This...
Originally Posted by
79pmooney
Eric, does your Motobecane have the old exposed brake cables coming off the tops of the levers? If so, seriously consider getting the newer "aero " levers where the cables run under the handlebar tape. Many of these levers have more modern and comfortable bodies as well. Look at the levers by Tektro and Cane Creek. Cane Creek's are made by Tektro and are a little higher end. All are very good as brake levers. Look for the one that you would like to wrap your hands around and rest your weight on.
Some of the C & V types will poo-poo you for going aero levers. I don't care. Any bike of mine is going aero if I am to ride it. (I was cursing those exposed cables in 1977; my racing days, when I could not put my hands where I wanted them on my very long days on the bike.)
Ben
Older bikes had terrible ergonomics. The mid-to-late '80s aero hoods/levers were somewhat better. But those still can't compare with the comfort of contemporary designs. I recently test rode a Specialized Tarmac. Wow. Huge difference in every way. Riding the hoods didn't put all the weight between my thumbs and forefingers, or even the base of the thumb. I could support my weight with my entire hand, wrist and forearm. Not to mention the compact drops, stiffer bottom bracket and more responsive climbing and acceleration, and lighter weight for climbing.
When I re-wrapped the bars last night on my '89 Centurion Ironman, I used padded tape and doubled the wrap around the levers, under the rubber hood. It's a tight fit but so much more comfortable. I needed the insulation because I'm recovering from shoulder injuries (hit by a car a couple of months ago), but also have an old neck injury (yup, hit by a car in 2001). But the padding also added just a bit of thickness that reduced the reach very slightly -- and my bike was already pretty close to being an optimal fit, so just the slight change was enough to make it comfortable and still efficient. I went for a test ride during the wee hours last night to avoid the heat -- and still averaged 16 mph on a route where that's my best speed, yet I wasn't really pushing hard. I could tell that I had enough in the tank that if I'd pushed harder I could have averaged 17-18 mph over that familiar 16-20 mile course, which is very fast for me. A lot of that is down to bike fit and being comfortable, because it's hard to ride fast and also enjoy yourself when your body is nagging at you with lots of little aches and pains.