Brakes for Cowhorns (Singlespeed)
 

Hello,

I'm finalizing my '7X Schwinn Super Le Tour to Singlespeed/Fixed Conversion. The final thing I need to do is install some front brakes on the bike.

The handlebars are these:
http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2767
Pyramid Economy Time Trial (Cowhorn) Handlebars
42cm wide, 25.4mm Center

Some people seem to use TT brakes (Cane Creek 200 TTs, Tektro RX 4.1)
Other people like Cyclocross Topbars.

I'm not really sure what the advantage of either is. The bike is be mostly for road commuting (3 miles to work) and running errands around town.

Thanks!

Cows usually don't have horns.

lol

cows have ears.

or udders.

Wow. What a **** forum this is.

The design difference between those two is that a TT lever fixes itself inside the end of the tube, like a bar-end or end cap, and the Cyclocross safety lever fits around the bar like a normal lever (and will make the 1/2in to 1in of your bars essentially ungrippable. You probably want a TT lever.)

not sure about the breaks but i would be very interested to see a picture of the bike when its done. i ride a super le tour as my roadie and have been very curious to see one converted

not true. in most breeds, when the bulls have horns, so do the cows.

to the OP, i would say that which brake levers you run depends on where your hands are more comfortable. if you like them out on the "horns" then TT levers will work better, if you like them on the flats, then i suggest cross levers.

btw, you can run both, just fyi.

:thumb: I second this. Whichever is more comfortable for you. Personally, I run both a reverse lever and a cross lever, since I prefer to be able to break regardless of where my hands are.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._3054814_n.jpg

So how seriously do you picture yourself riding the bike?

If you're a head down, get with it kind of guy I'd think the TT levers would be more convenient because you won't have to shift your body position.
If you think you're more likely to ride with your hands on the tops of the bars, I'd pick the cyclocross levers.

oh thats cool. pretty messy lookin, but very functional.

omfg it's brake not break

Cross LEver (s)

The Cross levers will work on the flat or the ends of the bars, so get them if you're not sure where you want them yet. I have run both kinds and would just get whatever is available.

cows have spots.

I put a Soma Urban Pursuit bullhorn bar on my 91 Raleigh Olympian about a month ago and had to make the same decision.

To me cross levers on the flats look better, but TT levers on the ends of the horns seemed to make more sense to me. I rationalized I would be riding on the horns in turns most of the time rather than the flats, and in that situation I do not want to shift my hands to get on the brakes. So far my reasoning has held up. YMMV.

Here's the thing: when you are going fastest, you will probably be in the horns. I ride the flats sometimes, but usually when I'm going slow. And since a brake is MOST important when you are going fast, it makes sense to use the TT levers. Plus they look cool!

FWIW, I have a Tektro RX 4.1 on my bullhorns and it's lovely. Like others have said, brake lever placement is pretty subjective.

I'm thinking about going leed's route and running a TT and cross lever to the front brake for safety/convenience. As a related question which may by useful to the OP, what's the best way to achieve two levers to one brake? My research has led me to this product.

wait a second, is that an in-line lever that isn't actually in line? I'm having trouble following the cables, but it seems a better idea to have the cross lever on the same cable as the TT lever.

Not even a question in my mind...
 

I just had to make the same decision myself only a week ago, but to me there was never really a question...

The brakes that go into the bar-ends all the way.

1. You can't get a cleaner look than that, and it's way functional. You wrap the brake lines in under the tape so there's no cable mess, and being plugged into the end they actually feel a lot more secure to me than levers that are screwed on. Plus (at least in my limited experience) the bullhorns* are a bit wider of a bar and many levers will barely fit on them if at all...so you've got a more reliable and better looking brake system.

2. If you're bothering to put on the bulls you really should be bothering to ride down in them. As has already been said...the time you really need to stop is when you're going fast, and that's when you're down in the horns. It just makes sense. Plus if you are stuck in the unenviable position of switching position to stop on a dime, I'd rather be quick going down into a more stable position than pulling back and grabbing onto the middle half of the bar range and losing a lot of control.


*That's what mine were called when I bought them...I'm not just trying to avoid that ridiculous cow argument.

yeah, I cannot figure that one out either.

an interrupter setup should be nice and clean, like so:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/115/3...16d7ef10bd.jpg

what the hell is going on with your setup?

Sorry, my mistake.

To be honest, I never knew the crosstop brake could be set up in such a manner, as I had only seen it used by itself, I also got it from my brother, so I didn't do any research prior to getting it, and didn't really know it was called an inline lever, which would have made more sense, though I still doubt I would have made the connection.

Regardless, I'm not sure if I can run it "inline" as the levers are for opposing sides, which is to my personal preference. And it is virtually impossible to make it look clean and tidy, as if I were to run it inline, per se, I'd have to have a brake cable do a 180 to make it back to the lever. Or, I would have to leave enough cable out from the TT lever to have slack for the crosstop to move. But, I may try it anyways, I suppose it could not look much worse. Although I'd rather it be untidy and work than clean and not work.

your setup looks goofy and not safe. I would fix that.

This is way down the road, so atm its simply to indulge my curiousity, but how does a set-up like that work? I did a few 20-25mi rides over the weekend, and realized that although the stock flat bars on my bike are fine for short rides/commuting, I'd really like bullhorns/drops for longer rides. I'd like the option of setting up brakes "in-line" or whatever the technical term is, just can't tell how the cabling works on your pic. Care to enlighten me?

this thread is udderly ridiculous.