STI vs non-STI brake levers (not a shifting question)
05-26-09, 10:23 AM
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STI vs non-STI brake levers (not a shifting question)
It seems that with most STI brake levers the brake lever itself is more contoured to follow the lines of the brake hood, and then the bar underneath, whereas non-STI levers seem to mostly just go straight down. Is this just my imagination? I've found standard aero levers hard to brake with from the hood position, but haven't really tried the STI, although in pictures they appear more hand-friendly. Am I seeing things?
05-26-09, 10:34 AM
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I find the brake levers on both STI and Ergo are closer than the old brake levers without shifters. Not sure about the actual curving or contour, but they tended to stick out more to the front. But maybe it was because those were from the days when braking wasn't expected to be done from the hoods that much. Pre-dual pivot road caliper brakes needed more finger pressure, plus the old sidepulls couldn't be adjusted as close to the rim, and so you needed good, long leverage from the hooks.
05-26-09, 10:39 AM
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Some of the apparent lever position is attributable to handlebar shape. The more recent "ergo" bars have a different shape to the hooks and can run closer to the brake levers than the older bend designs.
05-26-09, 12:04 PM
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I think the pivot has moved further up in the hood with STIs. As someone with small hands, I also agree that braking from brifters is a lot easier.
05-27-09, 02:13 AM
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A good, modern pair of non-STI brake levers are shaped just as nicely, if not better than STI / ergo levers. On my road bike, I have a Cane Creek SCR-5C lever on one side and an Ultegra-6600 brifter on the other (a brifter is only necessary for rear shifting, for front shifting, I use a down-tube lever, just like Lance did in the mountain stages of the TdF in the old days). I like the shape of the hood and the lever of the Cane Creek better than the Ultegra brifter. The same Cane Creek lever is also sold with Tektro branding, normally for a cheaper price.
