fishywasabi

Hey,

I just got my first road bike, a '79 Nishiki Custom Sport, and was considering swapping out the existing brake levers for a newer (and cheap) pair from a local shop. I suspect the original hoods were some gummy material and after 30+ years of use, it seems they stuck to the levers quite well, and left a residue. For aesthetic reasons, I'd also like to wrap over the brake lines. Was there anything in particular I have to look for in a brake lever, like compatibility with type of braking system, etc? Or were these just one-size-fits-all type of components?

Some pics here:
https://imgur.com/a/8SwYr#0

Cheers,
Eric

HillRider

There are two basic types of brake levers, "road" and "V-brake".

Road levers have a higher mechanical advantage, pull less cable length and are compatible with cantilever, sidepull and center pull caliper brakes and a few road specific mechanical disc brakes. Tektro's R200 levers are typical of this design.

V-brake levers have a lower mechanical advantage, pull more cable and are compatible with V-brakes and most mechanical disc brakes. Tektro's RL520 levers fall in this catagory.