Bicycle Mechanics - Brake handles for weak hands

My 10-year-old daughter has a nerve problem that interferes with her hand strength. She recently started riding a geared bike but has problems using the hand brakes effectively.

Has anybody ever seen hand brake handles that are positioned closer to the handlebar so that a young person's fingers will wrap more completely around the handbrake handle, allowing them to get better leverage and squeeze the handle better?

I've looked around and it seems almost all handbrakes are positioned the same distance from the handlebar. I know I could have a shop modify the handles she's got, but I'd rather buy something specially made if I can find it.

Can anybody help me on this?

Thanks.

-------- Rick Alber

Rick,
Welcome to BF.

You didn't say if your daughter has a road, mountain, or hybrid bike so here goes.

Most bikes that are made specifically for women have brake levers with a shorter reach. I know a 10 year old is not quite a woman, but that is where I'd start.
Visit a few bike shops that sell "womens" bikes.

Here are some road bike examples to ask about:
Trek 2000 WSD
Specialized Allez A1 Elite
Terry Cycles (Terry makes only womens bikes)
Canondale Feminine

Here are a few mountain bike examples to ask about:
Marin Bear Valley Feminina
Trek 8000 WSD
Fisher Paragon GS
Specialized Stumpjumper M4 Comp Womens

If the shop has or can order these bikes, they can also get the brakes, and hopefully can make them fit your daughter's bike.

Good luck

You do not need to go to a shop. Most brake lever's have a reach adjustment. You need a metric allen wrench, size either 2 or 2.5 mm off hand I forget. You simply loosen the brake cable at the fixing bolt, and turn the reach adustment screw on the brake lever in until she is comfortable with it. The screw should be located under the barrel adjuster of the lever. It is a small allen head screw. Not the one that tightens it to the bar. By turning the reach in it pushes the lever closer to the bar. Once you get it to where she likes it tighten the brake cable back up. Be sure when you do this that you grab the calipers of the brake, push them in with one hand pull the slack out of the cable, back the calipers off about 2 or 3 mm then tighten the cable.

The stiffness of the brake lever action is controlled by the springs in the brakes. What kind of brakes does she have ? Are they calliper (like a scissor action), cantelever (pivoting on each fork blade, with a straddle wire), or V-brakes (on the fork blades, with the cable going directly onto the long brake arms).

If your daughter is having real problems, then the solution may be to use a pedal operated brake, so she can apply her whole body weight.
Look at the the internal geared hubs by Sachs and the Shimano Nexus range. These are not cheap, but can be moved from bike to bike as your daughter grows.