Bicycling - Road and Mountain

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bikingpanda
bikingpanda Posts: 68 Member
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Hi people.
I have an older Trek 7500 FX that I really enjoy, but I have been kinda wishing it had drop bars for a bit more of the road bike feel. I have seen where people have done some conversions on these bikes but from what it looks like it costs a bit of money and takes some skill. To be honest, I do not have either. The bike currently had bar ends on them that stick up kinda like horns on a bull. I thought that maybe they make drop bar ends. I found these on Amazon and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on it?

http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Bicycle-Drop-Ends-Black/dp/B0013G6PB8/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1343918060&sr=1-1&keywords=drop+bar+ends

It seems like they got great reviews, and it should be a quick swap. I just never seen anything like these before.
Thanks

Replies

  • Speedtrap
    Speedtrap Posts: 216
    They should be fine if you just want drop bars.

    The big difference with the proper set up would be the shifting and the number of hand positions. When I look at those I can only see adding one more hand position where a real drop bar setup will add many more. On my road bike my most comfortable place to ride is not in the drops, but on the hoods of my brake/shift leavers.
    But heck for $20 bucks give them a try.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    They should be fine if you just want drop bars.

    The big difference with the proper set up would be the shifting and the number of hand positions. When I look at those I can only see adding one more hand position where a real drop bar setup will add many more. On my road bike my most comfortable place to ride is not in the drops, but on the hoods of my brake/shift leavers.
    But heck for $20 bucks give them a try.

    Agreed.

    Biggest issue would be the lack of brakes/shifters within reach when you are "in the drops"
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Also, don't under estimate the value of some patience and craig's list. While drop bars don't show up often, you can probably find some for next to nothing (I have some sitting in my garage now that I've got no use for). Brakes/shifters will be a bit more expensive, but again... time and patience and you can probably find a good deal on someone upgrading from Soras or Tiagras. Then a few bucks to the bike shop for install and you're good to go.

    If you go this route, just make sure the shifters work with your derailleurs.
  • bikingpanda
    bikingpanda Posts: 68 Member
    Thanks for the Advice. I did order them to give it a go at it. If anything they were only $20.00.
  • Chuckdamage
    Chuckdamage Posts: 7 Member
    Those are pretty sweet, I am curious how they'll work out. I also had a 7500fx and wanted to get more of a road bike feel so I bought a vintage steel road bike and now I am addicted to collecting them. I wish that I would have went in your direction.
  • phil85207
    phil85207 Posts: 20
    Well how did they work out? Let us know with some pictures.
  • bikingpanda
    bikingpanda Posts: 68 Member
    Hello,
    They are not to shabby. I can not complain for $20.00 and they went on easy enough since I had different bar ends to begin with. I took this pick before I taped the bar but at least you will get the general idea. Tomorrow I will take it out for a longer ride to see how I like them.

    34fcxzo.jpg
  • Osu2k1
    Osu2k1 Posts: 116 Member
    Those look interesting! I wonder how they work with the breaks. I wish I had something like that on my bike, especially for my longer (20 mile) rides. The other part of me would love Aero bars, but I think it might look silly on a more urban MTB.
  • bikingpanda
    bikingpanda Posts: 68 Member
    That is the problem with these, not being able to get to the brakes if you are on the low end. I saw a photo where someone moved one of the levers to the lower bar for a "just in case" type of moment. I figured it could not be any word then my brothers TT bike that does not have brakes on the Aero bars.

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