Conversion to straight bars; brake lever considerations . . .
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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?

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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
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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
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Avid Speed Dial levers. They have a little red knob that allows you to adjust the amount of cable pull.
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Tektro Fl750 levers work for me.. both with shimano br-650 brakes and Mafac Racer centerpulls.
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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.