Touring - Cyclocross brakes on a Touring Bike

I will be buying my first "true" touring bike soon. I've been riding a mountain bike for commuting, touring, and trail rides for years, so I'm used to mountain bike brakes. The touring bike will be my first real experience with drop handlebars.

For this reason, I'm compelled to have the shop add cyclocross brakes to the touring bike. Has anyone else done this? How much should I expect it to cost? It seems like they would be useful, but maybe I'm just too connected to my mountain bike setup.

A touring bike will usually have cantilever brakes, so I assume you are talking about the brake levers? If so, it's easy to add bar-top brakes. On drawback - it will limit the space you have on the bars for adding a computer, lights, handlebar bag, etc. but there are workarounds.

A touring bike will usually have cantilever brakes, so I assume you are talking about the brake levers? If so, it's easy to add bar-top brakes. On drawback - it will limit the space you have on the bars for adding a computer, lights, handlebar bag, etc. but there are workarounds.

I did mean the levers. I don't really ride with anything on the handlebars during touring or commutes (although I may add a map case this time), so the limited handlebar real estate wouldn't be a problem.

It could be a problem with some handlebar bags.

I add these to all my bikes w/ road bars, as I tend to primarily ride on the bar-tops while commuting in the city, and in the city you really want your brakes right under your fingertips.

You should be able to pick up a pair of cross-style bar-top levers at your local bike shop for about $19.99.
Installation is a snap -- the cable just passes through the hole in the levers. The only thing you need to modify is the brake cable housing -- you neep to snip it in two pieces, right where the cable enters the new lever. You should be able to do this yourself in 15 minutes or less, if you're so inclined... will probably just require rewrapping the top part of the bar tape on your handlebars.

It's a snap.

Sam

I'd add just one at the most. The rear brake is 90% useless, so why have two levers for it?

Next question would be do you want thumbies as well? If not, and you are using bar ends, brifters or downtube shifter, you won't really get the use out of the top mounted levers you tink you will.

I set up my bars so the hoods are the comfort zone, the tops are for tailwinds, and the drops are for headwinds. That's an oversimplification, but just so long as you understand the tops should be set higher on a raod bike than on a flat bar MTB.

I'm running two brakes on the front, and I will be running the standard road levers, and a Paul e-lever on the tops, as soon as I get rigged up with the lever.