tonyfourdogs

Hi folks

So I'm working on another bike from the tip and I've noticed that something odd is going on with the handlebars/ stem/ gear levers.

It's a 1985 Raleigh Nova, with a quill stem and drop bars with suicide levers. To the eye, it looks ok. But once I install the stem, bars and levers, it's out of whack. It's most noticable when you pull the suicide levers - they don't come up into the same position even though the levers are carefully mounted in the same position on either side. The safety levers appear to be steel, so I'm doubtful one of them is bent. The rest of the levers look good to the eye. So I'm thinking the bars or the stem? Stem is alloy and the bars are steel (I think). Any suggestions for tracking this down properly?

Thanks

HillRider

Steel notwithstanding, its quite possible one of the "safety levers" (a misnomer if there ever was one) is indeed bent or its mounting bolt position on the lever body is not square. These are not high quality brake levers and one or both being out of true would not be surprising.

AnkleWork

Presumably you can see/touch/measure the parts in question. Nobody else in this forum can.

tonyfourdogs

True, but if the problem is the stem/ handlebars, then knowing how to determine the defect is beyond me. Like I said, when off the bike, these two parts look ok by eye.

Both brake levers looked the same when I took them off the bike and placed them together. But now you mention it, one of the main levers also isn't correctly aligned with the bars, so maybe the whole unit is bent at the part where it attaches to the bars (I don't know the name for this part, sorry)

Thanks for your replies folks. Fortunately it's a cheap bike for practicing refurbs, so even if it ends up less than perfect, I'm still (kinda) getting somewhere!

cny-bikeman

If you give or sell that bike to anyone else I would advise you to remove the suicide levers, lest the rider think that they provide anything but a false sense of security.

Retro Grouch 

Everything on a bicycle works together. Without seeing your bike, I'm thinking your issue has to do with the brake cables. The back cable is a lot longer, probably has more cable stretch or cable housing compression. Do you even know for sure that the cable tension is the same front and rear?

I'm thinking that getting those extension levers to perform exactly the same is a pretty tall ask.

tonyfourdogs

Good call - I was thinking about that as it happens, so it's good to have it confirmed.

I'm still assembling the bike at this point - haven't got around to installing the cables, so I'm just moving the levers to their natural extension and comparing positions at the moment. I realise cable tension etc will cause the levers to be less than symmetrical - but not in the same way I'm finding at the moment is my hunch.

Thanks for your replies

Andrew R Stewart 

Why would the stem effect something of the bars?


You have the parts so you have to do the work. It's easy to sight across the bars tops and drops for their parallelness. A flat surface can be placed against the bar's outer most edge and look at the surface WRT the bar's top section (how close to a 90* angle). Repeat on the other side. Mount the levers on a known straight bar and see where the secondary (the term I've used for decades) levers pull to without cables connected.


Do all this and report back. Andy

AnkleWork

Careful reading.

You can't tell by looking. No body here can tell by your looking. What are you missing?

tonyfourdogs

I feel I should apologise for hasty posting. Turns out I just wasn't looking closely enough. Had the bars off the stem again today and placed the flat ends on the floor - they're not even. Also, put spare bars on the bike and then mounted the levers - one is clearly bent. I'm assuming the bars and lever got bent at the same time and to roughly the same degree hence my confusion.

Thanks for your replies.

leob1

Also bear in mind that "safety levers" are in not way shape or form finely made precise pieces of equipment. Even the best of them will have lots of play, and will move around easily. They are truly the brain child of the advertising department.