Jaytron

Simple question.

I have 23.8mm cross levers, that I need to put onto a bar that has a 22.2mm grip area. Is it safe to shim these? If so, with the typical beer can shim? I've heard of some people just wrapping the bar in some electrical tape, I'm worried about how safe this is... is it?

Jaytron

I'd assume that it's pretty safe, as it is not a load bearing part of the bike.

rithem

I have used a small section of rubber like the ones they include with bike computers worked fine. or beer can or whatever works really.

yeah it's safe IMO

pmt

Yep, some fairly hard rubber works nicely.

xenologer

have done this before

I wouldn't trust electrical tape to hold up to weather though, melting adhesive
and soda can will not be thick enough

what i did was make nice steel shims
took some old chromoly steel bar ends (22.2mm tubes, thin walls) and cut rings from them
then cut one side to make them split rings
carefully bend them to be wider diameter
debur edges on bench grinder
slides nicely over flat bars and takes up just enough space to let 23.8mm levers clap over them

also was useful in fitting modern road levers onto some older style 22mm tubed drop bars....

just make sure whatever bars you use as shim material isnt too cheap; as the walls will end up being too thick.... nice chromoly ones, not hi-ten
you never know, maybe the very same bars you're putting the cross levers onto could be the source material; they're about an inch too wide anyhow right?

dsbrantjr

You will need a shim of 0.0315" thickness which is very close to 1/32". This is much thicker than beer can material but you should be able to get a very nearly perfect thickness brass or aluminum shim from the K&S Metal display in many hardware and home center stores. Cardboard or plastic would work as well. I would suggest that you avoid rubber as it is advisable to allow brake levers to rotate on the bar upon impact to help avoid damaging them or injuring youself. Even un-shimmed brake levers should not be tightened so much as to be immovable. Rubber will hold too tightly and not allow them to move if needed.

Jaytron

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Electrical tape seems the easiest, as the bike will not be ridden in the rain (girlfriend's bike).

I'll check around for some thicker aluminum shims in the meantime perhaps as the cans didn't work (as mentioned in this thread).

dsbrantjr

I'd suggest that you stay away from electrical and other adhesive tape as they tend to creep and to ooze sticky adhesive. Self-fusing silicone tape might be a better choice; it sticks only to itself so isn't messy and can be removed cleanly. The proper aluminum shim stock would probably be the best choice.

Looigi

With soft shimming it's possible the levers could move at an inopportune time. I'd use metal or possibly hard plastic.

fietsbob

brass shim stock is manufactured to specific thicknesses..

ask at an auto parts store for sources.

pfaustus

Dropping into this old thread to add a bit on sourcing the shims for the next guy searching for an answer. None of the local hardware stores carried shim stock. I struck out at the auto parts store too. Was able to get brass strips of just the right width and .032 inches think from a model train shop. If I did it again, I'd probably go for .025, not .032 which was difficult to get between the bar and the lever clamp.

Aubergine 

Problem Solvers makes various shims for this purpose as well.

fietsbob

Remember, bar top mounted Cross levers simply spread the housing.. making the cable running through them relatively shorter.

Kontact 

Not if you account for this and cut a lever length of housing out where the levers go.