Any ideas for what brake levers and brifters (or handlebars) are most suitable for someone with small hands? I currently have Tiagra brifters on my road bike and am basically limited to riding on the hoods if I want to either brake or shift.

I'm starting to think about my next bike and am wondering what combination of brake levers, shifters, and handlebars would work best. I'd like to be able to actually use the drops on a more regular basis. (I haven't really settled on what the next bike will be, but a working assumption is the Surly Crosscheck, which I know comes with bar-end shifters on the complete.)

Thanks!

Shimano makes shims for the Tiagra to adjust the reach. The Sora levers are also adjustable for reach.

Don't most of the Shimano levers have a regular/short reach option? Maybe it's just the mountain bikey ones.

I find that somewhat strange since I also suffer from small hands and can't stand to brake from the hoods due to the low mechanical advantage! I ride probably 99% in the drops, so it can be done.

As mentioned, Shimano makes shims for the brifters. Another option would be modifying the position of the brifter further down on the bar, or getting a bar that doesn't bend away from the vertical as fast as many do.

I am personally of the opinion that bikes as usually sold in stores are damn near unusable from the drops in most cases. Just look at most bikes from the side and they look like you'd need to have 10-inch fingers to ride comfortably in the drops as they're sold. But with some minor adjustments, it can be made to work for you quite well.

If you really do want to ride in the drops a lot more, I'd first consider sliding the brifters down on the stem, and possibly getting a higher stem if you don't want to be too hunched over.

Shimano also makes an Ultegra-level brifter for smaller hands. It is slightly smaller overall than the standard unit and includes shims. I got them for my wife, and they did help a bit. You might also want to try Campagnolo brifters. I find that they "fit" smaller than the Shimano equivalents.

my wife just recently got a Cannondale T2000, it had stock brifters;
her hands are small and she has a limited range of motion in her left wrist.
she couldn't reach to shift the chainrings. tried the shim to adjust the reach and
also tried the smaller shimano shifters, she could not shift the full range.
she didn't want bar ends, so she ended up with an On one Mary handlebar
with grip shifters and shimano brake levers. the set up seems to work very
well for her and she is realy happy with it, plus she is real pleased with the T2000.

Yes, the shimano R700 shift/brake levers are designed for smaller hands. They're expensive, though
-- around $350 for the set. Don't know if they're still available, but Terry used to make some drop bars that were designed to put your hands closer to the levers by adding a relief to the inside profile of the
curve. Might be a cheaper option!

Bar-cons and a shorter reach lever are an option, too, as you suggested. Once you uncouple shifting from the braking functionality, you can choose from a much larger pool of brake levers! Cane Creek and Tektro both make levers for smaller hands.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. More options out there than I'd realized.

For Mr. Underbridge, when you move the brifters farther down the bars, do you then sacrifice the ability to ride on the hoods (edited)?

Thanks!