jpd73

I did a few searches but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. I want to switch the bars on my road bike from drop to riser (mtn. type) bars. My question is regarding my brake levers. Are there any brake levers compatible with caliper style brakes that will go with the riser bars? All the levers I've seen seem to be for "V" brakes not caliper style. Any help is appreciated.

Jimmy

illwafer

i'm just going off my head, but i'm 99% sure v-brake levers pull a lot more cable than other levers because v-brakes require it. therefore, v-brake levers should work fine for all brakes, however you need v-brake levers for v-brakes.

personally, i like the cheap "interrupter/cross" levers you can get at performance for 19.99. you can put them on any handlebars, which is nice if you decide to go back to drops.

fuzz2050

v brake levers pull more cable, but they do so with less mechanical advantage. You can set up your bike with v-brakes levers and calipers, but it would require twice as much hand power to stop.

I suggest not.

Cantilevers require the same cable pull as calipers, so try looking for cantilever brake levers.

Pepper Grinder

v-brake levers pull twice the cable at half the force. terrible idea.

the interrupter/cross levers will be fine.

urodacus

Avid make some variable-pull levers which worked well on a conversion i did recently.

sunburst

I've used these Performance levers twice with good results: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5220

The first time was converting a road bike with shimano 105 calipers. The second was with a mixte and old Mafac centerpulls. They have a solid feel, and worked great in both cases. They have a internal cable stop for V-brakes, or calipers. And I found them for as low as $14.

JiveTurkey

As other have mentioned, get levers designed for caliper or cantilever brakes (NOT V-brakes). There are some levers that are designed to work with either type (there are two possible cable-end anchor positions).

Does your road bike have multiple gears? What are your current shifters? If they are bar-mounted (like STIs or bar-ends). You'll need new shifters.

If you use flat-bar mounted shifters, you may need a Shimano flat-bar road front deraillaur, which uses the same cable-pull ratio as MTB flat-bar front shifter, but allows the use of a chainring up to 52 or 53 teeth (whereas most MTB front derailleurs are designed for up to 44 or 48T max).

jpd73

Thanks for all the replys. The bike is a single speed so I don't have to worry about shifters. It seems I may have run into another problem. All the levers i've found are for a 7/8" handlebar, the bar I bought is 1". Will the lever clamps compensate for the difference? I'm not looking for high end levers, just some levers that work good and are some what affordable.

Thanks,

Jimmy

thesmokingman

I just did the opposite of what you want to do. I bought a used bike where the original owner took off the Ultegra brifters and put on a flat bar with thumbshifters and canti levers. It was 9 speed so it worked fine, but 10 speed... not so sure.

Campag4life

Is the bar really 1"=25.4mm? Generally the two sizes are 7/8" as you mentioned and 15/16 = 23.8mm OD. Most run 25.4 or 1 inch clamps however unless they are a road bar which is sometimes 26.0mm.
Flat bar or mountain bike levers generally won't bolt up to the larger bar as the clamps are designed for a 7/8" bar.
Hope that helps..

JiveTurkey

There are generally two diameters on a given bar: where the stem clamps it and everywhere else.

The 1" bar likely refers to its stem clamp diameter. The rest (like where the brake levers attach) is going to be 7/8".

dabac

No, v-brake cable pull is "only" about 30% more than canti brake cable pull.

Force? Well, that depends on what you're putting in there. There IS a difference in mechanical advantage of course but the influence of that is far smaller than the range of the normal human adjustability.
Anyone who's capable of riding in the rain, or on bikes with stainless steel rims (and rim brakes) is (or should be) well capable of riding with mismatched brakes/levers.

(Assuming, of course, that there aren't any mechanical limitations like levers bottoming out or so)