MonstrosiDee: advice sought

rollingscone

I'm thinking about making my Vitus Dee (a 7spd city model currently running with an s/s converter on 10spd XT wheels with 48mm risers and hydro brakes) into a 1x10 monstercrosser.

1. It's a 19" frame but I'm 6'3" so worried that it might be too short first of all.

From the reading I've done so far keeping the stem short is a necessity.

I ride 58cm Roadbikes with 110-130mm stems normally.

The toptube length is 62cm /seattube is 46cm.

2. The drivetrain will hopefully be bodgeable given the original 1x7 setup of the bike but that was on a freewheel so not 100% sure on the alignment of a 1x10 set up and options for retaining the current cranks.

3. Cockpit. I'm assuming that the current Deore hydraulics won't play well with a road hydraulic shifter but I'd rather skip mechanical discs so it's either source a cheap set of second hand drop bar hydraulics or use an adaptor with mechanical shifters.

Quite a few builds I've seen use an MTB trigger mounted near the stem rather than mess around with road Stis.

There's also the Giant hybrid brake model...

Opinions sought on the above.

For anyone looking to tell me I should just buy another bike:

1. I can't
2. I don't want to

smacl

rollingscone wrote: »

1. It's a 19" frame but I'm 6'3" so worried that it might be too short first of all.

From the reading I've done so far keeping the stem short is a necessity.

Sounds way too small, according to this table, 19" comes out as 48cm (48.26 if you do a direct conversion). I got away with one size too small (54 where 56 is ideal) on the basis of a longer stem and saddle all the way back but wouldn't go much lower on a drop bar.

That said, if it is a bike that you're already riding it could work but sounds a bit painful.

magicbastarder

rollingscone wrote: »

I'm assuming that the current Deore hydraulics won't play well with a road hydraulic shifter

you mean the shifters are hydraulic, or do you mean shifters with hydraulic brakes and cable shifting?

Alek

If you go for a dedicated dirt drop bar (i.e. Genetic Digest or Salsa Woodchipper), designed to be ridden in drops, you will get away with the current stem length.

Note you will need to use a stem with huge rise to bring the clamp approx. 8cm higher, so that drops end up where you currently hold your straight bars, or just a bit lower.

rollingscone

magicbastarder wrote: »

you mean the shifters are hydraulic, or do you mean shifters with hydraulic brakes and cable shifting?

Currently it has a full set of Deore hydraulics.

CramCycle

Why the want for drop bar brakes. I had the same size frame and was fine at 6'1 for sit up and ride, had to raise the saddle quite a bit though but not sure there is any point in drops which would be almost unusable (for me anyway).. Long story short, the main change is drop bars, why do you want to do that considering the shape/size/geometry of the bike?

rollingscone

CramCycle wrote: »

Why the want for drop bar brakes. I had the same size frame and was fine at 6'1 for sit up and ride, had to raise the saddle quite a bit though but not sure there is any point in drops which would be almost unusable (for me anyway).. Long story short, the main change is drop bars, why do you want to do that considering the shape/size/geometry of the bike?

Because I can

CramCycle

rollingscone wrote: »

Because I can

Which is fair enough, I just can't help but think you'll turn a nice ride into a monstrosity or you into the hunchback of Notre Dame

rollingscone

It's alliiiiiiiiive

Alek

Are you comfortable in the drops?

rollingscone

Alek wrote: »

Are you comfortable in the drops?

It could do with being 10mm shorter, but the reach is very close to perfect. It's only really noticeable in the hooks where the fit isn't quite snug.

Eamonnator

As my grandmother used say:

Every man to his fancy,
And me to my Nancy.
Said the woman,
As she kissed her cow.

Alek

It could do with being 10mm shorter, but the reach is very close to perfect. It's only really noticeable in the hooks where the fit isn't quite snug.

I mean the angle... I had these bars like this for the first ride and my wrists were shot before I arrived in Phoenix Park.....

rollingscone

Alek wrote: »

I mean the angle... I had these bars like this for the first ride and my wrists were shot before I arrived in Phoenix Park.....

Interesting. I hadn't thought of it as being a function of the bar angle, I'll try and replicate the angle of Hardy's bars before I mess the stem.

rollingscone

Alek wrote: »

I mean the angle... I had these bars like this for the first ride and my wrists were shot before I arrived in Phoenix Park.....

Interesting. I hadn't thought of it as being a function of the bar angle, I'll try and replicate the angle of Hardy's bars before I mess the stem.

rollingscone

I immediately saw where you were right on the money. Reach is drastically improved by that angle.

Just need to raise the shifters now...wish I'd thought to check it before I taped the bars

Alek

With any new bars, not only such radical designs, I learned to wait a week or so before taping...

smacl

rollingscone wrote: »

I immediately saw where you were right on the money. Reach is drastically improved by that angle.

Just need to raise the shifters now...wish I'd thought to check it before I taped the bars

Are you looking for more or less reach? I've a spare FSA ergo bar in the shed gathering dust if you wan't something shallower.

rollingscone

Alek wrote: »

With any new bars, not only such radical designs, I learned to wait a week or so before taping...

The angle sorted the reach perfectly