Non-PITA method to move these brake levers up the bars?
 

I bought this Surly LHT complete and with the drops positioned horizontal to the top tube (which is how I like it with bar-end shifters), the brake levers are WAY too far forward - for me at least. They're Tektro R200. See the pic below, which is after I removed the bar tape.

The problem I have - it looks like in order to loosen the clamps I'd have to remove the cables themselves. :-( :-( :-( I'm supposed to put a 5mm allen in the front after squeezing the brake but the friggin cable looks like it'd be in the way! Anyone know if I can work that bolt without recabling the whole thing?

The other issue I think I'm about to run into: once I move those levers up, I'm gonna have too much cable to route without creating bad bends that weren't there when the levers were lower. More frowns. :-(

Attachment 163801

Moving the brake lever clamp without removing the cable isn't too hard to do. At worse you'll have to disconnect the cable from the caliper.

If you want to move the levers more than a few millimeters, however, you are going to have some extra cable housing to contend with. If it was my bike I'd pull the inner brake cable and cut the cable housings when I moved the brake levers.

Honestly, I think that you're making a bigger deal out of this than it should be. Do it right the first time and be done with it.

Keep in mind I'm a bike maintenance newbie, so my original idea of pulling off bar tape, sliding levers up, and re-taping seemed reasonable at the time. Reinstalling (and properly routing, properly shortening housings) isn't something I've done, but I'm about to learn! Yeah, I need to move those hoods a pretty good distance.

There should be flip-up levers on the brake calipers that set them further out from the rim walls. Flip those up, squeeze the lever, have an assistant hold the caliper so the pads are against the rim. With the flip-ups release, there should be plenty of slack in the cable to just "nudge" it aside with the allen wrench, and reach the bolt.

I agree with Retro Grouch--you could probably half-way do it, but in the end, you will be more satisfied if it is done right, and you will have learned some good procedures by doing it yourself. Don't forget to clear the hole after cutting the housing--avoids problems with dragging cable.

For the amount that you want to move the levers you WILL have to untape the housings that run into the levers and redo them with the levers in the new position. You don't NEED to cut the housings but if you don't then the loops from where the housing appears from under the bar tape to the front caliper or to the frame will be bigger. If you can live with that they fine. Most of us like the cabling to be neater and would cut and refinish the ends to achieve that. And then shortening the housings a little also means shortening the cables by the same amount.

lol

Take off the wheels, pinch the brake arms together and you'll have enough cable slack to get a wrench in.

in short, no, there is non PITA method, the task you are doing is pretty close to the original installation of the brake levers.

once you have taken off the tape, and that includes the tape holding down the housing, and you have relocated the levers to a more suitable part of the curve of the drop,
you will want to shorten the housing , as others have mentioned,

in order to not cut the cable too, you must withdraw the inner wire back up the housing,
to at least as far as you are going to make the housing cut..
(don't forget to file the housing end smooth after the cut)

While its apart this far ,consider some top mount additional brake levers, now , so that can be added, while its dismantled.
another housing, but not the cable, cut is involved in installing them, and then re taping up to the secondary brake lever at the top center of the bars.