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Quite like the idea of a dropbar conversion on my winter MTB but struggling a little with the best options.Â
It has a mechanical SRAM GX drivetrain and SRAM Guides. Old but all working fine. Flat bars and 60mm stem.Â
The distance from the saddle to the top of the bars is the same as on my gravel bike (if that helps).
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I'm guessing it'll need a shorter stem. Then working out what levers would work.Â
A corner bar could be a good way to do this so that you can use your current levers and shifters. You might want a little more stack as well or instead of shorter reach
Definitely want proper drop bars.Â
Biggest issues (IMO) with MTB drop bar conversions is Reach and Stack, MTBs have shorter headtubes generally and longer reach and drops extend your reach (when on the hoods) and lower you hand position (when in the drops).Â
I'd look at these numbers and compare them to the figures for an appropriately sized Gravel bike or two and be realistic about how flexible/supple you think you're going to be over winter.Â
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it's possible to address those issues to some extent with shorter stems and/or shallower/flared drops, but it's also a lot of faff potentially for minimal payoff (again IMO)...Â
I'm toying with this too. If I do I think it will use some 11sp SRAM drop bar levers with https://ratiotechnology.com/ to make them 12sp. They do one that will drive a GX mech.
You can use 12 speed sram levers provided they are dot 5. I think ratio sell a kit to convert the deraileur to the correct pull ratio for drop bar levers