# Giant Rapid drop bar conversion



## mayamon (Feb 24, 2010)

I want to buy a giant rapid 4 as to use on my commute to work. I have a very easy commute, it's short and mostly bike bath the whole way (7.6) miles but i will have to ride through rain occasionally (Northern Ca). I'm in college so i don't exactly have the largest budget and would prefer to by a road bike, but the rapid has larger tires and i would be able to attach fenders / a rack in the back (i think). Also the $600 price tag doesn't hurt.

1.Only problem is I really do not like the flat bars, so my question is how difficult / expensive would it be to convert the rapid 4 to drop bars?

2. Is there a better choice for a commuter bike than the rapid 4 at a similar price range? (or comparable in price after the drop bar conversion as an added cost). 

3. If i was to buy a road bike how many of you commute in yours daily? How do you feel about the rain / deal with it?

Thanks for any help or advice


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Hiya, Mayamon. Swapping flat or riser bars for drops is certainly possible- my commuter/tourer is an old mtb refitted with dropbars and I`m not alone by a long shot. It is a bit dicey, though. Brakes and shifters present an issue, but usually easy to solve with a stash of spare parts or a credit card. The big crap shoot is whether or not you`ll be able to get drop bars in a comfortable position on a frame that was most likely designed with a longer and lower top tube. Personally, I`d say that it only makes sense to try that if you alread you have the bike and want to turn it into a different critter. Since you`re still shopping, I recomend shopping for a bike that`s already pretty much what you want to end up with.

For $600 you`re starting to get into some nice commute bikes, but I think mostly with flat bars- probably some dropbars too, but none come to mind. I`m guessing a new roadbike is possible, but my first preference is for used stuff anyways. Plenty of good pickins in used road bikes at that price point.

I do commute daily by bike, but like I mentioned above, my commuter isn`t a road bike and my road bike isn`t set up for commuting. Rain? I see that on the weather channel sometimes. Don`t often see it in person.


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## mayamon (Feb 24, 2010)

Thanks, i was afraid it wouldn't be that simple. If i had it my way i'd buy a road bike and a commuter but just can't afford that yet. I want a bike to commute to work but to also ride on the weekends for longer rides, which is why the flat bars aren't ideal.
Does anyone have suggestions for road / drop bar bikes that can be used as a commuter? Towards the end of the year i should have enough saved up to just buy a dedicated road bike, but in the meantime I would still like to commute with something similar (and one i can still have fun with on weekends).

Thanks again

Also:
I was considering the Trek 1.1, specialized allez, and marin lombard (haven't heard much about this one).
Basically I'm looking for a decent road bike (or close to it) that i can have saddle bags and fenders to ride to work / long rides on the weekend. I don't want anything too expensive so i won't worry about riding in the rain (not often, but it does happen). 
What would be a better choice? (or any other bike i haven't listed, those are just the ones that caught my eye so far)


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Unless your commute presents some really unusual challenges or you`re talking about racing for you noncommute rides, you really shouldn`t have a problem finding a single bike that suits you well for both purposes. I don`t use my roadie for commuting because my tourer does it better- that doesn`t mean it wouldn`t work well if I didn`t have the other option. In fact, if my commute were longer, I`d rather put lights and a rack on the roadie and let the tourer gather dust between outings. What kind of commute are you talking? Length, traffic, road and weather conditions, how much daily cargo? How `bout your road rides?

In general, a bike that allows fenders (since you mentioned rain), doesn`t restrict you to 23mm tires, and prefferably with rack mounts (that can be overcome, but it`s easier if the frame takes racks into account) should do you well. Off the top of my head, Jamis Aurora, Novara Randonee, Surly LHT and Crosscheck, Bianchi Volpe, Fuji Touring- all about twice your stated budget, but take a look and get some ideas. Then take a look at what similar offerings are available from discount vendors or start checking Craigslist. It won`t be hard to find a good bike for $600.


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## mayamon (Feb 24, 2010)

Well my commute is ridiculously easy. Little over 7 miles each way, bike trail and nice roads for the duration. Weekend trips are not races either just for fun. That's why i was looking around the $600 range, since neither commute or weekend rides will be too intensive. It doesn't rain too much around here, but i'm sure the few times it does i will not want to be without fenders.
As for storage i don't need a lot, just enough for a change of clothes. I'm looking at the bikes you suggested (thanks for that) but they do seem to be a little more than i want to spend right now. 

To clarify though putting storage / fenders on a road bike wouldn't be too much of an issue? If so this makes things a lot easier since i can just choose a entry level road bike and use that to get to and from work (instead of trying to find some middle ground bike).

Thanks again


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

By storage, you mean cargo racks? The usual method is with a bolt into a threaded hole near the rear dropout for the bottom (this part actually sustains the weight of the rack) and rods or steel straps from the top front of the rack to either the brake bridge or threaded "bosses" on the upper seatstays (just to keep it from pivoting). This route is a piece of cake as long as the frame has the holes you need. If not, the options include clamps, seat post racks, skewer mounted racks, and probably others- depends on exactly what your circumstances are, but usually still not too bad. For that matter, if you drove in on Mondays with a weeks worth of work clothes and drove Fridays to pick up a weeks worth of dirties, you probably would be fine with just a handlebar bag.

Full fenders are mostly dependent on how much space you have available- road racing bikes generally won`t have room for them, so you`d need some kind of clipons. Touring bikes are at the other end of the space scale- normally have tons of room for fat tires and/or fenders. There`s a huge "in between" area, too- chances are you`ll be able to come up with some way to do it on any given bike. Full fenders normally mount to similar threaded holes near the dropouts, to the brake bridge or fork crown, and to the chainstay bridge, but there are some work-arounds if you don`t get all those niceties just like there are for racks. From what I understand, working them through sidepull brakes can be kind of a hassle, but lots of folks manage it. My fendered bike has cantis, so no issue. 

Of the bikes you mentioned, the Trek 1.X series and the Allez are designed as "road" bikes, so obviously would do great at that. As commuters, there would be compromises (limited tire and fender clearance, racks and fenders) but you could pull it off if you had your heart set on one of those models or if you happened into a great deal on one. The Marin you mentioned (I hadn`t heard of it either) is on the other end of the spectrum- looks like it was designed with touring or commuting in mind (same thing, really) and would work for road riding with some compromises (weight, "slow" tires, wide spread between gears). Again, if you had your heart set on it, or if you found a screaming deal on one you could definitely make it work for you. Maybe with two sets of wheels, even.

Here`s another possibility:
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1072929_-1_1500502_20000_1500505

Seven miles isn`t super long, but it`s nothing to sneeze at either- probably about average and it`s twice as long as mine. Out of curiosity, where in NorCal are you? I`m going to "chime out" now and let you get somebody else`s perspective.


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## mayamon (Feb 24, 2010)

Don't really have my heart set on any bike yet, just looking at different ones in my price range. Looks like i could go with a road bike but it'd be pretty tight on space for fenders and storage. The schwinn looks just about perfect actually. My commute isn't super long and on the weekends i'm not trying to set any speed records so the bike i'm looking for wouldn't have to be top of the line for either situation. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm in sacramento, so I do get enough rain to have to worry about it.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Sac, eh? You ever go out and play on that J. Smith American River trail? My wife and I drive down there from Reno sometimes. We`re both suckers for bikepaths and that`s the coolest one we know of. Oh, yeah- don`t forget about Craigs List. Being a fairly big metro area, there`s always something interresting down that way.


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## transplant (Jan 7, 2005)

You should look at used bikes, an issue there is getting the correct fit.

Also, a crosscheck of long haul trucker are very versatile and can probably do both jobs. They can be had brand new for as little as $800, but will probably be at a bike shop, leftover from last year. (that's where I got mine!)

I wouldn't bother with a flat bar to drop bar conversion for all of the reasons RyR posted. Also, shifters would be different.

One thing not to discount - advances in handlebars these days. There are plenty of bars that offer comfortable hand positions, (titec h-bar, on-one Mary) that may allow you to find something that works with the flat bar bike.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

mayamon said:


> Only problem is I really do not like the flat bars, so my question is how difficult / expensive would it be to convert the rapid 4 to drop bars?


Just to answer that question, but it's not a recommendation: you need the bar, Shimano 8-speed triple brake-shifters (ST-2200), bar tape, a stem and perhaps new brake- and shift cables. Around $ 250 could do it, with the ST-2200 brake-shifters at $ 140 or so being the most expensive item. But the plasticky ST-2200s are at the low end of Shimano brake-shifter hierarchy, so you're really not getting much for your money in my view. (An alternative to the brake-shifters would be Shimano SL-BS50 8-speed bar-end shifters, which can be had for about $70. That would be my choice if I had to do the conversion).

Just a thought: perhaps you're giving the drop bars too much credit? The larger tires and heavier wheels of the Rapid 4 will slow you down much more than going on the drops of a drop bar would speed you up. Also keep in mind that many people on racy bikes might as well have flat bars because they never use the drops—just look around you. (If you're considering drop bars for the comfort different hand positions give you, I agree that this is an excellent reason).

/w


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## StageHand (Dec 27, 2002)

Would this be a second bike or your only bike? A lot of us commute on our main road bikes, and buy them and maintain them knowing the conditions that they'll be exposed to. If this is a second bike for you, I'd just keep it stock with the flat bar. If not, then this may not be the bike you want.


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## mayamon (Feb 24, 2010)

The American river trail is awesome. It's also a great way of getting across town and pretty much acts like a bike highway which is great.
I've given up on the conversion idea pretty much. I wanted the drop bars for comfort (like i said i'm not breaking any speed records here)  But i'll give the flat bars a test ride and see if I like them.
This would be my only bike, my only concern was that the road bike wouldn't be able to accommodate fenders and storage but it sounds like a lot of people are using their road bikes to commute as well. So i'm convinced, I'm going to look for a entry level road bike now and commute on that.
For those of you that have put fenders / a rack on the back of your road bikes what are some of the more accommodating models? (around 5-900$).


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## StageHand (Dec 27, 2002)

mayamon said:


> The American river trail is awesome. It's also a great way of getting across town and pretty much acts like a bike highway which is great.
> I've given up on the conversion idea pretty much. I wanted the drop bars for comfort (like i said i'm not breaking any speed records here)  But i'll give the flat bars a test ride and see if I like them.
> This would be my only bike, my only concern was that the road bike wouldn't be able to accommodate fenders and storage but it sounds like a lot of people are using their road bikes to commute as well. So i'm convinced, I'm going to look for a entry level road bike now and commute on that.
> For those of you that have put fenders / a rack on the back of your road bikes what are some of the more accommodating models? (around 5-900$).


Actually, many bikes in that range will accommodate fenders and racks. Not all of them, though. Giant, for example doesn't have any road bikes that have fender/rack mounts. Also consider entry level cross bikes (Giant TCX 2). I'm giving Giant examples, since that's what I know you have access to. Look at as many different shops and brands and bikes as you can, though. Let them know what you're looking for, what's acceptable, what's not-acceptable: the more information they have, the more they can help.


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## Fallguy007 (Jul 5, 2009)

*an idea*

Felt dispatch is a bike you may want to consider. You can mount a rack it's $699 but it's only 18lbs so having fun on the weekends is a sure thing. Yes it's a single speed but for commuting on relativly flat ground I actually perfer that. At any rate good luck with whatever you get.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Totally unfashionable, but...*

if you can bring yourself to consider touring bikes as road bikes (which, in my view, they are), I would take a look at a few even if you have to hold your nose. Truth be told, I've never seen anyone get dropped on a recreational group ride because they rode a tourer, even if it had 700 x 32 tires on it. Just as an example, the REI Novara Randonee goes for $999. It can be made "faster" with narrower, slick tires if you feel you need to. The Raleigh Clubman might be worth a look as well if you can get it discounted—fenders are already on it. I don't work for REI or have any interest in REI's financial well-being.
http://www.rei.com/product/796696
http://www.rei.com/product/796450

/w


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## fortuity (Apr 23, 2012)

*Giant Rapid, the final review*

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to pipe in input as someone who has owned the Rapid 3 since its inception in 2010 and hasn't sold it (haha). 

Basically, it fit up to the bill of being marketed as a "fitness" pseudo-road bike that really actually was sold as a fast and light commuter hybrid bike. 

As for conversions, like previous posters said, do not do it. It has nothing to do with the bars itself, but by the ride feel. Short story, the Rapid is not a road bike because of geometry. If you are hunched forward, all the vibration will enter your arms and easily wear out your upper back. Only a hybrid stance lets you remain comfortable over long periods. Similarly to achieve the positioning for road bike stance (and not over-extend the seat post) you will have to drop the stem all the way down to the frame and thus leave a very exposed and awkward steerer tube. As well, balance is off. I've tested and tried it all and it just doesn't work. If you've tested the Defy too, you will know immediately the difference.

I think for a lot of people who want to get serious about bicycling, you should just go ahead and try to learn a road bike. Hybrid/upright stances are not very ergonomic and you will find quickly that wind resistance (YOU the person) is the biggest problem regardless of all the fancy components in your arsenal. And actually I find panniers are balance/ weight problems when you're upright than on a road bike.

As such I would classify the Rapid a city, short-touring bike -- one that I have used diligently with a good backpack. It's "fitness" marketing label is silly because enthusiasts default to road bike since you have to ride for a long time for cycling to be fitness. The fact the newer Rapids now go to 700x25s is rather ridiculous, it's a harsh ride on the forearms and anyway its been scientifically proven that 700x28s roll longer.


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