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I can’t reach the brake levers!

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  • December 30, 2014 at 9:26 pm #22929
    darrenleroy

    I bought a second-hand Bianchi which features a Record group set. On the hoods I can operate the brake levers easy enough but in the drops I struggle to reach them comfortably (I have small hands). This makes me nervous riding in the drops, especially downhill.

    Does anyone know of a way to adjust the levers so they sit closer to the bars for a shorter reach? Or do I have to buy a new pair of levers?

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
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  • January 4, 2015 at 11:36 pm #824697
    0
    ajmarshal1

    Deda RHM. My five foot
    Deda RHM. My five foot nothing girlfriend with hands like a baby meerkat can reach the levers with them.

    January 4, 2015 at 10:37 pm #824695
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    darrenleroy

    The FSA Compacts look
    The FSA Compacts look suitable as well:

    What do you think?

    January 4, 2015 at 10:17 pm #824693
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    darrenleroy

    therevokid wrote:for a bloke

    therevokid wrote:
    for a bloke i have quite small hands and campagnolo chorus ergos. i did find that
    anatomical bars just don’t work. i now have deda newton shallow on one bike and
    deda speciale 26 on the other. perfect now !
    Apologies for the upside down tape measure ;)

    These bars look about right for me. I’m going to visit Imperial Cycles in Isleworth or Bicycle in Richmond as they both look like they might know what they’re on about! I’ll pick their brains. Hopefully they might have some levers on bars similar to mine so I can have a good feel.

    January 4, 2015 at 9:54 pm #824691
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    darrenleroy

    Thanks for the advice,
    Thanks for the advice, Manglier and Crikey. I’ve realised the anatomic bars curve away too sharply at exactly the point I want my hands to rest in the drops which means I have to reposition them if I want to comfortably reach the brake levers (not what you want when hurtling down hill).

    I will go and have a work at my LBS and see what they might offer me in the way of a new bar. The classic shape seems the best option right now.

    January 4, 2015 at 10:27 am #824689
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    Abbie

    I Had a similar problem of
    I Had a similar problem of reach. Hoods and Brakes. I put a shorter Stem on first. Then Changed the Bars to the FSA Omega compacts, now use the drops with ease.
    For the brakes (i use Shim 105) I have to slacked the cables, so I can grab the lever first and squeeze it in before they even engage (not Ideal) but it works for me.

    January 3, 2015 at 10:24 pm #824687
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    darrenleroy

    Do you have a pic you could
    Do you have a pic you could post, monty dog?

    January 3, 2015 at 7:02 pm #824685
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    monty dog

    I have small hands and
    I have small hands and Campagnolo Mk2 Record Ergos – they aren’t adjustable / come with wedges so it’s simply down to finding a suitable handlebar. FSA Compact and Ritchey WCS Compact work well for me but bar angle / lever position is critical. Anatomic bars don’t work well with Ergos IME. I ride 90% of the time on the hoods – even for CX where big handfuls of brakes are a necessity.

    January 3, 2015 at 2:01 pm #824683
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    Flying Scot

    I have a set of Cinelli ergo
    I have a set of Cinelli ergo bars with Record, and the reach is fine, but the bars have more distance of top curve than yours, the levers are lower down, and the drops are parallel to the floor.

    I also checked a set of modolo Tao ergo bars I had on the shelf, they’re the same shape as the Cinelli’s, some think going to a shop and looking at different bar shapes is the way forward.

    January 3, 2015 at 2:00 pm #824681
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    therevokid

    for a bloke i have quite
    for a bloke i have quite small hands and campagnolo chorus ergos. i did find that
    anatomical bars just don’t work. i now have deda newton shallow on one bike and
    deda speciale 26 on the other. perfect now !
    Apologies for the upside down tape measure đŸ˜‰

    January 3, 2015 at 10:54 am #824679
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    crikey

    Take great care when you mess
    Take great care when you mess about with the position of Campag levers…

    http://road.cc/content/forum/133064-i-feel-crying-campagnolo-ergo-cracking-woes

    I’d be looking at a compact handlebar; those ‘anatomic’ style bars are anything but, and a compact bar will work better all round.

    http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/road-drop-bar-geometry/

    January 3, 2015 at 10:34 am #824677
    0
    Spangly Shiny

    From your pictures I think
    From your pictures I think that your hoods may be a tad too high on the front curve of the bar. If they were a bit lower down the ends of the levers would be closer in.
    The front curve on your bar is quite tight so a small change here would give a relatively large change in lever position.
    To maintain the hoods at the same angle you would then need to rotate the bars up slightly.
    Imagine loosening the hoods and the stem and, keeping the hoods in the same position, rotating the bar up (clockwise in the photos).

    January 3, 2015 at 7:08 am #824675
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    CanAmSteve

    A set of bars that have a
    A set of bars that have a more classic round curve would allow you to get a bit closer. You might also experiment with the angle of the bars – just loosen the cap on the stem a bit and play around (without riding – that wouldn’t be safe).

    For example, if you move the shifters further down the bars a bit, then tilt the bar up to be where you want when riding on the hoods, you might find you can reach the brakes a bit better from the drops. You’d have to remove the tape but it’s a lot cheaper than new bars. As mentioned, Shimano shifters have inserts that bring the levers in closer if desired. I have a collection of them (big hands đŸ™‚

    January 2, 2015 at 9:01 pm #824673
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    HalfWheeler

    Holy shit…
    Not sure if new
    Holy shit…

    Not sure if new bars will make a difference. The length of the hoods are the issue here I think. As they all come a standard size I’m not sure what you could do.

    I’m not being funny here but maybe the brake levers you get on kids high end road bikes are of a different size?

    January 2, 2015 at 8:56 pm #824671
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    darrenleroy

    Here’s a pic of the bars.
    Here’s a pic of the bars.

    January 2, 2015 at 8:53 pm #824669
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    darrenleroy

    I’ve attached a pic. I can
    I’ve attached a pic. I can reach the breaks easier if I shift the v between my thumb and forefinger a bit higher up towards the bottom of the hood but I can’t ride in that position and I want to immediately be able to reach for the lever without shifting. I think I have the wrong bars.

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