Measuring Lever Position for Drop Bars
 

I purchased a used handlebar (3T Ergonova) that is due to arrive next week. How do you locate and adjust the lever positions?
I find that moving the levers on the bars by a millimeter or two changes my sense of the bike significantly. So typical manufacturer's marks often seem insufficient.

So I had an idea... what if I find two flexible adhesive rulers, and tape them on the left and right sides, starting at the bar ends? Have you tried this? Or something similar?

Here's what I've found so far:
Link to Amazon 1/4" wide Metal Ruler
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ecb979705.jpeg
Link to Amazon 1/2" wide Polyester Ruler
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...731e5fffe.jpeg

I set the bike up in a trainer with the hoods just loose enough that they can be moved around by hand. move them around while pedaling on the trainer until you find the position you like. tighten one of the levers. I use a flexible ruler to measure from the bottom of the lever body, around the radius of the bar to the end of the bar. note the distance and duplicate it on the other side. that seems to be what you're going for.

you can also get them about where you want them, then check them for even-ness by laying a long, rigid item like a level or a yardstick on top of the hoods. eyeball the tool to see if it's parallel with the top of the bar. adjust until the tool is parallel with the top of the bar. I find the former method to be more precise.

I eyeball it. Every time. A tape measure is very accurate-- and I can all but guarantee that my arms aren't even the same length. I know for a fact my opposing fingers aren't the same lengths. Human bodies are not precisely built.

How even or level the hoods are makes no difference at all, AFAIC. It needs to fit, not be an absolute measurement.

Easy. I go for a ride before I tape the handlebar. (I just tape the cable down with electrical tape.) Bering the tools to adjust stem height, bar rotation and the brake lever clamp. Stop and adjust as needed. My hands will tell me what they like. After a couple of rides and the levers feel dialed in, I tape the bars from the bottom with cloth tape - so I can easliy unwrap ti the levers, move them and re-tape - as many times as I want. When that tape wears out, i put the good stuff on, knowing the levers are "right".

What other people think of my lever position is none of my (G** d***ed) bvusiness! I have to live with the consequences of hand issues if I get it wrong.

Ben

Ben and DrIsotope, your humor is much appreciated!
I've tried combinations of each suggested method. I must admit, DrIsotope gets at the real issue - being overly concerned with perfection, while having arm and leg lengths that are nowhere near symmetric, and continually changing.
Cheers y'all.

BITD, we put a straight edge on the bottom of the drop bar,(which was straight),
then the lower tip of the brake lever touched that straight edge..







:50:
...

I still love those days... get my Cinelli 1A on there and I'll be all set... I swear it wasn't that long ago.
:50:
Now I had to go and get a plastic bike, jeez

I think that there are still straight sections at the bottom of those bars, so measuring from that plane to the tips of the levers works.

This was pretty sensible advice, but I'm not in the habit of bringing a bike stand, torque wrench, and other accoutrement necessary to change my stem height. That adjustment can wait until I'm back home. However, I definitely have done a few rides with a T-handle in my jersey pocket and no tape on the bars. It's pretty easy to move the brake levers during a mid-ride stop, but I'm not about to risk dropping my torque wrench or losing a 1 mm spacer from my steerer!

Ah, but they invented quill stems just to make that easy! 5 and 6mm Allen keys. Torque wrench? Nothing there even cares.

All but one of my bikes has been steel steered, threaded and quilled. So, so simple. Nothing critical. Too loose on the quill bolts? OK, so yu hit a bump and the handlebar rotates down. Too tight? Well loosening it with a small wrench is going to be a b****, I put on a brand new (29 yo) gem of a stem the other day. Got to the high point of the shakedown ride, stopped for other reasons and my bars were aimed down about 30 degrees! OK, so that bolt needs to be tighter. Pulled out the key and tightened it.

I know. I"m a dinosaur in a world that has changed. But the ability to just go ride and tweak - that just doesn't seem to me to be much to ask. In fact, as an engineer, I'd say it should be a design requirement.

Ben

Having the skills to develop a reasonable sense of proper torque may require being around since the days of dinosaurs. Even with titanium and carbon, I believe with a little care you can torque close enough for a test ride.

As long as you have a threadless steerer, and your stem has a removable clamp, you can get one lever set up where you feel you want it, then put the other lever on, loosely, and set the bar on a table top, having the bar right side up, so the drops are on the table, to get it into the same position. The table will contact the bar, and the end of the lever you installed first, move the second lever until the bar doesn't rock. Tighten, then install the bar on the bike.

My take is don't add bar tape till the end. What I like to do first is to set the bar up to where its most comfortable while riding in the drops. Next is to move the brake levers to a spot where they sort of level. Then go for a ride to and do minor adjustments to find the most optimal location for the most comfort. Before taping you might want to check the location of the levers by either measuring them from the bar ends or looking at the marks on the bars if they print them there. Next adding or subtracting spacers under the stem is another trial and error kind of thing. Comfort is king...

OMFG, that is so brilliant I can't wait to try it. The cables will be cumbersome of course, if you're trying to keep them connected.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f8f4799ea1.gif

[QUOTE=cyclic_eric;21643067]OMFG, that is so brilliant I can't wait to try it. The cables will be cumbersome of course, if you're trying to keep them connected.

/QUOTE]

Yeah, it works best when you are installing it all fresh, with no cables.

I user a tailor's tape to follow the bars from the ends to the bottom of the levers. Then, as mentioned, my first ride is without bar tape and I make the final adjustments according to feel.