Help: Small hands - can't grip brakes
 

I am new to this forum so I hope this is the right place to post.
I'm a petite woman (5') and I have a bike that fits me as well
as any (Trek420 circa 1998 with a sloping top tube so that I
can stand properly - I don't have tons of money for a WSD).

My problem is that I cannot grip the brake with my whole hand.
At best I have to drop down into the bars and hang by my thumbs,
wrapping my middle and ring fingers around the brakes to stop.
Braking from on top of the handlebars over the top of the brakes
is something I only do when I'm going very slowly.

What can I do to fix this problem? I want to say these brakes
are too big, but I don't even know if they make "smaller brakes".
I'm not even sure how to google for a solution.

Any help would be appreciated.

I know there are some older shimano road levers that were made for smaller hands. I saw them on ebay about a month or so ago. Maybe check w/ your LBS. One of the more experienced mechanics might be able to assist. I'd guess that your situation is not unique.

SHIMANO ULTEGRA ST-R600.
That's the one you want.

Does your bike have STI levers? If it does you might try Sora levers like the ones at Harris Cyclery. They have a reach adjustment. The only problem with the STI levers is they tend to have longer bodies so it pushes the lever further out which is not what you need.

Or you might try an in-line lever like this (there are lots of different brands of these, this is just an example).

I knew about the Sora but I wasn't aware of the Ultregra levers. Now that I looked at them, they use an wedge for the reach adjustment but they are pricey. Could the wedge be used on some of the other Shimano sets to get the same effect?

Now for rant mode: Why is it that every mountain bike out there has a little set screw for adjusting the reach of the lever but very few of the road bike levers do? Doesn't Shimano (since they have most of the market) realize that there is a lot of variability with hand size? My wife is 5 feet tall and has hands that are half the size of mine but Shimano, in it's wisdom, says that she should use the same levers as me and just "get used to it"! This applies to my two vertically challenged daughters also. Come on, you BONEHEADS, can't you see that you are missing half the market?!! :mad: Pant! Pant! Pant!

Okay. I'm better now. Not satisfied, just better. :) Think soothing thoughts.

Stuart Black

Assuming the poster has 9 speed STi, and all they do is have an adjustable reach with a screw adjustment that could be duplicated with a shim on any shimano 9 speed sti lever. They are not physically smaller.

You can make your own stick on shim for any shimano 9 speed levers.Trickier but still possible with others.

Depending on the particular style of drop bars you have, you can re-position your brake levers a little lower on the bends. This usually brings the levers in a bit closer.

Terry sells a drop bar for women with small hands.The diameter of the bar is smaller in the right places.

Doh, simplest solution if it works...

Having been a casualty in the Battle of Small-Handed Women for many years, I can tell you that this is not a good solution. On most bikes, the small woman is already too far from the bars. Moving the brakehoods down and away only makes them stretch further leading to control and comfort problems. The comfort problems are probably the most important. Trust me. You do not what at mad uncomfortable petite woman on your hands.

Stuart Black

IMO, Campy levers seem to made for smaller, more delicate Italian hands ;) Talk to your LBS and try them out, then see if they'll do a swap. They'll have to switch pretty much everything, though. Campy and Shimano don't mix.

The bar is probably not the problem. When she reaches for the brake, she probably has to use just the finger tips. For comparison, from where the thumb meets the hand to my index finger, the distance is 5". My wife's index finger is only 4". A smaller diameter bar will only get you fractions of an inch when an inch worth of distance is needed. The in-line brake levers are probably a better solution and far less expensive.

Stuart Black

yeah, if ya can live with the fact that it only works from the top of the bars.

Hi,
the idea with Inline brakes is that you have TWO sets of brakes levers. You still have the ones that came on your bike. Your bike shop will simply add these new ones.

Now, I think you should get your problem squared away, perhaps with the Shimano STI levers made for gals. But I have the dual brakes on my bike, and love it. In heavy traffic, I like having my head up, and my fingers on the brakes. Hard to do that with just STI levers.

Like people that drive cars with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator?

I've seen some Trek's at my LBS that were sized for kids - including the handlebars and brake levers. Would those brake levers work for you?

Sydney,
no, like somebody who is ready to stop quick enough to avoid
getting doored.

There are some companies which made brake levers in S/M/L: Dia Comp and Modolo. You may have to look for NOS (new old stock ie been hanging around the shop for a few years)

A narrow, small radius drop bar may also help.

NB The term Short Reach can be used to describe a brake lever for small hands, but is more commonly used for a brake caliper which is small (ie for a narrow tyre).

small hands.....smell like cabbage

carnies! :D

Terry sells them in combination with smaller brake levers, and I think the bar is actual dented, for lack of a better word where it needs to be. The in line breaks are one good answer. Unless you have a lot of stuff on the bars, like lights computer, bar bag, etc. Although the in line brakes probably are better if you don't.

If it's actually the reach that you're having problems with, the cheapest solution is to loosen the brake cables a bit and then put wedges on the top part (between the lever and the brake handle). The more you want the levers to be closer the bigger the wedge you'll need. I saw one place selling them...though at this point I don't remember which one.