Miyata Flat Bar Conversion

If you only know about us from our Socials, it might seem like we’re constantly and exclusively churning out ultra-fancy brand-spankin’ new builds left and right. Though that may not technically be wrong, our real bread n’ butter is keeping decades old machines riding smooth, with everything from minor tweaks to a part upgrade to a full-bore rebuild. One recurring job is the flat-bar conversion. Come in to either C&L location and you’ll see racks of handlebar options, because we believe it’s one of the most important parts that determine how your bike rides and feels! Over the years, we’ve swapped tons of ill-fitted drop bars for wider, comfier flat or upright bars. Drop bars have their place, no doubt. But riding around the city with an imitation race bike fit so commonly found with road bikes is bound to be downright unpleasant for most people after a while. We’ll be occasionally highlighting a few favourite bar swaps from here on out!

The story we know of this Miyata Triple Cross starts with a somewhat aggro cockpit comprised of a long stem and narrow, deep drop bars. Florence, wanting to tap into the then-nascent gravel bike craze, requested an adaptation of a very suitable candidate for the job. A quick stem and handlebar replacement and gearing down to a 1x drivetrain did the trick!

Fast forward a few years to this summer, Florence came back for it's next transformation:

Townie Mode.

Same Velo Orange stem, but now with a Velo Orange Curvy handlebar for even more comfort and control on everyday rides. ESI silicone grips add some extra comfort.

#savethetriplecrank

We know how Bill and Simon feel about triples. They’re great and add a ton of versatility to an already very capable bike. Off with the 1x crank and back with the triple! Smooth friction shifting is provided by Shimano bar-end shifters mounted on Rivendell Silver shifter mounts. Tektro FL540 brake levers and the original Shimano 200CX cantilevers supply the stoppage.

Funny enough, this bike has pretty much fully circled back to it’s semi-original state, per the 1992 Miyata catalogue:

Though I’m sure Florence is as glad as I am that straight narrow bars get to stay in the past.

Photos by Troy