martyn3200

I've recently bought an old 70s road bike that has brake levers that are only really operable in the drops. It also had those extension levers which mean you can use them on the top of the handle bars. The problem is that I don't like being on top of my bars because the bike doesn't handle well up there when I'm maneuvering through town. I can't really use the brakes when I'm on the hoods (there aren't actually any hoods at the moment). Can I unwrap my bar tape and adjust the position of the brakes, or do I need some different levers? Thanks in advance!

frantik

yes you can adjust the position of the brakes.. i use a ruler and line up the end of the lever to be in line with the line of the rear of the drop as shown in this video https://bicycletutor.com/drop-handlebar-tape/

martyn3200

Hi,
Thanks for the speedy reply. I did the ruler test and the bottom of my brake levers are in fact in lie with the bottom of my handle bars. There are 2 problems...firstly the extension brake lever makes it impractical to use the front levers when on the hoods, but also you have to reach a long way to get half-decent leverage on the brakes, but even then it is tricky to apply the brakes hard. So, i'm looking to remove the brake lever extension and to perhaps lower my brake levers? I'll try and add some pictures later today.

zacster

OTOH, you could just replace the levers and calipers with something new that will really stop you. Tektro R200 levers aren't expensive and work very well. They can be operated from the hoods and are shaped properly. There's even a small hand version if that would fit better.

jollysnowman

Something else to think about: For a long time I griped about how much pull on the levers was required to really stop my bike, but then I bought double-pivot brakes and now I can pretty much do a frontflip at will lol.

dabac

A bike of that vintage probably has a much more uniform bend to the drop bar than what bikes today have. There are geometrical limits to what you'll be able to achieve no matter how you try to adjust them. Moving them further down for a better grip when you're fairly deep in drop is doable but that's about it. If you move them up they'll quickly end up at an angle, which isn't really helpful either.

goatalope

You can definitely move the brakes to a better position. But, honestly, those old 70s brakes always seem crummy to me. They're always flexy. And just so you know, a lot of people call the bar extensions "suicide brakes" because of their lack of stopping ability. So feel free to try moving things around, maybe tighten the cable to bring the brake pads closer to the rim, maybe try new brake pads....or for less than $100 bucks you could get all new stuff that should work much better. You could also go to a flatbar setup pretty cheap, which is nice if you're riding through traffic mostly.

frantik

i'm used to the old crappy style brakes but when i sell bikes with single pivot brakes people sometimes make a comment like the brakes are messed up.. i think they just arent used to old school brakes.

OP, adjust your brakes so the pads are very close to the rim.. they you don't have to pull them as far. thats about all you can do. also get used to using the brakes to "slow down" more than "stop" lol

jbrow1

I bought a brand new set of tektro ergo levers for my 83 schwinn off ebay, like 23 bux shipped. They are awesome levers, comfortable, and useable from the drops or the hoods. I'd recommend them for any old bike that one isn't worried about keeping the old look. Plus you can run the cable under the bar tape and get rid of the big cable loops in the front.

As far as the suicide levers, with good pads and a clean wheel, I could do front flips if I hit em to hard from any position. But I always grabbed in the bend of the top lever, not the long flat piece. I suppose that would flex more and not give as strong a pull.

martyn3200

Ii tried moving my brake pads closer to the rim but my wheel isn't exactly true, and the rim would touch the pads about 3 times per rotation! I'm not keeping this bike for very long as i'm getting a touring bike (which has the same curved levers which i'll replace with something like zacster's suggestion i think.) I would like to remove these 'suicide levers' though. Anybody know how? There are no obvious securing screws...

fietsbob

I don't know about your skill set, but there is nothing preventing the job from being attempted.

sounds like you should true up the wheels first.,

the extension levers are screwed into the pivot pin,
if you cannot figure out that by simple mechanical savvy,
maybe it is a job best turned over to the Bike Shop.

martyn3200

Hi fietsbob,
I've been told that my spoke nipples may well brake if I try to true the wheel, so I've just accepted that for the time being as i'm not going to have the bike much longer. But I am still keen to remove these suicide levers as I think it will detriment it's re-sale value if they're not removed. There appears to be a pivot pin going from the outside of the lever assembly to the inside and through the brake extension. I removed a plastic cover cap on the inside of the extension to find what looks like a washer at the end of this pivot pin. It rotates with the assistance of a spanner, but it doesn't screw off of the pivot bolt. Nor will it pull off. The only way I could envisage the lever extension coming off is by hack-sawing of on the inside of the washer. Could I hammer the pin through from the inside?