DirtyHarry714

Trying to find a set of hoods that will fit right on my Universal Mod.77 Non Aero Brake levers. I ordered a set of the Cane Creek hoods but they didn't quite fit right on these levers. They were too short and really tight, pretty hard to get on and off (almost ripped a hood in half) I heard a guy used to make the replacement replicas but i'm not looking for Universal hoods, just for some generic ones that will fit nice. Though i would really want the real deal if the price was right.

Anyone that found a set of hoods that will work with these levers or know where i can find Universal hoods, please let me know.

https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.as...118&AbsPos=188

(Also have been on the hunt down for Modolo Hoods)

Teon

Yea, I tried a set of the cane creek hoods on some brake levers on a 1981 Trek, and they're crap. Way too tight and brittle....am already getting cracks and splits in them just from rolling them up to tape the bars. I won't buy them again.....thank goodness they were very inexpensive. Decided to go with a set of cheap aero brake levers with hoods.

dddd

Cane Creek hoods are made from a very long-lasting material, but you can't roll these hoods back as they are very thick in places, which causes some very localized stretching.
Man, for 10-12 bucks, they've helped get lots of decent commuters on the road in style, even if the tan version isn't a very good facsimile of any gum hoods that I remember. They might match tan handlebar tape though.

What I do for taping is to just lift the hoods away from the lever as the tape layup passes by.
I have not had any trouble with bare metal showing using this method. I've often done this with aged hoods such as the precious Mafac full hoods, which are now very hard to find.

A guy named Robbie Fellows produces some handmade rubber hoods for old Campy levers, and another version for Universals.
They're about $50 a pair, shipped (about the same as the handmade Weinmann hoods out of Japan), still less than NOS parts that may be not-so-well-aged.

I've also bought Weinmann-style hoods made in Taiwan, the ones with the 3 chevrons on top. These looked good but the tan version turned white and the black ones cracked after only 2 years. These are still showing up on Ebay I think from Mike Frazee and others.

Sixty Fiver

Would love to find replacement hoods for Universals that do not cost $50.00 a pair... had to be very careful re-wrapping the bars on my old Garlatti as to not damage the well aged Universals and have quite a few other bikes with Universal levers and very poor hoods.

Teon

Thanks for the tips on handlebar wrapping with the cane creek hoods. They look like they would be very long lasting,(as long as one doesn't try to roll them like I did....lol) and yes, agree on the tan color....it's not really a good match for a gum hood, but would work in a pinch. I was going to use them with white bar tape.

Michael Angelo 

I too have and use Universal 77 levers. I had to use the cane creek hoods. When I taped the bars I undid the brake cables at the calipers so as to let the hoods climb up a bit and out of the way.

dbakl

You can sometimes find originals for 40. and sometimes less... I'm always looking for them myself.

dddd

If you bought 2 or 3 pair, the shipping is combined and they come in at $44 or $45 for known-fresh hoods.
My hat's off to the guy, his Campy-style hoods look great and last.

gridplan

I wish I'd known. I threw out a pair about a month ago. I think they were mod. 77s.

dbakl

really?

rootboy 

Threw out? oh, for shame, sir.

gridplan

I knew people liked mod. 61s and 68s, but 77s? I didn't know. I didn't even have the levers, just the hoods.

DirtyHarry714

Doh! Only if i would have posted this a month ago, i've had the levers for four months and still haven't used them.

OldsCOOL

I bought a set of hoods from Niagara for my '85 Trek with aero dia-compe 400 (acer levers) and though they fit nicely tight, the top or point is a bit too tall. Looks like they may fit something newer like brifters. It's the type 287 or something.

Oh well, they look real sharp after putting the nice tape on and it's nice having another place to put my hands.

clasher

I sprung for some handmade reproductions and am very glad to have done so... I don't think 50$ is a bad price at all considering they are handmade niche items that require some skill and dedication to make. One would likely end up spending about 50$ getting a new pair of tekro levers installed on a bike that needs hoods replaced. Sure, it'd be expensive to re-do a whole fleet but there aren't really any other viable alternatives besides wrapping bar tape over them, and that's just a bit too gauche for me (and that's saying something as I'm pretty gauche as a rule)

dddd

+1

I've myself topped out at $35 for hoods (Mafac full hoods) but have payed $40 for the levers with the needed hoods.
I've payed $30 for Shimano Arabesque/DuraAce gum hoods and $30ea for several sets of "blem" (off-color) handmade NuovoRecord hoods.
Luckily the blems look perfect after just a couple of rides.

jjhabbs 

This is all I got. Dia Compe NOS with punch out for safty levers.

ppjhen

Hi,

I was looping for these dia compe hoods. I discovered that these hoods are now produced by Cane Creek. I ordered them and they fit very well on my dia compe brake levers.

Paul

gregaz

Please forgive the necrobumb, but what is the latest thinking on this? I see some Cane Creek "Dia-Compe" hoods on eBay - do those fit Universal Mod 77 levers?

I am 99% done restoring a 1983 Bianchi and brake hoods and a single brake lever ferrule is all I am missing. Both are available on eBay, but the prices are ridiculous. So, I am looking for alternatives.

Chombi

I dunno, but I've never really liked the way reaplcement hoods from Cane Creek looks like. Unfortuntely, they seem to all look like cheap Weinmann hoods that will most likely not compliment/match the looks of levers like Model 77s from Universal.
I'm thinking that the real nice leather lever hoods that rootboy had been making and selling would be the best solution to replace dying lever hoods like the ones on the Universal 77 and AER non-aero levers. They should work if the lever bodies are similar to Campy NR/SR levers.
I'm planning on eventually getting a set from rootboy myself, to replace the hoods on my Spidel brake levers that are starting to dry out on me. I think that their lace-up method of installation will help make them fit on other than Campy levers easier, as long as the shaped of the lever body is similar in shape and size.

oddjob2

Guys, is there a business opportunity in replacement hoods? The tooling isn't cheap, but..................... Anyway, here is the feedback I got.

To: Carl
Subject: Need a source suggestion

Hi Carl,
Hope all is well, always enjoy reading your Holiday letter.

Anyway, need your manufacturing expertise. I have taken up bike collecting and enjoy the shop time cleaning and restoring them. It is also a hobby that supports itself.

Certain components wear out and are stupid expensive to find replacments per the link below. Any suggestions on a source to reproduce the same in batches of say 200 at a reasonable cost?Right and left are the same. Most of these are from 30-40 years ago, but the logo on them is unimportant.

Universal 51 61 68 Gum Brake Lever Hoods for Road 68 Genuine | eBay

REPLY

$80???? We need to change over from military products to brake lever hoods!

We've got different urethane materials that could probably replace gum rubber in appearance and performance. Depending upon the complexity of the part, we may be able to do the tooling relatively cheaply and still leave the Universal logo intact. I would suspect we could make these for probably $10-15 each plus $3,000 for tooling but that's just a guess.

Hope you're doing well.

Carl

rootboy 

Eighty bucks is the hyper-inflated PB price. I'll say no more, other than other sources get the usual fifty bucks a pair. Or so.
The reason I don't think the economics don't make sense for these, at least for a new effort, is the relative small demand. There are more Campy Record users out there than Universal 77 users. It appears to me that way, anyway. So the demand for those may make the tooling costs make sense. Though I know the guys reproducing the Campy hoods aren't getting rich, by any means. Just too much of a niche market.

I sympathise with those looking for hoods for 77's. But if it were me, I'd probably do without them, or try to make my own, out of leather or something. Or, change out my levers. Which is a crummy option.

rootboy 

Just saw this, Chombi, thanks. I don't believe I've ever seen a Uni 77 lever in the flesh, but sure would like to see one in its bare state. It looks like they may be very similar to Record bodies, in which case my leather hoods may work. I'll have to search the Net for a profile pic of the Uni levers. Anyone here willing to post a pic or two of them?

gregaz

One more interesting point to add - I asked @puchfinnland and Danny from Galaxy Bikes about their thoughts on this, and both of them recommended Cane Creek hoods. Looks like they sell for around $10 on eBay, which is a MUCH better price point!

Here is an example of a Bianchi with Universal levers that Danny from Galaxy Bikes did. He did mention to me that he had to modify the top slightly (cut a bit off).

Full bike album: https://www.galaxybikes.com/vintage-1...-w-campagnolo/

Single photo:



I just placed an order for some hoods, should have them next week, will report my progress.

kroozer 

I'm kind of surprised nobody is making repro Mafac hoods.