dschwarz

I like to read the "bike upgrade" threads where someone walks you through the upgrades they've made. Most upgrades are self-explanatory, but two kinds of upgrades puzzle me, and I hope someone can enlighten me as to why one would bother...?

1) Brake levers. I understand that one might change out the brake levers when getting a new handlebar, or a new type of brakes installed. Apart from that, why bother? What sets the more expensive brake levers apart from the cheap no-name ones that are stock on my bike?

2) Front hub. Why change out one (non-generator) front hub for another? Do the more expensive hubs roll that much more smoothly, or is there another reason?

Just curious...

Sixty Fiver

Better brake levers tend to be lighter and stiffer / stronger and may also be more adjustable to offer a better fit.

I just swapped out my front wheel on my Trek as although the Formula hub and Alex wheel were nice enough they just cannot compare to the Sansin hub and Mavic wheel I replaced it with.

Ride on really nice wheels and you will get spoiled for anything else.

ShooterK2

Changing brake levers on many road bikes is, in many cases, also changing the shifters, since most modern road bikes have integrated shift/brake levers ("brifters"). Many of them are slightly different in the way they are operated, or the number of cogs they will shift. For example, when changing from an 8 speed cassette to a ten speed cassette, one would be required to use a different shifter/brake lever that would handle the new gearing. That would be the only reason I could think of for changing levers, unless you just didn't like the name that was on the old ones..........

Tapeworm21

Stiffer levers make braking easier. If you use a Sora 8 speed brake vs. a SRAM Red brake, you'll notice a difference in .004 seconds. For commuting? Sora is fine, but going into a corner doing 30 mph when you should really be doing 25, good brake levers make a huge difference. Brake calipers and brake pads also make a difference.

BarracksSi

Someday I might upgrade the Tiagra brifters I have on one of my bikes, probably to the 105s that I have on another (thereby getting a roundabout excuse to upgrade that other bike "just because" ). I really don't like how they feel, because they have some spongy rubberiness that I don't get with 105. I also feel like the front shifter is meant for a triple because I can't find a trim function.

Andy_K 

I just replaced my unbranded alloy brake levers with Avid Speed Dial SL brake levers. They were about 50 grams lighter, but I could save that much weight by getting a haircut. The reason I did it is that the Avid levers got such incredible reviews.

They've got a cool little dial on them that lets you adjust the brake modulation (i.e. how hard the brakes are applied relative to how hard you squeeze). I was skeptical, but having only had them on for about six hours, I can already tell you I'm impressed. I tried them at both hardest and softest modulation and then something around the middle. The difference is surprising. It's a nice upgrade for around $20.

europa

When I built the Frankenbike, I put on brand new Deore brake levers (one of the few new bits I bought for it). Utter rubbish! The levers were too small for my hand. They were stiff and lacking in feel. And no, they showed no signs of 'wearing in' after a couple of months of use. Most disappointing in every respect.

A friend gave me his old Tektro levers (he was changing to integrated mtb shifters). These have a longer lever so I can use more than two fingers when braking (and the Deores didn't really like two). They are smooth, just like the Tektros on the bent. They have adjustable reach AND adjustable rate ... which is interesting in a techy sort of way but I've never found a desire to mess with it so I guess it's just surplus bling.

Basically, the Deore brake levers were rubbish so I replaced them with something a lot better ... the fact that I was given the replacements was just a nice bonus.

So yes, there is nothing so banal on a bike that someone can't find a genuine reason for replacing it, especially when they're old and grumpy like I am.

Richard

BarracksSi

I also upgraded a crank to a Shimano 105, and took that opportunity to change to a compact crank and different cassette to match. The crank upgrade was due to the failure of the one that came on the bike (spindle started coming loose from the axle) -- it was warrantied, so I took the shop's offer of switching to a different brand to avoid dealing with the same issue later.

Some time after that, I had the crank start going bad on another bike (same as the first), and after the first time it dropped the chain to the outside (FD adjustment was good; the crank assembly simply had that much slop in it), I started shopping around for another Shimano crankset.

Both cranks were a substantial upgrade from what each bike originally had. Not only are they remaining sturdy, but the shifting is far more dependable and smooth. I'll probably use Shimano from here on out for cranks, even if I switch to SRAM shifters & derailleurs.

mechBgon

Regarding front hubs, one reason to upgrade would be to get better seals. There's a Deore XT hub underneath the ball of snow and road de-icer in this pic:



Three seals per side. Pour some hot water over it, put it away wet. The Shimano QRs are awesome, too.


Weird, Deores are my first pick. Stiff, strong, nice-quality forged lever blades. M-System cable set. A nice tip on the lever that helps prevent losing grip with thick gloves. All for $30. I guess everyone has his own taste in levers, eh

europa

How do you know?

Note, I said 'Deore', not DeoreLX or XT. While I haven't used the next level up lever I can't imagine that LX stuff is this horrible and yes, it was horrible. Dramatic disappointment. I've used a lot of DeoreLX stuff on my road bikes and have always been impressed with it and, like the OP, imagined that simple brake levers were relatively hard to stuff up. Shimano managed it.

Richard

rhm

It makes a lot of sense to upgrade the contact points of a bike, by which I mean the points where you actually touch it. The saddle, pedals and grips are usually the first to go, but I can see putting the brake levers on the list as well.

Longfemur

So now, armed with this great internet advice, you can go out on your bike and feel just how mushy your brake levers are. LOL.

mechBgon

Yes, as an LBS mechanic, I know the difference between Deore, Deore LX and Deore XT. I use Deore on both my custom StumpJumper and my old winter bike, and the people to whom I've sold Deore lever sets have been happy with them. So, different strokes for different folks