CdF drop to flat bar conversion hell

Hello all,

Humour me on the logic behind this for a moment and consider my predicament. I have a lovely Cdf with 2x11sp 105 gears and (I think) Ultegra brakes. Not being a fan of drop bars (leave it I told you!) I wish to convert this to flat bars. I am wary of compatibility, and hours of googling is giving me the fear (like if Shimano MTB shifters will ever work with road derailleurs).

I would like to get some suitable gear shifters and brake levers, the latter ideally without having to replace the callipers. I *think* I can just get some MTB shifters, but I want to get shifters and levers that ‘mate’ well (like the I-Spec things).

Can one of you kit boffins point me in the right direction?

And if you really want to make my day, I also want to find some nice risers bars (brushed alloy, maybe 20mm?) and cobbled the whole lot together with some ‘Innerbarends’ which seem to offer a modicum of effectiveness without looking crap.

Can me COVID dream project be realised? Or should I just sell the bike and buy a Halfords hybrid and spend my days on the canal towpath?

Ta

Will

Here you go compatible shifters

https://www.evanscycles.com/shimano-rs700-2-x-11-speed-flat-bar-shifters-EV220651

Don’t know about brakes though

If it’s 11 speed road then you will need SL-RS700 shift levers. These some in I-Spec II fitting so you could run these with MTB brake levers like XT M8100 or the older M8000 model. You should be able to keep your current brake callipers.

Man you chaps are quick, and not a drop bar diss in sight. Thank you.

I have to do this sort of thing for Mrs Bruce as she doesn’t like drops either

Road flat bar shifters and mtb levers connected to you existing brake calipers should be fine

So… I got some Sl-RS700 with I-Spec II fittings, and BL-M8100 levers… but they don’t fit together. The shifter bracket just doesn’t locate within the brake lever clamp in the way the manual says it should.

What have I done wrong? According to the blurb I’ve found my levers are *EV* compatible rather than I-Spec II so I presume this is the issue?

Did I buy the wrongs things, or was my info suspect? It’s all a learning curve I guess 😉

Looking further, do I need an 11sp EV-compatible shifter, like this chap..?
https://www.bikester.co.uk/shimano-deore-sl-m5100-rapidfire-plus-shift-lever-11-speed-i-spec-ev-right-1236378.html?_cid=21_2_-1_9_34_1236378__pla&ef_id=WLk7zQAAADorMo2q:20200810113815:s

I think I am going to need some Valium at this rate…

Looking further, do I need an 11sp EV-compatible shifter, like this chap..?

No, that’s a mtb shifter.

So what’s the difference? Fit, pull..?
And is there a road shifter that is EV compatible AND 11 speed?

..or do I try to find some BL-M8100 levers that will play nicely with I-Spec II?

..like https://www.tweekscycles.com/shimano-bl-m6000-deore-i-spec-ii-compatible-disc-brake-lever-2010863/?sku=MADBLM6000L&istCompanyId=56f52ebf-49f3-492a-9cbb-cb6ab0fc1bf0&istFeedId=4884aef3-d477-49a6-86fa-21dcb1a15e41&istItemId=iptlmrtai&istBid=t&msclkid=7d3fe90f5f7d1112d7f0b63e6a59e418&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MPX_UK_SHP_G_None_TC_SHP%20Generic_Catch%20All&utm_term=4582558310384525&utm_content=Catch%20All&gclid=CI-fgtDJkOsCFYRRGwodkkAPdw&gclsrc=ds

I looked into this to turn my Checkpoint into flat bars but the disc brakes are a nightmare for the frame can do it on older frames that had cable disc on it but seemed a lot of hassle can be done with half mounts and all sorts just knocked it on the head.

Leftfield suggestion: You could try some very flared drops. There are a lot of options now and many of them look, and presumably feel, more like flat bars than drops.

The obvious advantage is that you wouldn’t need any more kit other than the bars themselves.

See the pictures in this review for an example of what I mean:

Sonder Camino Al – Miles Of Comfort And Fun

Interesting, but I really want the braking position of flat bars, i.e. strong wrap-around grip rather than awkward tilting over the hood thing.

I know what you mean about the hoods, but IME on the drops brakes are different and can be used with a full wrap around grip and only 1 finger – it feels very similar to MTB brakes (once you learn to stop accidentally changing gear).

I should caveat this by saying that I’ve never actually used bars as flared as in that picture ^^^, although I am curious to give them a go.

Went through this Google hell myself a few weeks back. In the end I used some old Avid Speed dial levers I had and just bought a cheap MTB mech and shifter from Decathlon rather than try to mix and match stuff. Admittedly I am running 1 x 10 so less issues there I guess.

Before.

After.

Does drop bar to flat bar work successfully geometry-wise for a bike originally designed for drops? Are you not going to find the reach is too short?

Am aware of this potential issue.. I *think* it should be OK but have a longer stem if needed…
And have some SQL Innerbarends to re-create that ‘hood’ experience.

On the basis you get far more bike for your money with a flat bar – sell up and buy a flat bar bike. You will get full hydro disc brakes where a similar priced road bike will expect you to be grateful for the budget cable disks.

The bike already has hydraulic disks and is quite lovely, ignoring my dislike of the drops. If I were buying again I might have done as you suggest. In fact, pending the outcome of OPERATION BARSWAP I might end up considering this option!