Hi All, When I scored a pair of OEM 600 levers I also bought a set of white hoods to use on some 105 levers I have. The problem is that they fit loose. I installed mine from bottom up on one lever and top down on the other and neither tactic helped.

Is there a way to shrink the hoods to fit properly? Oven or freezer treatment perhaps?

TIA,
Brad

I had a similar problem with some gum hoods. They seemed to settle and fit better after some use.

Heat with a hair dryer and simply allow to cool? No clue, really.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to try the freezer for 24 hours first. If that doesn't work perhaps some oven time at about F150 degrees. Maybe the heat gun if all else fails. It'a also possible that these non gum hoods have just lost their elasticity over the years and nothing will help. If the hoods are too dry to respond I wonder if there's something I can apply to help.

I'll post up the results one way or the other.

Brad

Do you have any evidence your 105 hoods would ever fit properly on 600 levers? I suspect no efforts to freeze or heat the hoods will result in a perfect fit if they were not meant for each other. Keep in mind that Shimano 600 levers saw several different iterations (I count 7 separate 600 model numbers on velobase). I have a pair of 105 levers and 600 levers and they do not share the same hood design. The closest 600 to the 105 lever is the last tri-color/Ultegra model, BL-6403. If the 105 hoods would fit any 600 levers it would be that model, but I'm still skeptical since my wallet fell trap to the assumption 7402 DA hoods would fit DA 7401 levers.

And please go slow with that heat gun. A loose hood is better than a melted one.

...I use a lot of Cane Creek generic Dia Compe type hoods, and have had some success
fitting them to various levers. If they are loose, just wrap a strip or two of corked bar tape
underneath them and tape it securely in place with something, then pull them back over
the lever body. I would not want to attempt either freezing them or heat gunning them.

gaucho777, The bodies look at the least very similar between the 600 levers and the 105 levers. There's always the possibility they aren't exactly the same dimensions. A good point you brought up is what 600 lever these hoods were meant for, something I hadn't thought of. Anyway it's worth experimenting with as I've other brake levers I can use on this project bike if I really screw up.

Brad

I once spent an entire afternoon swapping hoods between various 105 and 600 aero models. Never did get a hood from one model to fit on another...

BTW, best way I've found to put on a hood is with a squirt of Ronsonal lighter fluid and then slide the lever in from the rear of the hood.

I used soapy water as a lubricant, but I almost used WD40 and perhaps I should have. The levers will be in the freezer by this afternoon... Let the games begin.

Brad

WD40 is good because it turns to glue when it dries; but it takes a while to dry.

Water is an excellent lubricant for such purposes.

Not sure the glue effect is particularly desirable. I like to be able to peel back the hoods for future re-wraps without causing them damage.

What works best for me is talcum powder, good old J&J baby bum stuff. (Make sure your product is true talc; cornstarch products will *not* work.)

Just swapped a pair of sticky Cane Creek hoods last night, from black to tan. A light dusting of talc made the job super easy.

Careful with that heat gun. I tried warming up one of my new Shimano 6800 hoods and inadvertently stretched one. I think heat will have that effect -- stretching NOT shrinking. At least that's my experience. The replacement hood still just hasn't seated into place and often "pops up" in front. May try some rubber cement if all else fails. Should pose no problem for peeling off in the future. Anyone have any luck in shrinking them after installing?

I've always put hoods on with the brake lever off the Bars.

Did you mean NOS levers? OEM wouldn't make much sense, unless you were talking about a specific bike that came equipped with 600 levers as OEM.

No idea about the hoods, other than they're probably not for your levers- unless they were stretched out somehow.

In the strictest sense I'm likely incorrect. The 600 levers went on an OEM Ultegra 6500 bike.

Brad

Not sure if you're considering another brand but the Dia Compe hoods at Velo Orange fit my 600 Arabesque levers really well. They were very difficult to get on but fit very snug once in place. Note however that their "gum" is more of a brown like its pictured.

Dia-Compe 204 Brake Hoods - Levers - Brakes & Parts - Components