Switching between flat bar and drop bar ride to ride?

Hi Gravellers,

I am a big fan of reducing the fleet and trying to have one bike that does all.

I like drop bars most of the team, but prefer wider flat bars if the going gets really rough.

Is there a way that I could switch between a drop bar or flat bar between rides, say as easily as I can switch between a rigid fork and a suspension fork.

I assume Di2 or ETAP could enable gear changes on either bar? I assume the one module be controlled by flat bar buttons and drop bar shifters....

But how about the braking. Is there a way to control hydraulic brakes via drop bar levers and flat bar levers - and importantly - is there a way to disconnect and re connect cables which doesn't require a bleed each time, which would kill the idea.

I know I am probably better off using a wider drop bar, but always interested in making life difficult for myself....

Anyone else had similar ideas?

Hydraulic brakes make it impractical. 

35 years ago I did swap from ride to ride between straight and drop bars on my MTB. Even with complete bar/stem/controls for each it would take 20-30 minutes to change. 

Did that for a summer before going drops full time. Still do on all my bikes. 

Thanks all for really helping me explore this, and provide real insights.

I sense now that the feasibility is not there without a lot of trial and error, if at all. And I think that combined with the inherent compromises of having 'one bike for all' means it is a dead end. 

Thanks

Hi -

I have been thinking about this, and been close to actually doing it. I have some idea of how it could be done in a way that I think would work well, and it would require very few hacks.

First problem that has to be solved is shifter compatibility between flat bar and drop bar. Going with a SRAM 1x solution should work, having 1x mechanical Force/Rival/Apex drop bar shifter and using an Apex flat bar shifter ( https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/sl-apx-a1 ) in flat bar mode.

Second issue is brake compatibility, going mechanical simplifies things a bit (which I will touch later). You just need SRAM mechanical shifters/brake levers on the drop bar side, and a short pull brake lever on the flat bar side. There should be plenty of options for that.

Of course you have to accept mechanical disc brakes, I would suggest going with a hybrid model. I have a bike with TRP hy/dr and a bike with SRAM Force brakes. I think the difference is somewhat small, I would be willing to make that compromise. You could get Yokozuna Ultimo hybrid brakes, which should be even better than the TRP´s.

The last consideration is decoupler, as some have already suggested, travel bikes have solved that problem: Ritchey Brake Disconnect ( https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/break-away-brake-cable-disconnector ) and Derailleur Disconnect ( https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/break-away-derailleur-cable-disconnectors ). It should cover that part.

Regarding hydraulic brakes. Ti cycles have decouplers for this ( https://www.ticycles.com/store-all/hydraulic-brake-line-coupler ), not sure how good they actually work, and going hydraulic gives you that same problem with flat bar vs drop bar brake compatibility. As far as I could figure out, SRAM does not have compatibility between the two brake types. How ever it looks as if Shimano has flat bar brake levers for road disk: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/shimano/BL-RS600.html  

Shimano also has a 105 series flat bar shifter: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/105-5800/SL-RS700.html . That should work with GRX. 

This is my findings, hope you can use them. I would be really interested if you actually do it.

/Jonas

paramount3 wrote:Having two different bikes is the answer.  If that's too much material goods to have in your garage, you could consider having two bikes but only a single wheelset, which you could swap between bikes.  The wheel-less spare bike wouldn't take up much extra room.

ridingintherain wrote:For me, the "one bike to rule them all" approach is fantastic in theory but gets a bit tricky when you start talking about changing handlebars on a regular basis. My reasoning goes like this:

1. Two bikes. Also convenient when one breaks down. When the riding is so rough that it's nicer with a flat bar than a wide / flared drop bar you also want more adequate tires. And possibly some suspension. For me, this is an XC-bike.

2. Relatively narrow flat bar with innerbarends or aero bars. On my winter commuter I have innerbarends. Sounds a bit like a stupid idea, but actually works quite well together with the flat bar shifters and brake handles. https://www.sq-lab.com/en/products/innerbarends/sqlab-innerbarends-411.html. For extended trips on decent roads, an aero bar might be better. Best with electronic shifting.

I ride some single track with my flared drop bar gravel bike with 47mm tires. When the going gets tougher than that I'm still reaching for my trail bike.

YMMV. 

I am 100% with you.

In fact, my XC bike (that has just suffered terminal frame damage, hence the post) also has inner bar ends fitted. I love it, and also love my gravel bike. 

I think I was taking the logic too far, assuming that one bike is a healthy thing to aim for. It's clearly not, 2 bikes has many advantages, as you point out!