rdtompki

I'm converting my wife's drop bar road bike to bullhorns (she likes the bullhorns on the tandem). I'll get 10-spd Shimano bar end shifters, but I'm wondering which companies make brake levers only without shaped hoods and compatible with road brakes. This is a relatively new CF road bike so I'm not compelled to go on the cheap.

BTW, Dura Ace seems to be the only shifter option out there. If someone knows of a less expensive, indexed alternatively I'd certainly consider same.

Before I pull the trigger I'm also looking at trekking bars.

bhchdh 

Crane Creek.
https://canecreek.com/component-other...t=levers-scr-5
https://canecreek.com/component-other...=levers-scr-5c

rdtompki

These are very nice looking levers, but it looks like with the cable routing I would have to mount them "backwards" on the horns. Am I missing something?

reptilezs

are you mounting the levers on tradtional drop bars or a TT/bull horn bar? if for a tt bar there are many bull horn/time tiral levers out on the market

fietsbob

If you go with bar end shifters on the open end and the bar bend is flattish consider these : https://www.velo-orange.com/diacogule.htm

will be able to use sides and back of the bar to reach the lever..

if you go with thumbshifters you can use these in the front end of the bar https://www.velo-orange.com/diacoinbrle.html

I like my Trekking bars , they are 22" wide, so maybe a narrow shouldered female
may feel the spread,
but the stoker bars on a tandem have to be kind of wide to clear the captain's butt, don't they?

bhchdh 

Sorry I missed the part about the bullhorns. These are designed for drop bars.

desertdork

The common brake lever used for bullhorn/TT applications is an inverse lever which mounts to the bar via an internal plug. The shifters themselves are then mounted on the aerobar.

If you wish to mount barend shifters in the ends of the bullhorns, I'm not aware of an inverse lever that will work for you. To my knowledge, you're most reasonable alternative will be a set of interrupter levers (aka "cross levers" and "inline levers"). The brake lever will clamp conventionally to the outer surface of the bar, leaving the open end available for the shifters.

Jeff Wills

The Jtek AeroBrake integrates brake levers into bar-end shifters:
https://jtekengineering.com/AeroBrake.htm

desertdork

Regarding the Jtek Aerobrake: Looks interesting, but it appears it's primary application is as a supplementary lever mounted on an aerobar shifter while the primary levers are inverse levers mounted on bullhorns. While the install looks to be cleaner than using inline levers, I'm in doubt about two things: (1) the stability and security of its mount on the barend shifter body and (2) the possible awkwardness of the offset of the lever in relation to the bar.

Jeff Wills

Nag, nag, nag... what about the other Jtek brake levers?
https://jtekengineering.com/Jtek_Brake_Levers.htm
Or Cinelli Bat levers?
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...71&category=10

fuzz2050

As I recall the J-tek shifters are meant to be 'speed modulators' rather than actual brakes. Of course, I haven't actually used one, I just vaguely remember reading that somewhere, so if anyone has first hand experience, I will yield to that.

And the Cinelli Bat mounts inside the bar, preventing it from being mounted with a bar end shifter.

BCRider

My big issue with using the usual interrupter levers or those J-tech levers is that the ball end of the cable sits in a fixed position instead of a pivoting barrel. This means that the cable is going to be bent as it comes out of the ball end. And that can lead to early brake cable failure. Not a pretty thing.

There was a thread from a couple of years ago where that happened to one member. Fortunetly with a happy ending. One of the levers that came from that thread was an interrupter style that woudl work as a solitary lever that did not use a clamping plug so it left the hole in the end for the shifter. Sadly I cannot remember the name of the company that makes those levers. But those or that style would be the only one I'd trust for long term solitary use.

rdtompki

I did subsequently bump into the aforementioned thread. I'll revisit and look up the lever manufacturer.

zacster

Check the Tektro website. They have lots of different levers for just about every application. I use their R200 road levers on one of my bikes and they are as good as anything out there.

fietsbob

Ski tip bend bullhorn bars may let you use a 60's road lever which has the cable sticking out the top,
with the cable ball and the housing ferrule reversed. . where ever old parts are recycled and sold.