I am sure this has been covered before but once again the search function is down. I received the new Pinarello pantographed Cinelli 1R stem from France today and I need some help. I also have a new set of Cinelli bars to replace the Nitto bars on now. So I need to remove the brake levers. They are Cobalto brakes and the hoods are original. Not the most stout pieces of gear. So I guess my question is... how do I do this? Where is the screw/bolt located to loosen the clamp from the bars. Do I remove the hoods completely? and if so.. how. My normal course of action would be to charge forward..but if I ruin these hoods I doubt I will run down to the corner store to buy replacements. thanks. I can provide better pics if needed.

you have to disconnect the brakes and pull out the cables (or you can just disconnect and leave them in, but this risks damage), then open up the lever (like applying the brake), inside you will see an 8mm nut. loosen it. It is what is tightening the clamps.

I thought that might be the case.. thanks.. any tricks on feeding the new Cinelli handlebars through the 1R stem? I assume that is how it has to be done.

Easy!
1: Loosen brake cables at the calipers.
2: Pull levers like you're applying the brakes.
3: Grab allen wrench of the right size.
4: Look into the brake lever. Sometimes you can get around the cable sometimes not. If you can get around the cable....unscreaw the fastener with your allen wrench. If not.....pull out the cable and proceed with unscrewing.
5: Don't completly unscrew the lever. Almost... but not completely. If you do its no big deal....
6: Remove old bar wrap.
7: Remove loosened levers.


Voila!
Have fun and sweet bike BTW
Kelly D

Damn! Beat me too it! ^^^^^With a much simpler description I might ad!

I like to take the lever right off the clamp as it can be annoying trying to get it off still on there and usually results in more scratches to the bars. The cinelli bars should fit nicely through the stem without any forcing whatsoever.

Ok..loosened the cables.. dont see how i can possibly get to the nut w/o removing the cables completely..next question.. if I pull the cables out how hard are they to re-thread through the internal routing along the top tube.. rear cable that is?

OBTW it is a hexnut so no allen wrench.. not sure if a socket will fit either.. fun fun fun

My Montello has an internal guide tube to guide the cable. Yours may be different though. Nice bike by the way! I was watching that stem but it got too rich for my blood.

^^
thanks I wondered if there was a guide in there... couldnt think of any other way to get the cable back through. There have actually been three of theses stems on Ebay in the last month. 1 NOS that went for like $160, this one for 63, and on just a day or two ago that went for only $52 or so. There is a nice seatpost on there now but it is 90's vintage Chorus. Although I cant really see much of a difference between it and the 1st Gen C Record post that is on there now.

Yep, the stem I was watching had to be that $160 dollar one.

If the cable housing is good just leave the housing in and remove the cable, that will make putting it back in easy. Also these are the annoying insert aero optional levers and though I didn't say it I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to get at the nut without removing the cable entirely since they are in the aero configuration. I have these in aero on one of my bikes (the cobalto levers to be exact). Anyway, yeah you may have to take the cable out completely. The hard part is putting it back in. Trying to keep the insert in place and getting the cable end fitted in the barrel thingy can be a real PITA. You have to keep constant tension on it. If it goes slack and then pull it tight to secure to the caliper the barrel often spins and the cable end comes out because of the geometry of the aero configuration. An awful design we tolerate for the aesthetics of campagnolo.

Cyclotoine, just and FYI, the brake cable housing on a Pinarello doesn't pass through the top tube, only the cable does but its no big deal because a guide tube connects the two openings.

Why is nothing ever easy?? Every time I start wrenching on my own I inevitably come to something I cant figure out, or is beyond my patience level.. Oh well I will give it another shot when I get home tonight.

awesome... that makes it much easier. On *my* (girlfriend's) Gios professional with the rubber things the housing goes through and there is no guide so it is a pit of a pain in the butt.

I think your Avatar says it all. Long ago, I was introduced to LAAW with the statement "these things are so simple they let Marines use them".
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Yes well I will not deny that the Marines are not nearly as smart as our Air Force/Army brethren.. but then again we are still relevant and we can manage to pull off both aviation and grunt ops at the same time

That's right, the Navy let you have aircraft
That being said, having worked with the Corps on several occasions I'd be happy with you folks watching our backs.
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(never received friendly fire from Navy/USMC air. Can't say that about the Air Force Corporation)

OK back to the original problem.. I do not see how to get that nut out of there.. a standard 8mm socket will not fit.. was there a special tool? thin wall socket? needle nose pliers wont give enough torque.. I swear I am going to hunt someone down who designed this and kick them in the ass.

i find my 1/4" sockets fit well as they are a little slimmer than the standard 3/8"

ill have to check.. i left many of my tools in San Diego when I moved here to Hawaii.. at least I am heading in the right direction.. a socket wrench is the way to go...thanks

I should mention that a 1/4" drive 8mm socket in the long configuration or used with an extender is what I use... of course with a normal 3/8" and no extender you will not be able to get in there.

I think i was using a 1/4"..but a cheap one.. and short.. fortunately I work in squadron that fixes airplanes.. I am sure there is a $100,000 wrench around somewhere that will work if not there is always Sears

I think the standard bike shop tool for this would be a nut driver. Like a screwdriver, except with a socket on the end. They tend to be thinner than normal sockets and the socket is securely fastened to the shaft so it doesn't fall off when you pull it out.

Pompiere beat me to it.
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Another member on this forum posted a work-around for this--it seems to work better than the bikeforums search.

You go to google and type in something like

remove "brake hoods" site:bikeforums.net

works great.

Mike