Long vs. Short Pull Brake Levers
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Long vs. Short Pull Brake Levers
Is there any way to tell whether a brake lever is short or long pull just by looking at it?
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Look at the center-to-center distance between where the lever pivots and where the cable anchor pivots.
I just pulled a couple levers from the parts bin and they were approximately 40mm and 24mm for long-pull and short-pull, respectively.
I just pulled a couple levers from the parts bin and they were approximately 40mm and 24mm for long-pull and short-pull, respectively.
#4
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Yup, you need at least to hold them in your hand, and work them
and measure them physically.
and measure them physically.
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Ok. Thanks.
I ask because I occasionally volunteer in a co-op-esque non-profit. We have a lot of people come in and mix and match spare parts to fix up their bikes. Most have no idea there are long and short pull. I want to be able to ensure they choose a lever with the proper pull before installing it.
Since I am able to measure the levers, having a sense of center-to-center difference between long and short is helpful. Thanks for the advice.
I ask because I occasionally volunteer in a co-op-esque non-profit. We have a lot of people come in and mix and match spare parts to fix up their bikes. Most have no idea there are long and short pull. I want to be able to ensure they choose a lever with the proper pull before installing it.
Since I am able to measure the levers, having a sense of center-to-center difference between long and short is helpful. Thanks for the advice.
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If your parts are labeled when you get them, it might not be a bad idea to put this info on the label. Something like "For Cantilever, road caliper" or "For V-brake, linear brake". Etc. Also remember, some levers can operate both.
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I just measured two sets of 10-speed Campy Ergo, a set each of 8-speed and 9-speed Shimano STIs and a Tektro R-200, all road caliper/cantilever levers and their lever pivot to cable anchor distance was ~18 mm center-to-center on all of them.
I also measured a set of Tektro RL-520 V-brake levers and the lever to cable anchor center-to-center distance was 32 mm or almost twice as much.
So, any lever that measures more than say, 25 mm is probably intended for V-brakes.
While we're asking, can anyone give me the c-c pivot distance on the new Shimano 5700/6700/7900 series of levers?
I also measured a set of Tektro RL-520 V-brake levers and the lever to cable anchor center-to-center distance was 32 mm or almost twice as much.
So, any lever that measures more than say, 25 mm is probably intended for V-brakes.
While we're asking, can anyone give me the c-c pivot distance on the new Shimano 5700/6700/7900 series of levers?
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If you take a close look, a lot of cheaper flat bar levers for both long and short pull are made from the same mold (cast?) and the only difference is where the cable is anchored. A lot of them will have a subtle V or C next to the cable anchor that can be a good indicator.
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I've also measured the distance on several different levers. There was a lot of variability between different levers, but my general conclusion was that the cut-off was at about 30mm - longer than that is for V-brakes (or cable-actuated mountain disc brakes) and shorter than that is for everything else.
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