Getting ready to pull the trigger (and not having MUCH luck due to stock levels) on a cycle2work drop bar gravel bike, I put my current "gravel" / commuter up for sale
LOTS of interest in said bike but I cant bring myself to sell it, got me thinking...
Could I gravelise a hybrid?
I have tried to put drops on it before but was too lazy / bodged the whole thing which resulted in it being a very short-lived experiment
Cue potential groupset & cockpit overhaul but done properly this time
The bike (2019 BMC Alpenchallenge) currently has a 700c x 1.35 wheels and tyres, considering a second set of 27.5 wheels with bigger tyres to use when the urge strikes but unsure how (if at all) it would affect the bikes handling / performance
Has anyone ever done a similar thing?! how did it work out?
thoughts, knowledge and experience appreciated and welcome
It is basically a gravel bike isn't it? Just a flat barred one.
I converted my old hard tail to drop bars but went for mechanical discs brake as I couldn't afford a new hydro brifter set up.
The issue I had with my HT frame was the top tube was too long and stack too low for me so I had to get a fuggly high rise stem. I could never get it quite right though.
I run a bike with 650b 50mm tyres and 700c 40mm tyres. The handling is a touch faster with the smaller tyres. But I like it and have not regretted the 2 sets of wheels thing
A hybrid probably will have a longer reach than a drop bar bike so just adding a drop bar may make you feel very stretched out especially on the drops. If you're going to use it on trails the very point you need to be on those drops is when you need to be looking up with arms ready to absorb impacts. Which is more difficult and tiring when at full stretch. You can try it with a very short high rise stem but it'll look gopping
Yes, did it with my Boardman a few years ago and it’s been brilliant.
It’s running 650b Hunt wheels with 47mm WTB Horizons. It’s also now been upgraded with Force AXS after one of the PSA’s on here earlier in the year.
It’s spot-on for most gravel and has happily done the blue and red at Swinley without issue.
It is basically a gravel bike isn’t it? Just a flat barred one.
This. But bigger tyres on (inc. smaller wheels if that's what needed to allow bigger tyres), ride it as it is. UNless, of course, you absolutely want drop bars, but do you, really?
If you want to run drops could head to geometry geeks and compare to some gravel bikes that would fit you and work out the differences?
Looks like your frame has 30mm more reach than a vitus substance of same size / recommended rider height. Only 0.2mm lower stack. So 70mm stem could be alright depending on what you're running now
I put drop bars on a low end Kona hybrid. It worked great, but it was still low end and heavy. Ended up more like a tourer.
It was fairly short to begin with, being a commuter hybrid, so that worked well with the drop bars and a 70mm stem. Bike is a 56cm frame and I'm 180cm so that's a shorter stem than a road bike would have had. I put Tiagra drop bar shifters on, and I had to fit short V-brakes designed for the purpose. The cross-cable fouled the mudguards a bit so I used a heat gun to soften them and pushed a dent in to clear the cable. Worked great, but don't use your thumb as it goes pretty soft and just leaves a very obvious thumb print 🙂
I rode proper long rides on it, it was really comfy. I only swapped it back because I returned it to being a genuine town bike.
I’ve put some Surly Corner bars on a 26 inch Cotic BFe as well as some 27.5 wheels running 47c tyres. Use it as my main commuter now and it rides very nicely indeed. Saved me having to change brakes as could just use existing Maguras that I had.
Thanks all, quite encouraging replies
currently running a 100mm stem, when I tried the drop bar thing on it before I worked out that top have the tops in the same position as the currently flat bars I’d need a 50 or 60mm stem, I think, ideally with a 0% rise too
looking at sram, Shimano and microshift for groupset, will need hydraulic levers, can anyone recommend which?!
I drop barred my old solaris out of curiosity which worked ok with a shorter stem, so it can work on a flat bar bike. Probably couldn’t have gone much longer though.
That was with wide drops (woodchippers) which may have slowed down the steering again after the shorter stem sped it up, so that could be an option if it ends up twitchy?
(stealth ad/ I’ve an apex 1 groupset I need to get round to selling if you’re interested?)
This is a bit of stupid comment but the big decision is are you going hydro brakes. You really don’t want to have to rebuy the brifters.
1x can be shimano or sram
2x is sram only
Do you have flat mounts? You’ll need to buy brifters and calipers separately if you don’t.
Currently have post mount hydro brakes
an equally stupid assumption(?!)
would it be a case of finding / using compatible brifters?!
Mrs_oab has a Marin DSX 'flat bar gravel' bike. It looks like your BMC. Runs 45mm tyres.
Cracking bike, drop bars are not needed.