Converting a Road Bike to Flat Handlebar Single Speed?

[designndrive62]

If you've got this far without the thread post making you cry out in horror, I am after a bit of advice.

I have a 2012 Boardman Road bike, Ally frame with Carbon Fork, which I use for a short commute of 4 miles each way. With it only being short and quite a few traffic lights but basically split between two long straight roads (Slight downhill all the way to work, slight uphill home), the bike is far more "racy" than I need, and I am becoming less and less tolerant of the position on the bike and the unforgiving ride on the horrendous roads (paris-roubaix looks better condition than the roads near me)! I used to do long rides on it but those fell by the wayside since my son came along so weekend rides are limited to MTB blasts in the woods.

I don't have the money to get a different bike so am looking at changing it to something a bit more comfortable with minimum maintenance.

I am thinking flat handlbars and adding some lovely soft rubber grips, and swapping out the 2 x 10 drivetrain for a single speed to eliminate the need for cable maintenance / gear indexing etc and cut down on the cost of conversion, not needing new shifters. I currently have 25mm tyres on, but think i could squeeze on 28's, and maybe by changing the rim brake callipers get on 30mm, though i may be limited by the frame at that point as it might not be enough clearance.

Is this anything anyone has done something similar to and if so any tips or advice about how to go about it and pitfalls to avoid?

Thanks in advance

[Pickled Piper]

I have done the reverse. During the second lockdown I was riding my Trek hybrid a lot more and quite fancied having drop bars on it.

You will make it easier by making it single speed as you will not have to worry about derailleur and shifter compatibility. Matching the “pull” of the brake levers with your callipers may be an issue.

There was a lot of work with mine. I got it working OK. In the end I changed it back to flat bars and bought myself another bike with drop bars.

In summary, I wouldn’t bother unless you enjoy the spannering and technical challenge (I do). Sell your current bike and get the one you want, or even better buy yourself an additional bike. Surely the more bikes the better

[johnpsanderson]

I would think that by the time you’ve bought the necessary bits for conversion, you could have picked up another more suitable bike (I’ve considered the same for my mtb and decided it wasn’t worth it).

This place is local to me, https://re-cycle.org/, and they sell off some bikes which are unsuitable for shipping to other countries (which is their core charity mission). A few years ago I picked up a dutch bike with 35mm tyres, full mudguards/ hub gear/ chain case/rack/dynamo light/etc etc which has been a perfect all weather commuter bike, both by road and on gravel trails. It cost me £125.

It’s not unusual to see similar style bikes come up on Facebook marketplace/etc around here which could serve the same sort of purpose.

[irc]

If it's your commuter, and assuming you have the space better, as suggested above to find a cheap second hand replacement.

Not only cheaper than replacing bars, brakes, tyres, etc it also means you have a spare. Handy either for the morning you go out and find a flat tyre or if you are servicing a bike and waiting for parts.

This sort of thing. Decent commuter bike near me £100. Gumtree is another place to look

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/carrera-subway-...

Edited by irc on Wednesday 3rd May 07:48

[klootzak]

Perfectly achievable but it will cost, maybe more than just buying a cheap commuter.

As has already been pointed out, you'll need some new brake levers. Tektro will be £20 but you can get Dia-Compe flatbar levers from Ali-Express for a tenner.

Next will be the drivetrain. If you're not going to replace the rear wheel you'll want a single speed adaptor for your freehub (maybe £40, not sure), then you'll need some sort of chain tensioner (similar cost I'd imagine).

Hmmm ... actually this kit would do the drivetrain parts ... https://www.amazon.com/DMR-Cassette-Spacer-Combo-K...

All that said, it'll be a worthwhile project, singlespeeds are ace get onto it and have fun.

k

[designndrive62]

Thanks everyone for the replies and tips, i'll do a bit of looking at those conversion kits, Merlin cycles are near me and they seem to stock them. Space is a bit tight but will also look around at the other options suggested as well, as although i do enjoy tinkering and taking bits apart, it always takes me longer than I planned which isn't necessarily ideal when I need the bike fairly regularly!

Edited by designndrive62 on Wednesday 3rd May 11:01

[wpa1975]

Having converted around 20 bikes mostly to drops with a few flat bar conversions along the way, I will say that the geometry on a race frame just does not work with flats, in most cases a flat bar frame will be slacker angles and have a longer top tube.

Giant for instance run a 2cm longer top tube on a flat frame, if you run flats you will need a longer stem that then tends to cock up the steering feel.

As for single speed conversion, again I have done loads you will need a new single ring chain set, suitable chainring and bottom bracket, you will also need a conversion kit to run a single sprocket, new chain plus as the bike was not designed to be a single setup you will need a tensioner.

In all honesty you could easily spend £150 / £200 and still have a bike that is now worth less as you will have a limited market should you every want to sell it.

Plus don't forgot you could also be looking at a chunk of workshop labour unless you can do the work yourself.

I would sell the bike as is and buy something more suited.

[Barchettaman]

I wasn’t enjoying my drop bar Merckx so put some flat bars on it.

It has a threadless stem adapter, an adjustable stem, 2x9 shifter pods, Sora short pull brake levers and ergo grips. It’s great fun to ride and doesn’t cause back ache.

The drops and shifters are ready to swap back in if I feel like it (I don’t)

It might break some style rules but honestly I couldn’t give a monkey’s. It gets me out there and I love it!

[irc]

Similar look to my flat bar Surly Pacer except mine is 1*9. Never had drops as I got the frame and forks second hand.

Uncut steerer tube. 35 degree rise stem. Looks lovely to my eyes and gets the bars level with the saddle which is where I want them.

[gazza285]

wpa1975 said:

As for single speed conversion, again I have done loads you will need a new single ring chain set, suitable chainring and bottom bracket, you will also need a conversion kit to run a single sprocket, new chain plus as the bike was not designed to be a single setup you will need a tensioner.

Why would you need a new chain set, bottom bracket, and chain?

I’ve always used the one that came on the bike, bought a chainring to suit narrow chains, and used the spacers in the conversion kit to get the chain line correct. Shorten the chain I have and stick on a tensioner.

The only thing I would recommend is to go with one odd and one even sprocket, a mate of mine had a 32/16 on his 29er, he couldn’t understand why he kept breaking chains.

[andyeds1234]

wpa1975 said:

Giant for instance run a 2cm longer top tube on a flat frame, if you run flats you will need a longer stem that then tends to cock up the steering feel.

Nothing wrong with a long stem to make up the difference in reach between drop bars and flat. I much prefer the slacker handling of a longer stem over a shorter one.
Give me a short top tube and a long stem every time.

[wpa1975]

gazza285 said:

wpa1975 said:

As for single speed conversion, again I have done loads you will need a new single ring chain set, suitable chainring and bottom bracket, you will also need a conversion kit to run a single sprocket, new chain plus as the bike was not designed to be a single setup you will need a tensioner.

Why would you need a new chain set, bottom bracket, and chain?

I’ve always used the one that came on the bike, bought a chainring to suit narrow chains, and used the spacers in the conversion kit to get the chain line correct. Shorten the chain I have and stick on a tensioner.

The only thing I would recommend is to go with one odd and one even sprocket, a mate of mine had a 32/16 on his 29er, he couldn’t understand why he kept breaking chains.

Because most road bikes have a chain set that you cannot run a single ring on, unless you get lucky and it has a 5 bolt 110mm or 130mm BCD, you are stuffed for replacement rings, if it has a modern Shimano road nobody makes a suitable single ring and I know as I spent ages looking, they use an asymmetric bolt pattern.

Edited by wpa1975 on Wednesday 3rd May 22:44

[Barchettaman]

“Giant for instance run a 2cm longer top tube on a flat frame, if you run flats you will need a longer stem that then tends to cock up the steering feel.”

My experience is that you typically need a couple of minutes to get used to the minor change in steering when changing stem or handlebar width. It’s not a big deal, far from
It.

Obviously others may be more feel sensitive than me. My wife is always telling me I need to get in touch with my feelings more.

[gazza285]

wpa1975 said:

Because most road bikes have a chain set that you cannot run a single ring on, unless you get lucky and it has a 5 bolt 110mm or 130mm BCD, you are stuffed for replacement rings, if it has a modern Shimano road nobody makes a suitable single ring and I know as I spent ages looking, they use an asymmetric bolt pattern.

Edited by wpa1975 on Wednesday 3rd May 22:44

You can get asymmetrical chainrings for Shimano, Wolf Tooth do them, as do Stronglight, they are generally marketed for single front ring cyclocross bikes, but work for single speed conversions as well.

[wpa1975]

gazza285 said:

wpa1975 said:

Because most road bikes have a chain set that you cannot run a single ring on, unless you get lucky and it has a 5 bolt 110mm or 130mm BCD, you are stuffed for replacement rings, if it has a modern Shimano road nobody makes a suitable single ring and I know as I spent ages looking, they use an asymmetric bolt pattern.

Edited by wpa1975 on Wednesday 3rd May 22:44

You can get asymmetrical chainrings for Shimano, Wolf Tooth do them, as do Stronglight, they are generally marketed for single front ring cyclocross bikes, but work for single speed conversions as well.

Stronglight don't make rings to suit the road chainsets, yes I know wolftooth do but have you seen the price plus £23 for the special bolts, £100 against a new singlespeed chainset for £59.

Edited by wpa1975 on Thursday 4th May 11:20

[Craikeybaby]

I am after a flat bar single speed commuter and there are some available for not too much money. I expect that you would be better off buying a replacement, rather than converting your existing bike.

[irc]

Craikeybaby said:

I am after a flat bar single speed commuter and there are some available for not too much money. I expect that you would be better off buying a replacement, rather than converting your existing bike.

I just thought that if I bought a frame and fork I could just about build a complete bike without buying anything. My shed is well stocked.

But if the OP only has one bike the ci\orrect answer is buying another. Cheaper. Leaces a spare for when bike 1 is off the road for any reason.

[klootzak]

wpa1975 said:

gazza285 said:

wpa1975 said:

Because most road bikes have a chain set that you cannot run a single ring on, unless you get lucky and it has a 5 bolt 110mm or 130mm BCD, you are stuffed for replacement rings, if it has a modern Shimano road nobody makes a suitable single ring and I know as I spent ages looking, they use an asymmetric bolt pattern.

Edited by wpa1975 on Wednesday 3rd May 22:44

You can get asymmetrical chainrings for Shimano, Wolf Tooth do them, as do Stronglight, they are generally marketed for single front ring cyclocross bikes, but work for single speed conversions as well.

Stronglight don't make rings to suit the road chainsets, yes I know wolftooth do but have you seen the price plus £23 for the special bolts, £100 against a new singlespeed chainset for £59.

Edited by wpa1975 on Thursday 4th May 11:20

All of which is true, but the OP has a 2012 Boardman which likely has an FSA or Truvativ 5 bolt 110BCD chainset. So new chainrings will be a tenner, and that's assuming he isn't perfectly happy running the 34 tooth inner ring by itself.

k

[Barchettaman]

My lad has these inboard handlebar grips that mimic the ‘hoods’ position of a conventional road bar set up pretty well. They were a tenner on Amazon.

[designndrive62]

Just a final update for those that may be interested.

Thank you for all the advice everyone, i threw caution to the wind and did the conversion in the end, although I did keep a cassette at the rear, remembering that the last 150-200m home is a 14% gradient and didn't fancy that on single speed

Ended up with a 1x10 setup. 42 tooth chain ring on the front, and 11-32 on the rear. Finally finished at the weekend and first rides this week