I have a Carrera Crossfire 2 Hybrid Bike. I would like to convert this to a full road bike. Is it possible?, if so what changes will I need to make.
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1Honestly? If you want a road bike, buy a road bike as well. A conversion leaves you with something that isn't either, costs a lot, and generally a disappointment. You can own two bikes. Or if you only can own one bike, buy the bike you want and then sell this one.– Criggie ♦Jul 7, 2020 at 1:43
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1Not worth doing. If you want proper drop bar integrated shifters you may need to replace the entire drive train. Replacing heavy suspension forks will be relatively expensive. Frame does not have road bike geometry.– Argenti ApparatusJul 7, 2020 at 10:12
2 Answers
it is possible, but in most cases does not worth it.
Components cost more if sold separately, so usually you end up spending a same amount of money or even more than buying a new bike.
if any seller does discounts on bike - consider you have all the components discounted
planning and implementing conversion is not easy and time consuming
I have done such a conversion on a V-braked suspension fork bicycle. The bicycle had a rather short frame, making the conversion actually end up with a reasonable saddle-to-handlebar distance.
You need:
- Drop handlebar + handlebar tape
- Mechanical brake levers with same mechanical advantage as your current levers (for V-brakes, it means long pull; I don't sure what pull ratio your mechanical disk brakes use but I suspect it's the same as for V-brakes)
- 8-speed bar-end shifters -- you won't find these new but you can find new-old-stock (NOS) or used
- New inner cables and cable housing for brakes and gears
- Possibly: a shorter stem
I think such a conversion is a very good idea. The cables, levers and handlebar cost less than a full road bike. If you don't know whether you enjoy road bicycling with a drop handlebar, you'll find out, and you can always go back to your original handlebar. You also have a data point about the frame dimensions in case you decide to stay with drop handlebar bikes, and thus purchase a real road bike. The bar-end shifters are much better than those fragile combined-brake-lever-shifters you find on most road bikes today, unfortunately for buyers of road bikes and fortunately for drop handlebar converters.
Before the drop handlebar conversion, I suggest you to mount some real road tires (such as Continental Grand Prix 5000). Mounting such tires is easier than a drop handlebar and will give you one kilometer per hour of extra speed.
After the conversion, you need to see whether your saddle-to-handlebar distance is good or if you need to mount a shorter stem.
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I'm sure it would be much easier for the OP to just borrow a road bike to find out if he likes drop bars. If after the conversion your suggesting the OP doesn't like the ride / geometry it will be much harder to sell a bike that's no longer a hybrid or a road bike for that matter.– Dan KJul 7, 2020 at 11:45