[pcaley]

A few weeks ago I came off my gravel bike and put a big hole in the top of one of the rubber hood covers. I have bought a replacement pair but on inspection it looks as though fitting them without removing the levers from the bars (and disconnecting the brake hose and shifter cable) is going to be difficult, as the rubber is going to have to stretch a lot in order to pull over the lever body. Can it be done without permanently deforming the rubber, and if so using what technique?

Cheers

P 

Topic

[Jimmy Ray Will]

As mentioned, alcohol based,

As mentioned, alcohol based, or similar, hand gel / santiser plus a good bit of elbow grease will get you there.

Another trick would be to leave the new hood in direct sunlight for 10-20mins before application to encourage it to expand. 

In reality its not as difficult as you expect, the biggest challenge for me was using enough santiser to enable movement, but not too much that I couldn’t grip the hood. 

Good luck!

[Cristox]

I have done it to my Ultegra
I have done it to my Ultegra levers without removing anything but the old cover. I used rubbing alcohol to make the cover a little slippery and then pulled it over with force. No deformation.
Never use silicone spray or similar. The rubber will swell and deform.

[Hirsute]

p98, 99

p98, 99

https://si.shimano.com/api/publish/storage/pdf/en/dm/GADBR01/DM-GADBR01-06-ENG.pdf

To remove and install the bracket cover, remove the brake hose and shifting cable from the lever, then remove the lever from the handlebar.

If possible, you may also remove the brake caliper from the frame and leave the brake hose connected. You can then pass the bracket cover over the hose and caliper to remove/install it.

[Author]

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