revamping my hybrid

EmcD123

I'm still torn about getting a road bike or keeping my hybrid. As I've been told I probably couldn't keep my old bike after getting a new one due to room space but I've become attached to it,very sentimental.

So I was wondering if I would be better off just upgrading my hybrid.
Could someone here give me an estimation on how much it would cost to and how difficult or lengthy the process is to
1.change the flat handlebars to drops
2.if that's too difficult is it possible to get bar ends that simulate drops
3.get toe clips(clipless are too extravagant for the stage I'm at)
4.upgrade the tyres

I don't know what I'm looking for at all so any help would be great.

Raam

EmcD123 wrote: »

As I've been told I probably couldn't keep my old bike after getting a new one due to room space

Do not listen to that person.

WillyFXP

Raam wrote: »

Do not listen to that person.

+1

Get a new bike, the lighter and more aero it is, the easier it will be to store

EmcD123

Still the bikes been through a lot and I feel like I'm abandoning it (I always feel like this when I buy new styff).
Is the cost and difficulty just too much compared to the increase in performance ?
I know I've always wanted to get a road bike but mainly for the drops . and keeping it isn't it regardless of space is not a good idea as its my parents who are saying that haha its their house after all :-D

biketard

Hi OP. Would be useful to know a bit more about your current bike/setup.

I upgraded my hybrid (which was actually an old suspension-less MTB) a few years back. Although not the best bike, it holds a lot of sentimental value to me.

1. Swapping out the bars is a big deal, unfortunately, since you'd have to get new brake levers/gear levers too.

2. There are add-on drop bars, but you would be leaving the brake leavers and shifters in their original positions if you went this route.

http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Bicycle-Drop-Ends-Black/dp/B0013G6PB8



I ended up just continuing with my current bars, but got all new cables, so everything felt much smoother. I did put some bar ends on the end for an extra position, but not those drop things.

3. Depending on what pedals you have now, toe clips cost next to nothing to add on. Assuming you mean something like this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/zefal-toe-clips/

4. Best immediate improvement you can make is to swap out knobbly tyres for something like 1 and 1/4 or 1 and 1/2 inch wide slick tyres. You won't believe how much faster you feel after changing to these.


Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, OP.

Raam

EmcD123 wrote: »

and keeping it isn't it regardless of space is not a good idea as its my parents who are saying that haha its their house after all :-D

It's your life, you didn't ask to be born. Tell them that. Then tell them it's two bikes or a cocaine habit. Take their pick.

EmcD123

biketard wrote: »

Hi OP. Would be useful to know a bit more about your current bike/setup.

I upgraded my hybrid (which was actually an old suspension-less MTB) a few years back. Although not the best bike, it holds a lot of sentimental value to me.

1. Swapping out the bars is a big deal, unfortunately, since you'd have to get new brake levers/gear levers too.

2. There are add-on drop bars, but you would be leaving the brake leavers and shifters in their original positions if you went this route.

http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Bicycle-Drop-Ends-Black/dp/B0013G6PB8



I ended up just continuing with my current bars, but got all new cables, so everything felt much smoother. I did put some bar ends on the end for an extra position, but not those drop things.

3. Depending on what pedals you have now, toe clips cost next to nothing to add on. Assuming you mean something like this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/zefal-toe-clips/

4. Best immediate improvement you can make is to swap out knobbly tyres for something like 1 and 1/4 or 1 and 1/2 inch wide slick tyres. You won't believe how much faster you feel after changing to these.


Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, OP.

Thanks for all that. Its a coyote hybrid. Thin wheels flat bar 24speed. Its smooth and rides well its just that my hands get uncomfortable on longer rides which is why I want the other handlebars. Are those drop bar ends you linked safe? Are they secure? I've only seen bar ends on Amazon that point upwards but never down

biketard

EmcD123 wrote: »

Thanks for all that. Its a coyote hybrid. Thin wheels flat bar 24speed. Its smooth and rides well its just that my hands get uncomfortable on longer rides which is why I want the other handlebars. Are those drop bar ends you linked safe? Are they secure? I've only seen bar ends on Amazon that point upwards but never down

I've never tried them, OP. Might want to see if anyone has reviewed them. Do you have any sort of bar ends at the moment? Even just that one extra position could make all the difference.

What sort of brakes does you bike have?

EmcD123

biketard wrote: »

I've never tried them, OP. Might want to see if anyone has reviewed them. Do you have any sort of bar ends at the moment? Even just that one extra position could make all the difference.

What sort of brakes does you bike have?

Nope no bar ends so I only have the one hand position. They're more expensive than I expected....just normal brakes shaped like brakes you got on any standard mountain brake in shops but the shifters are built into them

biketard

Sorry, what's more expensive than you expected? Regular bar ends?

EmcD123

biketard wrote: »

Sorry, what's more expensive than you expected? Regular bar ends?

The drop bar ends. They'll come to about 45 Euros.
I expected them to be about 20 like the grips are like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/ETC-Bar-Ends-Alloy-Design/dp/B001FB6WG4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407318067&sr=8-3&keywords=bar+ends
Is there anything to stop me installing those ones but pointed down instead of up

biketard

EmcD123 wrote: »

The drop bar ends. They'll come to about 45 Euros.
I expected them to be about 20 like the grips are like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/ETC-Bar-Ends-Alloy-Design/dp/B001FB6WG4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407318067&sr=8-3&keywords=bar+ends
Is there anything to stop me installing those ones but pointed down instead of up

Yeah, they're a bit pricey and no guarantee that you'd like them. Why not just try the regular bar ends you linked to? You might be surprised what a difference they make. I wouldn't recommend putting them on upside-down, though. Seems like a recipe for disaster.

EmcD123

biketard wrote: »

Yeah, they're a bit pricey and no guarantee that you'd like them. Why not just try the regular bar ends you linked to? You might be surprised what a difference they make. I wouldn't recommend putting them on upside-down, though. Seems like a recipe for disaster.

I'll definitely try that, thanks for the help.
Ya upside down does sound a bit dodgy

biketard

No worries. Good luck!

quozl

EmcD123 wrote: »

Ya upside down does sound a bit dodgy

If you put regular ones on upside down and get a good bang off a pot-hole then your hand will slide and it won't be stopped by the handlebar as there won't be any handlebar below them. You'll then be a sad panda.

Drop-bars curve back to flat so if your hand is slammed downwards from the drops it just slams into the flat bit.

cdaly_

Don't get toe clips. Clipless are easier to use, easier to get out of, provide a more rigid footbed and don't wear the tops of your shoes. Choose SPD pedals rather than SPD-SL as you get shoes you can walk in.

EmcD123

cdaly_ wrote: »

Don't get toe clips. Clipless are easier to use, easier to get out of, provide a more rigid footbed and don't wear the tops of your shoes. Choose SPD pedals rather than SPD-SL as you get shoes you can walk in.

I wear 3 euro Penney's shoes anyway when I'm cycling so I don't mind them being worn. In terms of price how much more expensive is clipless than getting clips. And what does clipless actually involve? Like how do you stick to them if there's no clips? Im sure thats the most stupid question you've ever heard but I'm being serious

QueensGael

EmcD123 wrote: »

and keeping it isn't it regardless of space is not a good idea as its my parents who are saying that haha its their house after all :-D

Sounds like you need a better bike storage option - something like this won't require any drilling or other DIY work
http://www.wiggle.com/topeak-dual-touch-bike-stand/

Then get yourself a proper road bike and use the hybrid as your town/pub bike. Simples.

quozl

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-m520-clipless-spd-mtb-pedals/rp-prod3759 18.99 euro delivered (or 2 euro more for silver colour). they come with the cleats you need.

SPD (mountain bike) shoes for 47.50 euro
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-mt33-mtb-spd-shoes/rp-prod55369

So 66.50euro delivered for shoes, cleats and pedals.

Cleats (the metal yokes) attach to the bottom of the shoe. On SPD shoes they are recessed so that you can easily walk in the shoes, not the case with road shoes like SPD-SL.

The cleat then clicks into the pedal which holds it in place until you release it by twisting your heel outwards. Which is something that will become habbit - I dismount from my hybrid in normal shoes by twisting my heel out now!

Clipless pedals are fantastic.

EmcD123

quozl wrote: »

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-m520-clipless-spd-mtb-pedals/rp-prod3759 18.99 euro delivered (or 2 euro more for silver colour). they come with the cleats you need.

SPD (mountain bike) shoes for 47.50 euro
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-mt33-mtb-spd-shoes/rp-prod55369

So 66.50euro delivered for shoes, cleats and pedals.

Cleats (the metal yokes) attach to the bottom of the shoe. On SPD shoes they are recessed so that you can easily walk in the shoes, not the case with road shoes like SPD-SL.

The cleat then clicks into the pedal which holds it in place until you release it by twisting your heel outwards. Which is something that will become habbit - I dismount from my hybrid in normal shoes by twisting my heel out now!

Clipless pedals are fantastic.

66euro is over my budget completely for this stuff. I'd need to save up for those. Why does everything have to cost money! :-P
But I'll definitely give a good think about whether I'll get those or not.
I know right now my feet are slipping off the pedals quite often so I just wanted something dirt cheap to keep them in place with the toe clips

Fian

EmcD123 wrote: »

I wear 3 euro Penney's shoes anyway when I'm cycling so I don't mind them being worn. In terms of price how much more expensive is clipless than getting clips. And what does clipless actually involve? Like how do you stick to them if there's no clips? Im sure thats the most stupid question you've ever heard but I'm being serious

"clipless" is misleading. The shoes clip into the pedals and can unclip by rotating the foot sideways instead of pulling it up. They are called clipless because they replaced what were previously called "toe clips" - the cage and straps that people used to fix their ordinary shoes to the pedals.

They should probably be called "strapless" or "cageless" because clipless pedals are teh only type of pedal you actually clip into.

The major advantages of clipless over cages are:

1: that you can remove your foot from them if you need to stop without reaching down and unstrapping by hand - which is a major safety improvement.

2: that your toes will not go numb from too tight a strap.

3: that you will look like a cyclist from this century rather than the last.

They are not expensive, but you do need to buy shoes as well. I have spd pedals with a platform on one side - so i can wear cycling shoes that let me walk in them (SPD/SL and other types of clipless are more difficult to walk in) and can also cycle in ordinary sneakers if i want to pop on teh bike without changing into cycling shoes.

I agree that you would be better off getting a road bike instead of upgrading your hybrid. Get one second hand on adverts.ie.

cdaly_

EmcD123 wrote: »

I wear 3 euro Penney's shoes anyway when I'm cycling so I don't mind them being worn.

One thing about dedicated cycling shoes is they have a rigid sole. In your Penny's shoes, the sole is flexible enough that your foot gets pressure from the pedal only where the pedal contacts your foot. This can lead to soreness/tiredness. With a rigid sole, the pressure is spread all over your foot and so is less at any one point and thus more comfortable.