Just picked up a 2017 BMC Alpenchallenge for an absolute bargain price to cover commuting duties

Thinking about a drop bar conversion but have seen very little (nothing actually) online where people have done this

Is there a good reason for it? Has anyone here has done this or something similar? Can anyone advise on whether it’s a good or bad idea at all?

The cost of the parts and the weird geometry probably.

Buying drop bar shifters and brake levers aftermarket is v.spendy, and a set of drop bars and shifter hoods adds about 110mm reach to the bars, so even with a super short stem you’ll probably end up stretched out.

It can be done though if you have an appetite for experimenting

What 13FM said.

That’s said, many drop bar converters think it’s amazing, until they ride a bike designed for drop bars.

I used to have one of these, probably around that era 16/17

It was really quick, even for a flat bar. I’d probably leave it as it is to be honest.

Thanks for all the input guys

I’m a bit of a serial tinkerer so was more thinking out loud than anything

Truth be told, I’ll keep it as it is but just wondering on opinion of such a change more than anything, given opinion so far, doesn’t seem like such a grand plan

Next idea…powder coating ha ha

Maybe try some “alt bars” instead? Loads of choice out there for much money. You might like the extra choices of hand positions, plus those funky short thumbrests…?

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/brand-x-trekking-high-rise-handlebar/rp-prod119535?gs=1&sku=sku429730&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=base&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxc6PBhCEARIsAH8Hff3yhjIZO-qUJdGew_z9AGb0xMHWOSTYMMViEbA7WXaMcChwfcZcYKIaAjs_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

List of Comfort MTB Handlebars (Alt Bars)

Carbon Pro MTB Togs

Thanks again all, admittedly I only picked the bike up yesterday so have yet to commute on her so I’m probably jumping the gun just a bit

Currently has this as a cockpit

So will see how I get on with those (as said earlier, will probably end up abandoning the idea and keeping it “stock”)

Also had a brief look at these but braking lever positioning alone, I’m thinking it’s more faff than it’s worth

As I say, haven’t actually commuted on her yet so I will probably be quite happy as is

There was another thread like this just the other day, I posted a pic of my 29er which I had tried to adapt for gravel, in the end I just bought some ‘classic’ shaped bar ends and put them inboard of the shifters to give a width roughly equivalent to the width of the hoods on my normal gravel bike.

Works well enough

@13thfloormonk ooh sounds like it could worth a read, do recall the thread title?

Here we go

Would this Work? MTB to Gravel/Monstercross