# Convert my Roubaix to a flatbar commuter.



## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

My days of drop bars and 50+ mile road rides are over. So I was going to sell my carbon Roubaix/Triple/Dura Ace/Ultegra/2005. I can't seem to get any serious money for it.

I have a Sirrus Expert set up like my mountain bike. It has 105 components, nice saddle and carbon bars. Not a bad rig, especially with my Roubaix's hand-built White Industries/DT Swiss wheels. Nice for commuting and 20-40 mile rides. The carbon forks and seat stays take a bit of the harshness out of the ride but nothing like the Roubaix.

So, then I think, why not make the Roubaix into flatbar bike. The Roubaix feels so much better and I'd rather lose a few bucks on the Sirrus and have a nice Roubiax that could make one great commuter! I have built numerous bikes and run several teams so I know bikes pretty well but this falls into a funny spot for me. This is where my thinking gets theoretical due to lack of experience:

I think I'd have to change the shifters as the position of drop bar shifters is wrong for a flat bar.

The front shifter/crankset combo uses a 4-stage method, 2 of which address the positions of the middle ring. I'm guessing I'd have to change the front crank, too?

I talked to a guy at a shop. His solution was to buy another bike. I talked to a friend and as a Rohloff Rep, of course.......Then there are the guys who say, " I'd sell the x and do the y", and go off in another direction. I'm not asking for that.

Thoughts?


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## SlowJoeCrow (Mar 16, 2009)

Why not just buy Shimano flat bar road shifters and short pull flat bar brake levers instead of futzing with the crank? You can get Tiagra 3x10 or R440 3x9 easily enough but getting the bar and stem right may take a few tries.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

^^^
Agree on the technical aspect. And, you could change the crank later if the road gearing doesn't make sense; the front derailleur and shifter should still work nicely.

With most posters, I'd question trying to make a drop bar bike into a flat bar bike. But I think you know what you're getting into in terms of geometry and cockpit changes.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

SlowJoeCrow said:


> Why not just buy Shimano flat bar road shifters and short pull flat bar brake levers instead of futzing with the crank? You can get Tiagra 3x10 or R440 3x9 easily enough but getting the bar and stem right may take a few tries.


I didn't know there was such a thing. cool. I'll give that a look.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

AndrwSwitch said:


> ^^^
> Agree on the technical aspect. And, you could change the crank later if the road gearing doesn't make sense; the front derailleur and shifter should still work nicely.
> 
> With most posters, I'd question trying to make a drop bar bike into a flat bar bike. But I think you know what you're getting into in terms of geometry and cockpit changes.


The gearing seems fine. I really like the flatbar on the road, especially in the City. Handling is superior for odd surfaces.


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

Road bikes generally have much shorter top tubes the MTBs or hybrids. Simply putting on flat bars will likely make the cockpit much too short. Consider where your hands are when riding on the hoods as opposed to where they will be on flat bars. You may be able to compensate with a longer stem but you could be looking for something as much as four inches longer to put you hands in the right place. When I changed my cross bike over I had to source a 150mm stem. I was lucky the bars I was using were 25.4 and I could get an old MTB stem. You may want to take some measurements before you buy parts, I actually surprised none of the "bike" guys you have talked to mentioned that.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Good points but I feel okay with that part of the problem:

1) I've got 6 bikes and the cockpits all match within 1/2 inch.

2) Since I spend most of my time on the tops of my drop bars......a flat bar in that position
looks like a fair exchange.

3) My local shop has a whole wall of stems.

So positioning doesn't worry me. It was mostly the gearing/shifting. Kinda sad, though, that I cannot use my Salsa Pro Moto Carbon bar. In theory it has too much sweep.

Thanks.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

I think you might have better luck if you part the roubaix out. Theres people out there in craigslist land looking to replace individual parts that dont have the $$$ to buy a DA equipped roubaix. Also, IMO if you did flatbar the roubaix then your going to have two bikes serving the same purpose. Or sell the roubaix frame/fork and transfer the components to another frame. sellwoodcycle.com has some good deals on new and used frames.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

*Re: Convert my Roubaix to a flatcar commuter.*



Berkeley Mike said:


> Good points but I feel okay with that part of the problem:
> 
> 1) I've got 6 bikes and the cockpits all match within 1/2 inch.
> 
> ...


Do you run out of available long stems doing the Pro Moto?


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

jrm said:


> I think you might have better luck if you part the roubaix out. Theres people out there in craigslist land looking to replace individual parts that dont have the $$$ to buy a DA equipped roubaix. Also, IMO if you did flatbar the roubaix then your going to have two bikes serving the same purpose. Or sell the roubaix frame/fork and transfer the components to another frame. sellwoodcycle.com has some good deals on new and used frames.


I am using the Roubaix frame, carbon fiber, for the it's superior qualities over the Sirrus Alloy frame with carbon forks/chainstays. The Roubaix will make an excellent urban road thing, handling those conditions better than it did as a road bike with drop bars. I will not spend a lot of money on this transition.

I actually don't even care about the components; modest componentry on the road is far more acceptable than on dirt. I care mostly about the ride and handling.

The Sirrus will sell.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Do you run out of available long stems doing the Pro Moto?


The Pro Moto was used on my Bontrager Racelite with a Thompson 120 mm. I rode it for 4 years. Pretty satisfying.

I eyeballed it on the Roubaix and will start with a flatbar first.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

I put these two bikes right next to each other, measured various cockpit features, and compared the geometry data. The Sirrus is just an inch longer in the wheelbase, all but 2mm of this is in the front rake. The Roubaix is a much quicker steering bike than the Sirrus but my riding style, based in the dynamics of Mtb, will soak that up.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I'm curious to see what you end up with.

If anyone can do a flat bar road bike well, I suspect it's you.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

Berkeley Mike said:


> My days of drop bars and 50+ mile road rides are over. So I was going to sell my carbon Roubaix/Triple/Dura Ace/Ultegra/2005. I can't seem to get any serious money for it.
> 
> I have a Sirrus Expert set up like my mountain bike. It has 105 components, nice saddle and carbon bars. Not a bad rig, especially with my Roubaix's hand-built White Industries/DT Swiss wheels. Nice for commuting and 20-40 mile rides. The carbon forks and seat stays take a bit of the harshness out of the ride but nothing like the Roubaix.
> 
> ...


if the road frame fits now it will be too short with a flat bar, maybe go up 2 sizes??

all shimano road rds/shifters (at least up to 10sp) pull the same amount of cable per click as shimano mtn 7-8-9sp do (buy a 7sp mtn don't pull the same as 10sp road, the pull is equal between clicks is what I mean). and obviously you can mix and match these just as you like as long as they work with the cassettes. 10sp road rd, 9sp mtn shifter and 9sp cassette, no problem. There is different spacing between the cogs though on 7-8-9-10 and there are converters available from j-tek.

there are many ways to resuse what you have cheap. obviously you need a new shifter, and maybe a cassette.

i don't see the problem here.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

exactly what stuff do you have on the bike now? rd/fd/chain/chainrings/cassette/shifters/brakes etc. be specific.


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## fotooutdoors (Jul 8, 2010)

As someone who generally l
Prefers drop-bars, I gotta ask; why go to a flat bar vs a mountain drop bar? I bike through the winter (ie very sketchy conditions), and the only things pulling me back to a flat bar are ease of using bar mitts and difficulty with good position on a mountain bike (because of top tube length). Just something else to consider.

Sent from a one-finger keyboard...pardon my autocorrect


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

On the road bike I spend very little time in the drops. Huge fast downs, twisty downs and attacks, sure, but that is about 5% of driving. I don't work paradigms for those small percentages. 95% is on the top cross bar and migrating onto the hoods to mange the stress of that long and repetitive body position that road demands.

Though I have countless Centurys and local long rides in my history I am a mountain biker. My sense of how a bike handles when challenged is defined there and I believe that it is an advanced cycling discipline, which handling demands far outstretch those on the road bike. I'll give there road power and stamina, and ability to manage countless hours of cranking but no more. I don't ride like that any more. Never will.

When it came time for me to commute 30-mile urban round trips, while my Carbon Roubaix (Dura-Ace/Ultegra) was a wonderful machine, the demands for getting from Richmond, through El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley and to the other side of Oakland were not those of looking at cows in open fields. My hands were too often far from the controls to address the stopping/starting, odd surfaces,and odd events and such that urban riding presents. I found it awkward as driving a 5-speed stick in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Plus, it is just not set up for handling in any dynamic fashion. Sure you _can_ bunny hop her but you can bunny hop beach cruiser for that matter.

I tried out a commuter style bike and it had promise. A bit heavy, not as elegant, but it was better set up for that urban usage.

So I got a Sirrus Expert which has carbon fork and seatstays, and put carbon bars on it, setting it up to match my racing Bontrager. Still a bit heavy but with 105 componentry it was not a stupid use of a a bike. Railroad tracks, curbs, potholes, lights, road debris? Easy-peasy. A short cut through vacant lot or a quick jaunt into some mtb territory to explore? Natch.

What the Sirrus lacked, though it did dampen lighter vibrations, was that full body damping of a full carbon frame. The components weren't as nice, either. I put the Roubaix WhiteBros/DT Swiss custom wheels on the Sirrus and that was a nice improvement but still.

In the years since I have had both of these bikes I found myself using the Roubaix less and less, preferring the Bonti for dirt and the Sirrus for street. I just got an Giant Anthem Advance Carbon 27.5 and riding carbon regularly I saw clearly ho much I missed the Roubaix comfort. I just didn't' miss the positioning of the hands and controls.

Now you can get a full-carbon Sirrus because the marketers figured out the obvious place of this bike just as I had. However, I am not going to spend a cajillon dollars to do this. Therefore I will create this ride out of my Roubaix frame and the appropriate components.

I am concerned the the flat-bar Tiagra shifters be able to handle the 4-postion feature of the triple crank set up. First position handles the granny, second the mid-ring high gears and third the mid-ring low gears, fourth the big ring.

thoughts?


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

Berkeley Mike said:


> I am concerned the the flat-bar Tiagra shifters be able to handle the 4-postion feature of the triple crank set up. First position handles the granny, second the mid-ring high gears and third the mid-ring low gears, fourth the big ring.
> 
> thoughts?


Well: downtube shifters, gripshifts and 1x are the obvious solutions. I'd say 1x is the best for a commuter. You want simplicity right.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Berkeley Mike said:


> I am using the Roubaix frame, carbon fiber, for the it's superior qualities over the Sirrus Alloy frame with carbon forks/chainstays. The Roubaix will make an excellent urban road thing, handling those conditions better than it did as a road bike with drop bars. I will not spend a lot of money on this transition.
> 
> I actually don't even care about the components; modest componentry on the road is far more acceptable than on dirt. I care mostly about the ride and handling.
> 
> The Sirrus will sell.


OR swap the flat bar and shifters & any components over to the roubaix then part the rest out


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Wasn't there some mismatch thing about MTB shifters and road front derailleurs?

I think the early suggestion about getting new brakes and shifters was good.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

car bone said:


> Well: downtube shifters, gripshifts and 1x are the obvious solutions. I'd say 1x is the best for a commuter. You want simplicity right.


Where I live having the range of gears is helpful I have a 2x10 on my Anthem because I did not like the 1x11 gearing. I've checked with Gear Calculators and there is a difference.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Wasn't there some mismatch thing about MTB shifters and road front derailleurs?
> 
> I think the early suggestion about getting new brakes and shifters was good.


Tiagra brake levers and shifters are only about $100 but will they operate the 4 stage triple? I cannot seem to get a definite answer from anyone on that.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I wouldn't worry about it. The trim shift is a nice feature to have, but we've all survived this long without it on mountain bikes with triples. You just won't be able to cross-chain quite as much without getting some rubbing.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

"Trim shift"? Now we're getting somewhere. 

I never understood the need for it. Turns out that the Ultegra 6503 on the Roubaix is bit narrower at one end (why is beyond me) so the 2-stage middle ring trim is the answer for that set-up. The LX/XT/XTR triple set-up on mountain bikes worked just fine with three positions.

You guys are doing much better that the Roadbike Review guys.


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## SlowJoeCrow (Mar 16, 2009)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Wasn't there some mismatch thing about MTB shifters and road front derailleurs?
> 
> I think the early suggestion about getting new brakes and shifters was good.


You're right, Shimano MTB and road front derailleurs have a different cable pull so the shifters don't inter-operate.
Also if front trim is an issue there is always the old school option of Microshift or IRD thumb shifters with friction front shifting and indexed rear shifiting.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

Berkley mike, will this be the bike you are riding the most of all your bikes in hours/year? If yes then maybe you should consider going expensive and building it up with good parts, chosen for best function in this situation. like shifters, both derailleurs, cassettes and maybe even a new crankset.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

SlowJoeCrow said:


> You're right, Shimano MTB and road front derailleurs have a different cable pull so the shifters don't inter-operate.
> Also if front trim is an issue there is always the old school option of Microshift or IRD thumb shifters with friction front shifting and indexed rear shifiting.


Good call; I suspected that. But Tiagra is road, is it not?


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

car bone said:


> Berkley mike, will this be the bike you are riding the most of all your bikes in hours/year? If yes then maybe you should consider going expensive and building it up with good parts, chosen for best function in this situation. like shifters, both derailleurs, cassettes and maybe even a new crankset.


Expensive is expensive and I just spent $5,000 on my Anthem. So, I use my knowledge and ply the ambient skills to make this work.

I have a nice carbon Bontrager triple, a Shadow XT rear der, some fronts...it's not like I haven't built bikes. I have done about 25. I have been looking for real straight technical info on this situation and really have gotten little that is solid.

What I have got is a lot of ideas for doing something else. Keep in mind that I have never come to this site asking what kind of bike to buy or how to do that. Nor did I ask anyone what I should do.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Berkeley Mike said:


> Good call; I suspected that. But Tiagra is road, is it not?


Yeah, Tiagra's road. Way back in post #2, SlowJoeCrow suggested flat bar road shifters - these are shifters that are shaped like MTB shifters and have the right clamp size to go on a flat handlebar, but are compatible with road derailleurs.

From a technical perspective, actually, I think that should have ended the thread. The parts are natively compatible, no fussing necessary, and fit the bar you want to use. At worst, you might be backed into using a different number of cogs.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

I agree. There was sidetracking about fit and other solutions.

So that's a wrap. Thank you all for your thoughts.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

Berkeley Mike said:


> 2) Since I spend most of my time on the tops of my drop bars......a flat bar in that position
> looks like a fair exchange.


Just curious, have you calculated the stem length you will need to get that position? That's a heck of a long stem. Or are you looking to go a little shorter/upright?


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## NormanF (Mar 15, 2007)

If you have a Tiagra groupset, do yourself a favor and buy a mustache bar. It will give you an upright position, multiple hand positions and let you keep your current Tiagra STI levers.

Not unless you want to change out everything and that can get expensive real fast.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Compare to my other bikes: eyeball, tape measure, laser level. I've fit my bikes like this for years.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Roubaix makes an awesome commuter. To accommodate the flat bars - go with either twist-shift or triggers, with Cyclocross gearing. Here is my Bad Boy:


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

So I put my Tiagra shifters and brake levers on the Roubaix with the Thompson 120mm stem and the Salsa Pro Moto. Just as I figured, the fit will not be a problem. The Pro Moto bars aren't right but they got me rolling and dialing-in. I'll hit up my Syntace rep for some nice flatbars and it will be perfect. Handling is very quick.


Shifting in the rear is clean. And, just as I feared, the front shifting is off:

1) Gears 2-9 are fine on the 30. Rubbing on the 11 & 13 is not uncommon.

2) Left side of Cage rubs on 4-9 on the 39; not normal.

3) Gears 1-8 are fine on the 52. Rubbing on the 27 is not uncommon.


The shed is very hot and I am out of gas. At least all the parts are in place. I'll hit it again tomorrow when it is cooler.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Zachariah said:


> Roubaix makes an awesome commuter. To accommodate the flat bars - go with either twist-shift or triggers, with Cyclocross gearing. Here is my Bad Boy:


Sweet rig.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

This thing was bugging me. Went back out to the shed this evening when it cooled with a cold IPA. The Tiagra has more than 3 positions in front, as a trim adjustment for the middle ring. Fiddled with it a bit and shows more promise.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Interesting.

The trim shift positions sometimes screw me up when I'm tuning. The full shifts always feel plenty distinct when I'm actually riding, but I have to pay extra attention on the stand, and shifting from weird angles.


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## Kanik (Sep 28, 2011)

Ah yeah, I was just about to post about the Tiagra shifters having trims. They're pretty nice shifters actually! Comparable to XT.

Honestly though FD tuning is probably one of the trickiest things to tune on a bike, alongside tuning a slightly bent RD, and truing dinged wheels, and setting up cantilever brakes and shitty disc brakes. 

Just keep working at it in a methodical way and you'll get there. The angle of the FD is actually really important. Try adjusting that carefully. You can also bend the FD cage by hand sometimes in special cases. It can help if you do it carefully.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Whats the chainline look like? Are you using spacer(s)? and on what side. Post some pics....


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

The chain line hasn't changed from the original Ultegra set-up. That said, the high and low stops on the rear der were a skosh narrow. I wonder who the clown was who set that up?  After correcting that I was able to move the lower stop to the left on the front der which put me in a position to feel the trim setting effecting the middle ring.

Now that I think of it these are the Kyserium wheels and I will ultimately swap them with my White Industries/DTSwiss Cyclemonkey wheels. Now that I am sure this screwball idea works I will make that change before going any further. The position of the cassette is 'sposta be the same but...


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Swapped to the custom wheels and an old carbon Monkeybar low riser i had lying around. Jeez, this is one quick bike, and a full 4 pounds less than the Sirrus. The shifting is way off but I'll get back to that. I am confident moving forward and will prep the Sirrus for sale.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

It's funny how big the weight differences can end up being, even if one doesn't set out to make a light bike, when everything is fairly racy.


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## Fiskare (Sep 5, 2008)

Berkeley Mike said:


> Jeez, this is one quick bike, and a full 4 pounds less than the Sirrus.


My go fast townie is an old steel road bike (81 Miyata 610) converted to a flat bar commuter. It is a butt kickin town machine.

I went to a modern sport tourer fork (Mathew Grimm, Pacenti lugged 1" threadless for more trail), hybrid (triple) like gearing with thumbies, 35mm all purpose tires and a small light rear rack (Nitto S-10) to hold a bundle of clothes and a sandwich at most. If you used to ride the Roubaix on the hoods a lot you may want to lengthen the stem some, or at least try it. I went from a 100 to a 130mm when I added the flat bars. That really did the trick to keep me centered on the bike and to keep the right amount of weight on the front end. I find riding this bike thru town with flats to be a bit of a game changer. I started riding it like a full rigid MT bike.

I can't say how your Roubaix will turn out but the concept is solid. Good luck!


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Spent some time with the drivetrain, cleaning up the shifting. I got out on the Floubaix for a few miles. Racey; that hits it on the head. I was charmed carrying the Floubaix up the stairs; light at about 19 lbs.

I did go from the 90mm 10º stem to my Thompson 120mm 15º. The "on the hoods" position is a resting position so forward has more attack. It is not a bad position but I need to ride the bike a lot to decide exactly where i want to be. My town riding is more of a constant attack and, with a nod to Fiskare's approach, it is precisely like a full rigid mtb. The Sirrus was more of a crate; true, stable, weighty but longer. But its geometry and my position was so much like that of my Bontrager Race Lite. The Flobaix is quicker, though, with a shorter wheelbase.

It has been a while since I worked the Ultegra drivetrain hard so it will be a while before I get to really bang through the gears.

Not crazy about the Monkeybar. In the sun it has a brown sheen and on a rig of true neutral hues...not so nice. I will use it for while to see where I want to go.

I'm pleased so far.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

4 rides. Tiagra is solid. Bike handles well. A very satisfying conversion for about $100.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Did you end up sticking with the 120 mm stem?


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Im using a 120 x 5 with a mary bar on the pompino in order to get my hands a tad behind the front wheel axle. Works


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

Any chance we can see some pictures of this so far?


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

The bike won't change much from here. Tweeking the hand position will happen over time but the 120 seems about right even though I am a bit closer to the axle than usual. That's what makes this thing steer so quickly.

I'm thinking about cutting down the bars to something narrower. I have never been a fan of wide bars and the "extra control" that is supposed to give you. There just isn't that much effort ended to steer a bike, especially on pave. The current Monkey bar is a 26" and the road bike was 18" so I will move the grips in about an inch on each side to see how it goes and proceed accordingly. Once that is dialed I will buy a nice Syntace Bar.

This is a _gas_ to ride in town.


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Heres a pic of the cut dow mary bar on the pompino. Fugly aside, the bar-bike really is a functional and fun SSCX.

<img src=https://static.lfgss.com/attachments/84584d1400599535-pompino-002.jpg>


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

What decided you to make that conversion?


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Berkeley Mike said:


> What decided you to make that conversion?


 the twig and berries, and the need for a commuter, BART, grocery getter, pub, gym bike.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

They don't have those at bikes shops; you have to make them.:thumbsup:


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*Roubaix to Floubaix; conclusion.*

So I put the Tiagra shifters and brake levers on the Roubaix, changing from the 90mm 10º stem and drop bars to my Thompson 120mm 15º and the Salsa Pro Moto carbon bar. Just as I figured, the fit will not be a problem. The Pro Moto bars aren't right but they got me rolling and dialing-in.

I swapped the Kyserium wheels with my White Industries/DTSwiss Cyclemonkey wheels. The Tiagra conversion is spot-on with trim adjustment positions for the middle and big-ring chainlines. I changed to an old carbon Monkey Bar low-riser I had lying around and the position is better.

Handling is very quick. My old "on the hoods" position was a resting position. My town riding is more of dynamic than the road style and both the Sirrus and the Roubaix are treated like full rigid mountain bikes so being a bit forward has more attack. The Sirrus was more of a crate; true, stable, weighty, longer, but its geometry and my position was so much like that of my Bontrager Race Lite so it was not bad. The Flobaix is quicker, though, with a shorter wheelbase.

The bike won't change much from here. Tweaking the hand position will happen over time. Not crazy about the Monkeybar looks: in the sun it has a brown sheen. On a rig of true neutral hues...not so nice. I'll use it for while to see where I want to go. The bar is a 26" and the road bike was 18" so I'm narrowing the grip & controls position on the bars. There just isn't that much effort needed to steer a bike, especially on pave. I will proceed accordingly. Once that is dialed I will hit up my Syntace rep for some nice carbon bars and it will be sweet.

Jeez, this is one quick bike, racy; a gas to ride in town but 40 miles was very pleasant, too. The Tiagra conversion is solid, the bike handles well. I was charmed carrying the Floubaix up the stairs; light at about 19 lbs. This has been a very satisfying conversion for about $100. I am confidently moving forward and have prepped the Sirrus for sale.

Thanks for all of your support.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

I like how this is working out for you. Great work on keeping the cost down, the weight down, and the fun up!


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## Cougar2465 (Apr 19, 2014)

I did the other way - flat bar to drop bar but I will be swapping them every few months


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## AdamAnon (Sep 29, 2014)

Hi all! I registered just so I can post in this thread. I also have a Specialized Roubaix that I'm thinking about converting with a flat bar. My reasons are mostly the same as Berkeley Mike's. Although I still do 65 mile rides but unlike Mike I spend majority of my time on the hoods and hardly use drops or flats/tops. This often results in palm pain from the position (hood area is too narrow even with extra gel) and from hard braking on downhills. I try to relax on the tops but that just feels weird and I like to be close to the break levers. I just don't enjoy road drop bars, I don't take advantage of the multiple positions and don't like the handling. I like flat bars with ergo grips and bar ends better. So yeah, don't try to convince me I tried for two years and I want to go back to flat bars. I will re-do my Surly Disc Trucker as well later

I've been thinking about this even more since I bough my wife a carbon road bike this Spring with flat bars and she rides with me just fine and never complains about hand pain even after 60-65 mile rides. She has stock Giant ergo grips that are almost as nice as Ergon.

I have the Apex group (another issue: never got used to Double Tap, keep shifting the wrong way) so my conversion should be easier with Sram Exact Actuation flatbar X9 shifters and road brake levers. I'm also going to throw in X9 rear derailleur and a 11-36 cassette to get even lower gearing (36-50 crankset).

If anyone is interested I'll post my progress later. Cheers!


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## SlowJoeCrow (Mar 16, 2009)

Since you say don't get along with Double Tap I guess you aren't interested SRAM's flat bar road shifters. Good luck with your project, a fellow commuter at work has a full X-9 setup with hydro disks and mustache bars on a Soma CX bike so it can be done.


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## bdumas35 (Apr 18, 2010)

Here's what I did with my Trek USPS.

right2.jpg Photo by bdumas35 | Photobucket
Cockpit.jpg Photo by bdumas35 | Photobucket

Ultegra Barend Shifters on Paul's Mounts.


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## rearviewmirror (Jun 14, 2006)

Here's my flat bar converted Giant TCX pub bike.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

Pub bike on HED's? Some of us live well.


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## rogbie (Jun 20, 2011)

That bike wouldn't last 5 minutes outside any pub in this town. Bet that low rolling weight makes the pint induced wobbles less severe.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Do you guys get the WTF looks from the roadies?


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

I get the wtf look from everybody. But I run a sakura with dropbar. 1x6. and 3700 real lumens.


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## JMoto (Nov 17, 2020)

*update*



AdamAnon said:


> Hi all! I registered just so I can post in this thread. I also have a Specialized Roubaix that I'm thinking about converting with a flat bar. My reasons are mostly the same as Berkeley Mike's. Although I still do 65 mile rides but unlike Mike I spend majority of my time on the hoods and hardly use drops or flats/tops. This often results in palm pain from the position (hood area is too narrow even with extra gel) and from hard braking on downhills. I try to relax on the tops but that just feels weird and I like to be close to the break levers. I just don't enjoy road drop bars, I don't take advantage of the multiple positions and don't like the handling. I like flat bars with ergo grips and bar ends better. So yeah, don't try to convince me I tried for two years and I want to go back to flat bars. I will re-do my Surly Disc Trucker as well later
> 
> I've been thinking about this even more since I bough my wife a carbon road bike this Spring with flat bars and she rides with me just fine and never complains about hand pain even after 60-65 mile rides. She has stock Giant ergo grips that are almost as nice as Ergon.
> 
> ...


I know, I know, zombie thread!

BUT, any updates from you or the OP? I'm thinking of doing this to my 2004 Roubaix but I don't really know how to decipher what componentry I need to do it myself. I don't want to wait 6 weeks for a shop's help and would rather diy anyways.

Thanks for any helpful hints!


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

JMoto said:


> I know, I know, zombie thread!
> 
> BUT, any updates from you or the OP? I'm thinking of doing this to my 2004 Roubaix but I don't really know how to decipher what componentry I need to do it myself. I don't want to wait 6 weeks for a shop's help and would rather diy anyways.
> 
> Thanks for any helpful hints!


6 years later, I am still on the flatbar and enjoying it as much as ever. Tiagra has been flawless. I also ride on a bit of gravel and dirt and like the MTB positioning. That said, I have to watch tire inflation. Flat, smooth rides can handle lower pressures but toss in hard concrete curbs and such you are asking for a pinch-flat.

Hope you are all well.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Cool revival. I watched this way back because I was intending on doing the same with my Roubaix...which I absolutely loved but could not ride more than a few minutes in the drops due to my neck fusion at C5-C7. Fast forward to last November 21, I had a lumbar fusion with instrumentation and some of that instrumentation was placed badly...like a 1/4" lag bolt coming out the side of my vertebral body at L5 and sticking into Psoas muscle tissue. Now THAT was bitchen! Just Sept. 21, I had that titanium yanked out but 6 months ago I sold my sweet Roubaix...with brand new Ultegra groupo and wheels but my plan was to replace it with the newest "Flat Bar Roubaix" as it has been referred...the Specialized Sirrus X 5.0 with Future Shock 1.5. I ordered it back in August and just got almost a month ago. It's an awesome platform. Essentially the same geo as Roubaix but flat barred with 1x12 SLX and SLX-esque Shimano MT-200 hydro brakes. It runs 700C x 38c Pathfinder tires that are great on the road as well as the gravel. It's been my recovery bike so I have over 300 road miles to date and it has given me the legs to start back on my Stumpy on the trails. This will be my go to 8 mile ride to our newest trail system 11 miles of single track on the coastal hills above Pismo Beach, and a ride back home. The singletrack on this property are perfect for the bike.

I've already upgraded the bajeezuz out of it with a S-Work CG-R carbon seatpost, carbon bars, new Praxis Zayante Carbon crankset, XTR 1x12 Rear derailleur/shifter (finally found a shifter), and now working on putting together a carbon wheel build to finalize the project.

After riding this, I no longer miss my Roubaix. I'm gonna have a bit of a tough time PR'ing all my old road segments that I set on the Roubaix back when I could but surprisingly, this thing is pretty darned close. I was riding a pretty solid "B" class pace in my area here in SLO and I'm finding my self maybe a 1-2 mph short of that and aside from this last month, have essentially been occasionally on & off the MTB bike on the road,of all things, for about a year.

As it sits TODAY, with XT pedals and everything attached as in the video, it weighs exactly 22# lbs. With new carbon wheels, it ought to be much better because the OEM's are pigs even though I have them set up 2bliss.

Before any significant mods...essentially new.









In case anyone's interested in going the route of a Sirrus X, I did a video since I got one of the very first 2021's delivered in CA.


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## JMoto (Nov 17, 2020)

duplicate, oops


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## JMoto (Nov 17, 2020)

*awesome!*



Berkeley Mike said:


> 6 years later, I am still on the flatbar and enjoying it as much as ever. Tiagra has been flawless. I also ride on a bit of gravel and dirt and like the MTB positioning. That said, I have to watch tire inflation. Flat, smooth rides can handle lower pressures but toss in hard concrete curbs and such you are asking for a pinch-flat.
> 
> Hope you are all well.


Glad to hear it is still going strong! 
Have you come across a website or anything to help me figure out what componentry will match up? I don't know what I'm doing. I don't want to go to Mike's Bikes (experienced hit or miss advice there) and all our little local shops are too swamped to help out right now.



Oh My Sack! said:


> I sold my sweet Roubaix...with brand new Ultegra groupo and wheels but my plan was to replace it with the newest "Flat Bar Roubaix" as it has been referred...the Specialized Sirrus X 5.0 with Future Shock 1.5. I ordered it back in August and just got almost a month ago.


But, if I were gonna get a whole new bike I think I'd err towards the Diverge Expert E5 Evo instead of the Sirrus based on reviews. I'm no longer chasing PR's, ha ha, just commuting and family fun. I also have an e bike and a stumpjumper for other needs.

All the NorCal dealers I contacted have said the same thing, no more new bikes until early Spring '21. Between being the end of the year and the pandemic, everyone is sold out. That's what got me thinking on chopping up the Roubaix into something else. I know it's so old it's not worth anything to sell anyways so I might as well experiment with weirdness!


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