I have four bikes with 1050 shifters and they all sit flush/parallel to the down tube. I'm curious, do the OP's levers have full radiused ends or the blunter end of earlier lever versions?
Edit: I actually have 1050 front levers on four bikes. I run 6, 7, and 8spds. The rear levers are either an original 1050 match or another model modified to the 1050 front shifter profile...Lots of grinding, sanding and polishing...Not perfect but an easy pass to the untrained eye.
I could never get used to offset left levers. I sold Kevindale a near mint Tri Color set this year for this very reason.
Last edited by tyler_fred; 07-31-17 at 05:01 PM.