Bicycle Mechanics - Possible to adjust 105 brake lever position?

good day all ...

i have a friend, a small friend, that rides a 26" trek road bike, her hands are small and she has problems getting to the brake levers if shes in the drops. is there any way to adjust the default position on shimano 105 brake levers?

-- michael

Michael,

My wife had the same problem with reach. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the reach on the Shimano 105 shifter set. However, there are two things you can do:

1) Replace the 105 shifters with Shimano Ultegra R600 Short Reach (http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Ultegra+STI+Shift+Lever+R600+short+reach&vendorCode=SHIM&major=1&minor=20) shifters. These shifters are great for those who prefer a shorter reach to the levers.

"OR"

2) Replace the handlebar with a women's specific design (i.e. Specialized Women's Road Handlebar MSRP $50). A women's handlebar has the benefit of narrower widths and easier reach to the brake levers in both the hoods and drops.

Hope this helps,


:D

Ed

ok, cool, thanks for the help :-)

-- michael

Well, actually you can. My daughter is 4'8" and has hands to match. Her single-bike came with 105 levers stock. Reach was too far so I looked at the R600 brake levers mentioned above, but the cost scared me off.

So...I found a pair of the R600 levers at the LBS and examined them closely. As far as I can tell, they are 95% standard Ultegra levers with one small exception: They have two sets of small wedges (different thicknesses for different reach adjustment) which can be inserted into the hoods to effectively shorten the reach by "pre-tensioning" the levers and moving them closer to the bar. The drawback is that the levers sit closer to the bars, shortening the travel before the levers hit the bars. However, this isn't a problem with properly adjusted brakes.

Actually, it's a pretty low-tech, light, effective, solution.

I figured I could manufacture the same thing and retro-fit the existing 105 levers.

So...I did. I took a 3/8" thick sheet of very firm, close-cell foam rubber, carefully cut it (well, maybe not as carefully as I could...notice the rough edges), and I cemented them into the body. Notice that the shims are fixed to the body, not the levers. I always intended these to be a proof-of-concept pair and take more time to cut a better-looking set later. But these ended up working so well, I've left them alone so far.

As you can see, the levers have even survived a crash without coming loose; even if the shims fall out, the brakes will still work, they'll just have a longer reach. She's got about 1000 miles on this solution without a single problem.

However, as you're effectively modifying the levers, you're on your own as to what happens...I take no responsibility, yada yada...

But, I wouldn't risk my daughter's life if I didn't think it'd work safely...

Second shot:

Yes, the shims you can order through any bike shop if you don't want to order them. I use them TONS when fitting women, or smaller guys

hmmm ....

so the shims for the R600 levers will fit the 105 levers? that'd be a nice fix.

Depending on the shape of the bars -- especially with anatomic bars -- sliding the levers up or down the curve changes the distance between the lever and the handlebar. Sometimes, the few mm you gain might be enough.

yes, i've tried to get mona to let me fiddle with the position or to take it into the shop but she's resisted that for some reason :-\

-- michael

Arsbars, do you have a part number for the shims you use?

Not on hand, and sorry for the long reply for a negative answer.