Is this possible? (mtb drop-bar v-brake-megamix frankenbike help req'd!)

Some years ago I re-specced this old M-Trax for general duty, road-biased with occasional offroad excursions.

Have been thinking of putting on wide drops/flared drops for some time, and now is the time to get busy. It currently has flat 25.4 Ti bars with barends, which are a bit of a reach for my stubby arms tbh, so not sure about the stem, it might work with drops,it might not, no big deal.

Thing is it has 21 speed XT on thumbies and Avid Single Digit brakes with regular V-brake levers. Not drop-bar friendly.

Now I’ll be happy with bar-end friction shifters, can’t see why they wouldn’t be top-routed as per existing. So much for shifters (although don’t know which ones yet)

As for brake levers – today I had a butchers at a Boardman CX at the local Halfords – nearly squawked with delight when I saw it had four yes FOUR brake levers. (I don’t get out much of late)

So the big question is – how do I make that work on Walter?

ie from this:

To this:

Bar end shifters and a set of Dia Compe V287 levers

They’re called cross top levers and they’ll be road break pull ratio so still won’t work.

How about mini vs or whatever they are called?.

I might have missunderstood the question.

Bar end shifters and a set of Dia Compe V287 levers

* Levers bookmarked thnks 😀

How about mini vs or whatever they are called?.

I might have missunderstood the question.

No, you understood perfectly (no mean feat with my ramblings) – thing is I assume mini-Vs are weaker than regular Vs, (?) am shortly moving to more hilly climes and I do pack a bit of weight (both me and luggage)

S’pose I could always put the old STX RC cantilevers back on there for period-accurate semi-stoppie shenanigans 😕

You can use the brake levers you want to with v-brakes by using these. They sit at the end of your brake cable, instead of a noodle, and extend the pull ratio of your brake levers. I’ve used them myself, they were a faff to install but worked really well

The Tektro RL520 levers work nicely with V brakes, easy enough to setup. Most reviews say they are better than those Dia Compes, and probably cheaper.

^. Yep, Tektros seem cheap and good thnks CraigW. Just to clarify :

Do they work with regular Vs, no ‘helper’ req’d*? Would they require an inline cable adjuster? cheers, really appreciated.

*Thnks shermer, I remember those now – damn, they fugly – earmarked under ‘last resort’ 😯

ive used a set of those tektro 520s, they are pretty solid feeling, designed for v brakes, good lever shape, i can heartily recommend them tbh.
and they are cheap.
i use them with bar end shifters, the gear cables are routed under the bar tape just like the sti they replaced.

No adapter required for the Tektro levers, because they have the right pull ratio for V-brakes.
I don’t use an inline cable adjuster, though it would probably help to allow for pad wear.
Tektro make an adjustable noodle, which should work. http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tektro-tektro-91712-v-brake-lead-pipe-with-adjuster-90-deg-prod18060/

You say that the reach is a bit long? Drop bars stretch things even more. The lever hoods will be at least 4 or 5 inches in front of the centre of the bars. At the end of yourvbar ends maybe. That’s the normal riding position. You may need to fit the very shortest stream that you can that does screw the handling completely.

I have used the Dia Compe V287 levers with the cross top levers and it’s a good solution.

But I found a simpler solution, and that was a short drop bar Satori Smooth Drop. I’ve seen the same bar also branded as the One23 Bullbar, or the Satori Minotaur.

Obviously you’d need a different stem to get the sweet spot for your hand position, but unlike with bar ends, your brakes are right there to hand.

The important thing is that it that takes your existing mtb levers so there’s no need to change other components. It’s cheaper than buying new brakes and a whole lot less faff.

I think it ends up lighter overall too, so it satisfies the inner weight weenie. 🙂

A stated the pull ratio is wrong for v brake, but I will also add that cross top levers never work that well, they give you some braking but its no where near as good as from the real levers

mpler solution, and that was a short drop bar Satori Smooth Drop. I’ve seen the same bar also branded as the One23 Bullbar

The one main attraction to drops would be multiple hand positions. I necessarily do a *lot* of climbing and rely heavily on the bar-ends/outer drops grip. Those ‘ smooth drop’ bars, (nice as they are) cant see them giving me many usable grip options. Funnily enough I was planning to try my existing North Roader bars upside down. They do look spookily similar to those Satori ones!

The Tektro RL520 levers …

another recommendation for the Tektro’s, they work well but more importantly than that the shape is perfect (at least for me), verfy comfy on the hoods, and they’re flat/curvy at the bottom and just seem to find you fingers so well in the drops.

You say that the reach is a bit long? Drop bars stretch things even more. The lever hoods will be at least 4 or 5 inches in front of the centre of the bars. At the end of yourvbar ends maybe. That’s the normal riding position. You may need to fit the very shortest stream that you can that does screw the handling completely.

That could be the thing that kills this project – don’t wish for it to be an (100+) expensive mistake when I already have flat/bar-end options that work fairly well. But I do really fancy me some short drops, I like being on the hoods, I like moving around on the bars. Should just buy a Salsa Fargo 😡

These have a particularly short reach and only cost a tenner: Planet X Strada Compact. I got a set and liked them.

Epicyclo – where did you get your Smooth Drops from ? I can’t find a dealer, nor are they on ebay.

Moses – Member
Epicyclo – where did you get your Smooth Drops from ? I can’t find a dealer, nor are they on ebay.

I got them from Square Wheels in StrathPeffer (they were called Minotaurs then).

Today’s Cyclist list them

Malvern Rider – Member
The one main attraction to drops would be multiple hand positions…

I find if I get the grips in the right place, there’s no real need for that.

I think most dropbars are mounted too low for general purpose use which is why the tops are so attractive. However nobody is the same, so that’s purely a personal opinion.

Epicyclo – thanks.

MTBs have a longer top tube than road bikes – adding drops (or at least the reach of the drop, however small the bars are) will probably make it a big stretch even with a titchy stem.

If you’re having problems with reach now, I’m not convinced drops are the answer, riding on the hoods and using those cross top levers would just be like what you’re doing now (with the added hassle of having less powerful min-Vs).

That old m-trax might have a different reach to a more modern mtb frame though – that might be your decider…

Just a thought, would these type of barends be better for you? (can’t see the m-trax so don’t know if it has the original type that start at the bar and go forwards, rather than be more fitted at the middle)

Similar to epicyclo, I switched my mtb to a semi-drop position using hydraulic levers using Soma Sparrow bars, a 100 mm stem with reduced diameter clamp.

I don’t find the need to adjust hand positions, and I run it single speed so have no shifters. Position is not far from my road bike.