Conversion to straight bars; brake lever considerations . . .
12-31-17, 01:01 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Near Lancaster
Posts: 383
Bikes: Carrera Virtuoso and friend
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Conversion to straight bars; brake lever considerations . . .
Thought it'd be a piece o' cake. Got me a 7 speed twist shift (my bike has 8, but I rarely use the highest) some new brake levers, and inner cables to suit. Covered 'em in wonderful black grease (must also be medically beneficial to the hands) and . . .voila! . . .
Useless brakes!
The geometry of the new levers is different to that on the drop bar brake levers; an emergency stop would be all but impossible. Any suitable levers out there, guys?
Useless brakes!
The geometry of the new levers is different to that on the drop bar brake levers; an emergency stop would be all but impossible. Any suitable levers out there, guys?
12-31-17, 01:57 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 4,195
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1071 Post(s)
Liked 124 Times
in
87 Posts
Assuming your brakes are road caliper, you need something like these for the correct cable pull: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5037-3...Flat-Handlebar
Another example: https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produ...cy2k118ljjvhy7
Another example: https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produ...cy2k118ljjvhy7
01-01-18, 05:40 AM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Near Lancaster
Posts: 383
Bikes: Carrera Virtuoso and friend
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Originally Posted by badger1
Assuming your brakes are road caliper, you need something like these for the correct cable pull: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5037-3...Flat-Handlebar
Another example: https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produ...cy2k118ljjvhy7
Another example: https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produ...cy2k118ljjvhy7
01-01-18, 07:01 AM
#4
Senior Member
Avid Speed Dial levers. They have a little red knob that allows you to adjust the amount of cable pull.
__________________
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
01-03-18, 08:27 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,771
Bikes: 81 Medici, 84 Turbo, 86 IM, 2010 Milwaukee Road, 2011 RS
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 643 Post(s)
Liked 56 Times
in
45 Posts
Tektro Fl750 levers work for me.. both with shimano br-650 brakes and Mafac Racer centerpulls.
01-08-18, 02:19 AM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Near Lancaster
Posts: 383
Bikes: Carrera Virtuoso and friend
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Thanks guys. I'll go for the Avid ones. They look rather cool . . . .
01-08-18, 05:38 PM
#7
Master Sarcaster
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 527
Bikes: 2018 Allez Sprint, 2016 Trek Crockett Canti
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
When I converted my Trek 1200 to a flat bar for commuting, I found a pair of levers at Performance Bike that worked just fine. They were their in house Forte brand. That being said, some of the component vendors, especially Shimano have changed the pull ratios in their levers in recent years, so what worked fine 5 years ago may not work anymore.
What brand and model are your brakes? If they are Shimano, you can go to si.shimano.com and they have compatibility charts for all of their components.
What brand and model are your brakes? If they are Shimano, you can go to si.shimano.com and they have compatibility charts for all of their components.
