Originally Posted by
anga
Thanks. I was incorrectly using "hood" to refer to the base of the unit, i.e., the part of the unit excluding the lever (brake or brake + shifter) and the hood.
Two questions, about brake levers without integrated shifter.
1. Is the lever permanently fixed to the base?
2. If the lever is removable, can it be attached to other bases? For example, 105 to Ultegra or Shimano to SRAM?
1. Yes
2. No.
You
really need to tell us what you're trying to do, so that we can give you some actual guidance, instead of continually asking open ended questions about the parts of a brake lever.
It sounds like you have a broken lever assembly that you're trying to repair?
Brake levers (and brifters) come as a single assembly, that includes the body/base, which is covered by the rubber hood, and that the lever itself sticks out of. This assembly is mounted on the handlebar by way of a metal band clamp, which is under the handlebar tape wrap. You will have to remove the bar tape, and roll the bottom of the rubber hood away from the bar itself to get to the clamp and the screw that secures it. You then remove the entire lever assembly from the handlebar.
There are many, many different makes and models of brake levers and brifters; some are more serviceable than others, but any integrated brake/shifter is difficult, at best. Even if you are possessing of the skill and time to attempt a rebuild, very few of the parts are readily available through the typical retail stream.
With very few exceptions, parts are not interchangeable between models, and never between brands.
If the lever assembly is significantly damaged, the typical course of action is to remove and replace the whole thing.