel bike, it only misses the 2 hardest gears (so i coast downhill).

To do the rebuild from frame, I needed the following specific tools:
-cassette socket
-crank socket
-chain splitter
-cassette chain rank

all very cheap to acquire

as an option, i have a valve tool and removed the inner tube schrader valve, fill it with sealant and fit motorsport valve I have (better with pressure and cylindrical design rather than classic taper.

hope it helps to see what you may be getting into