Hi all,

I've got a pair of CLB inverse brake levers I would like to mount to my Belleri city bars, but, as you probably guessed, the inner diameter of the bar is too small for the brakes to fit. The only way I can think of making this work would be to try and drill out the inside of the bars (and the thought of messing up these bars kind of makes want to vomit...the cable route drilling is enough!).

I doubt there are any other tricks, but if there are, I'd love to hear. Has anyone else had luck drilling out the inner diameter of their bars to allow for inverse levers? Seems kinda strange really. These Belleri bars and shifters seem to be from about the same era, from the same country, and were def made for one another....but they still dont work together :?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Is there a metal expander on the contact surface of the brake lever mount? If so, try removing them (they will come off and go back on with no risk of damage), and fitting it that way.

https://bikesmithdesign.com/tips/bar-drill.html

It might come to that, but it would be easier to change the bar out.

Of course it would, but he wants to use the Belleri bars.

I'd email Mark Stonich and ask if he'd be willing to drill out the bars. I'm sure he would, for a price.

I have a Similar problem. I want to use inverse levers on inverted Cinelli Priest bars with a Nitto Technomic stem. The levers fit the bars, but the bars require a Stem with a 26.4 clamp. I've go a Cinelli stem that fits, but it's too short for comfort.

The labor, plus the shipping both ways is going to add up. Not a problem if he's really got his heart set on this arrangement. I'm cheap enough that I'd be considering "plan B". Perhaps there's a set of period correct reverse levers that would properly fit. I'm only speculating, since I rarely come across things earlier than 1970.

I did this to some Nitto North Roads to install an old pair of Dia Comp inverse levers also with internal routing. I used a good piece of 2x4 as my jig instead of aluminum stock. It worked well enough. Nothing has broken yet.

Remember to drill slowly and use cutting oil.

Depends on how much material you need to take off. I did it on the bars on my Bianchi Pista. All I did was take a dremel with a sanding drum and sand out the inside end of the bar enough to slip the brake lever in. May or may not work in your case.

That page on drilling out handlebars is great... but, it looks like a lot of work fabricating and then carefully setting up the jig in a drill press... for drilling out a single handlebar.

Do your levers look like these in the scan from my CLB catalogue below?

Perhaps it would be easier to file or sand down the levers with coarse emery paper and a sanding block... but, then again, maybe that would remove too much material from the radiused sides of the levers.

I would guess the CLB levers were originally designed for use on steel handlebars - which could be made from thinner walled tubing. I have an old Belleri alloy handlebar like yours. The inner diameter is under 20 mm. with an outer diameter at the ends of only 23.5 mm. That is an odd size to be sure.

Good Luck!

Nice. Is the rest of that catalog on line someplace?

just order the clamp ring from the catalog

Go to your local AutoStoned and rent a brake cylinder hone. They come in different sizes, you probably want the smallest one they have. Chuck it up in your hand drill, adjust, season to taste.

Have you actually tried it? It seems like it would take days to remove enough material.

How about a flex hone?

https://www.brushresearch.com/product-line.php?line=1

I've never tried it, but I'm thinking of acquiring one to rid myself of a stuck seatpost.

Neal

It's really not much work at all to make the jig. Drilling four holes is no big deal when you have a drill press. There's on short saw cut to make. I'll bet I could have it set up and ready to go in less that 20 minutes. I'd use hardwood instead of aluminum so I could use a Forstner bit to make the 7/8" hole. I have everything I need but the 3/4" bit. I haven't priced them, but I'm sure it would be cheaper to buy some more suitable bars.

It looks to me like those CLB levers use through the bar cable routing. That means drilling holes near the center of the bars for cables. I've done it, but I was never comfortable with it and I changed the bars before I sold the bike.