kross57

My latest bike purchase has aero brakes and I really don't like the look. I'm switching them back to non-aero. Anybody done this? Is there some important reason not to?

Chombi1 

More of just a preference for some to be period appropriate, when they go aero with the brakesets, or the bike has an aero design/theme to start with. Thing is, it's just more fussy setting up the cables on the handlebar and getting their lengths and routing around the headset and head tube just right so they don't kink and bind at full handlebar lock. You generally don't have that with non-aero brake lever setups. Frankly, I feel quite relieved most of the time when I do not have to do an aero brake setup on my builds.....

fietsbob

My Touring, Drop Bar bike has Modolo Brake levers with their anatomic hoods,
Bars; randonneur bend, they have long ramps , designed before brifters came about..

One reason not to; is if you also want to run top mount secondary brake levers

then you need to use them as designed, to have the cable running through them ,
from an aero lever.. they work by spreading a gap in the housing, wider..
which is under the tape, otherwise..




....

Ex Pres 

verktyg 

The short lived aero fad/fantasy was much akin to the belief that shaving your legs made you faster!

Some Campy levers from the mid 80's could be used either way. They had plastic plugs in the lever hoods where the cables came out for non aero use plus a little removable piece of metal that redirected the cable to the lever.

IMLTHO, aero cable routing increased friction FAR more than any aerodynamic advantage pipe dream...

As Chombi1 said, I only use aero routing where necessary.

verktyg retrogrouch

non-fixie 

I'm no big fan of the aero look either, but I do like the return spring in the levers. Shimano made some nice non-aero SLR levers, like the BL-1050, that have the spring and the non-aero look. Used a pair recently on a bike for my girl:

fietsbob

Used Old Campag levers with my Mustache bar build,
Those , I took apart, spray painted the grey body black,
and put hem back together without the rubber hoods..

Got the levers cheap , because their rubber hoods
were donated/cannibalized.. before I got them..




...

Velo Mule

I have to say that I agree that the aerodynamic advantage is nil, however, I do like the cleaner look of the aero levers. I would only go to aero levers on later bikes though. I wouldn't switch to them just for the look.

As for going to non-aero, I would certainly do it if that is what the bike came with. I would also switch to non-aero if I had any problems with the aero levers that were on the bike or if friction of the brakes was too high.

If you prefer the non-aero levers, then you should use them. Save the aero levers if they are original.

RobbieTunes

I think the best combo is above, non-aero levers with a return spring. I have the Campy that go both ways (bi-brakesual). The feel of unimpeded cable is probably what Campy uses for its EPS.

kross57

This is an 82 Team Fuji with diacompe 400 sidepull brakes. I think I'm gpoing to switch out the aeros for some diacompe non-aero levers I already have. I am replacing the wraps and cables anyway. I definitely prefer the look and the function should be good.

I greatly appreciate all the input.

Chombi1 

I have Aero Gran Compe levers on my 84 Peugeot PSV presently. Bought the set to replace the original non-aero Mafac LSX levers (with the much rarer "MAFAC" pantograph on them. Most of them had "SPIDEL" pantographs.) that got damaged in a crash back in 85. Also thought of them as an upgrade back then because everything was going aero at that time, but it always kinda bothered me having DiaCompe levers on my all French bike, so, I was always looking out for the correct non-aero Mafac LSX levers that turned out to be as rare as hens teeth even back in the 80's....
Fast forward to early this year when a pair of the correct levers finally popped up in eBay France, NOS and with perfect original hoods, that are now even more unobtanium than the levers themselves, and they were only like 60 bucks for the lever set! This winter the PSV will be restored to "normal" with those non-aero Mafac LSX levers, after all these years, and I will just love my PSV a whole lot more!
Thst is my personal aero to non-aero lever change (pending this winter.) story!

The Golden Boy 

I ran into this problem trying to use old Superbe non-aero levers with some SLR 6400 calipers- the brakes didn't have a strong enough return spring to pull the lever back

fietsbob

FWIW, My Campag Single pivot brakes , the old kind, have plenty of return spring force..

kross57

I don't see any springs in the levers. Hoods are dia-compe, so I imagine the aero levers are too. I do see these same brake calipers on bikes with non-aero levers.