How to Convert an MT Bike to Road Brakes

Road style brakes were used on the first mountain bikes because there were no mountain bike specific options available. Flat bars and mountain-style flat brake levers had not yet been manufactured. Some mountain bike purists still favor this old-school setup, and feel that road-style drop bars and brake levers provide for greater control and stopping power in the dirt. Get back to mountain biking's roots by installing road bike-style brakes on your mountain bike.

Things You'll Need

• Road brake levers
• Drop bars
• Bar tape
• Needle-nose pliers
• Hex wrench set
• Road brake cables
• Road shifter cables

Instructions

1. Set the bike in a dedicated work stand on its kickstand so it won't fall over while you are working.

2. Use a hex wrench to loosen the cable stops on both the front and rear derailures and the front and rear brakes, as well as the handlebar clamp bolts. Pull the old handlebars off of the bike and allow any cables to come off with them (but leave the housing) as they can't be used with road bike brake/shifters.

3. Use the hex wrench to attach the drop handlebars to the bicycle's stem. Set the bars at a comfortable angle and tighten them so they do not twist in the stem clamp.

4. Slide the right and left road brake/shifters onto the drop bars on the correct sides. Using a hex wrench, tighten the brake clamp bolt found underneath the rubber hood on each brake/shifter.

5. Insert a road brake cable into the brake cable opening of each of the brake/shifters. Insert a road shifter cable into the shifter cable opening of each of the brake/shifters. Slide each cable through its corresponding cable housing. For reference, the right shifter cable goes to the rear derailure, the right brake cable goes to the rear brake, the left shifter cable goes to the front derailure, and the left brake cable goes to the front brake.

6. One at a time, pull each cable tight in the derailure or brake cable stop and tighten the cable stop using a hex wrench. When all four cables are tight, tape the brake housing from each brake lever to the inside curve of the handlebars using electrical or scotch tape.

7. Test ride the bike, checking for correct actuation of the brakes and shifters. If any need to be tightened (shifts slowly or not at all/brakes lack stopping power) or loosened (shifts multiple gears at a time/brakes drag) make these adjustments and test ride the bike again until you are satisfied with its performance. Remember, a bike will always act differently in a stand than it will under the weight of a rider.

8. Tape the handlebars with new bar tape by wrapping the tape from the bottom of the drops to the stem counter-clockwise. Finish the bar tape off with some electrical tape and go for a nice long ride on your new road brake setup.

References

• The Big Blue Book Of Bicycle Repair; 2009; Park Tool