Can I just say before we get started I LOVE MY MOUNTAIN BIKE.....but I fancy a hybrid. Nothing special, just something to get a few more miles under my belt. I have of course thought about sticking some skinnies on my MTB, but then you have to consider the gearing etc, so I've come up with a plan to buy a road bike off ebay and stick some flat handlebars on. What do you think? Am I just a crazy fool or what. Is it really that simple?
Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed.
Nowt wrong with hybrids - good plan would be to buy a road bike & fit flat bars & shifters / brake levers to suit, then when you've caught the road bike bug you can easily (& cheaply) change back to drops 😉
I tried drops a few years ago but just didn't feel I had much control on the gravel strewn steep descents we have in the Chilterns, that being said I will be converting back to drops very soon to give it another go as the road bike bug has been nibbling away a me recently.
Edit - just be aware that MTB front shifters do not work with road bike front mechs
That's a top plan, just the sort of do-it-all bike I use for commuting and a little light tow-path stuff.
Do it, so very much faster than a MTB, even with slick tyres, and as you say, with a cheep road bike from e-bay, the cost will be negligible.
Also remember that older bikes will have steel cogs & chainrings, combine this with the easier life that road bikes get and you'ee probably find that all the bist you'd expect to be worm on an old MTB will be fine 🙂
Cheers
APF
Now you say the shifters won't fit flat bars obviously, but I assume the changers and cables will, so it will just be a case of buying MTB shifters?
If you fancy something a bit more hard wearing I have a Carrerra Subway frame & forks, & some wheels too if needed. I built it up as a panniered up commuter but went & bought a Ute instead. Was pretty light with slicks on. I was travelling not far off as fast as my old steel road bike.
Careful; you cant fit MTB shifters to road groups. You need road flat bar shifters. They should be easy to source for 8, 9 or 10 speed ([url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=790 ]some on CRC here - other on line retailers are available[/url]) but you'll have to add that into your cost - benefit analysis.
As Angus says - its the pull ratios on the front mech that are different between road bike & mtb shifters so you have to get the road bike specific flat bar shifters & also you cannot mix cantilever brakes with vee brake levers (well you can but they don't perform very well!) so again you need either adjustable type or cantilver specific flat bar levers.
Why not buy the proper thing in the first place? If you think you will eventually want try road cycling just buy a drop bar bike. If its primarily going to be a commuter/tow path/trainer juat buy a hybrid or even google drop bar road bike, you can buy them already converted. With the bike to work scheme there is a fair few bikes going around as you describe. BTW you may also find a sudden price hike in road bikes on ebay 😀
I have just bought this off ebay & added some colour with the yellow & white extra bits. 😀
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7610665902_707c0e84df.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/59201879@N05/7610665902/ ]P1120584[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/59201879@N05/ ]K3N2011[/url], on Flickr
Why not buy the proper thing in the first place? If you think you will eventually want try road cycling just buy a drop bar bike. If its primarily going to be a commuter/tow path/trainer juat buy a hybrid or even google drop bar road bike, you can buy them already converted. With the bike to work scheme there is a fair few bikes going around as you describe. BTW you may also find a sudden price hike in road bikes on ebay
Simple answer. I'm cheap.