Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
The problem I ran into running old non-aero levers with SLR brakes is that I would have to 'flip' the levers back to the starting position after braking. SLR levers have a return spring in them, and the brakes have a lighter return spring, as T-Mar noted. Braking was fine, as I recall.
On their single pivot SLR brakesets, Shimano provided the option of two spring settings. The spring ends fits into the hole of a black Teflon (?) block anchored to the stop on the caliper arm. This block decreases the friction with the spring, decreasing lever effort, increasing modulation and allowing for a lighter spring. The hole in the block is also off-centre. The orientation with the hole closest to the stop is for SLR/spring assisted levers. Flipping the block 180 degrees, so that the hole is farther from the stop increases the spring tension, which will aid caliper release and pushing the cable back though the housing. With the introduction of dual pivot on Dura-Ace, Shimano introduced a cam style adjuster so the the spring tension can be altered more simply, by turning a flat bladed screwdriver.
You may be able to alleviate your problem with lever reset by switching the orientation of these blocks for the higher spring tension setting, though at some expense of the light feel and modulation of the SLR setting. If the blocks are set in the higher spring retention position on his calipers, it might also explain why the OP considers them to be satisfactory with the SR levers.
Traditional brake caliper performance can be improved by duplicating the friction reducing function of these blocks. A short piece of the Teflon liner from brake cable housing can simply be slipped over the spring end to reduce the friction between it and the anchor. This also eliminates the dirt build-up associated with the alternative of greasing or oiling the spring-anchor interface.