waynebiker
new member
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 31
Loc: usa
|
|
I have 2 road bikes...I decided to change the bars on one of my bike so they will be the same. I picked my bike up at the shop and the brake hoods were postioned differently then I am used to. I thought that the rule of thumb is to have the bottom of the brake lever even with the bottom of the drop( like the blue bar w/record levers) the bike I picked up at the shop today ( black bar tape with chorus levers) had the levers lower then the drop. Both bars are deda 215 shallow drop. I have yet to ride the new set up. I tooka little spin around the block and I felt a little more streached out...not a bad thing! I am a little confused or is it all a matter of feel?????
By the position of the brake lever it seems to change the feel of the bar ....Any ideas
all input is welcome....Thanks
See pictures here:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=17599
|
skagwayroadie
contributor
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 141
Loc: Alaska
|
|
I have always placed the levers on the bar so that the bottom tips are level with the drops, as you specified. However, because the new D/A levers (7800) have more travel, many people are installing them higher up for an easier gear change. I like the looks better using the traditional method, but it does not matter really, unless you are uncomfortable when operating the lever. Are you using Campy or Shimano, what model? I also like the levers so that there is no dip or rise from the bar as it bends from the tops to the hoods. I ride the hoods almost all the time and if the angle is not right it is very uncomfortable to me. I have not used the 7800 series levers yet, so I can't comment, but with 7700, the traditional method yields a flat transition on Kestrel CF and Deda 215 bars.
Tradition also dictates that the bar drops should be parallel to the top tube and the ground. Since the compact frame has become so popular, the bars tend to be tilted so the the drops are parallel to the top tube slope, not the ground. Friends that ride this way say it is more comfy to the hands with the bars tilted up like that...looks strange to my eyes.
Bottom line, what ever feels right and looks right to you is what is best.
|
Bruce
contributor
Reged: 12/27/03
Posts: 133
Loc: North of NYC
|
|
I would take the black tape and chorus bike and rotate the bar up a bit, you want a more level surface to put your hands on. I would say the blue tape levers are too high to compensate for the bars being too far down.
In the end it is personal preference, but try the above before you rewrap anything. I changed my riding position to match the above when I got the new bike, and it was much better.
|
dbrk
contributor
Reged: 12/18/03
Posts: 201
Loc: Finger Lakes, New York
|
|
Historically there are actually different traditions of placement of brake levers. Of course this goes back way before STI/Ergo. When levers are higher on the curve and the bar is also slightly tilted up this is called "Belgian high" (I'm not kidding...even though you can get a Belgian high drinking any one of the thousands of their beers...); a more level brake lever and level top so that the curve ends point more to straight back is "Italian." Anyway, there are drawings and explanations, as I recall, somewhere in Daniel Rebour's work.
STI/Ergo changed not only how we shift but how we fit and place weight on our hands. The larger platform further encouraged the lower front ends and the more aggressive racer's fit that dominates American cycling. There were a million other reasons but lever platform was a factor.
Lance and some others nowadays like their levers higher than what we saw just a few years back. I think too that LA had input in the new design of the Shimano levers (which are huge for someone like me...about Lance's size). I like them far better than the 9spd but am unimpressed with the cost/benefit. Anyway, there is more than one way to place levers and there is no rule of thumb, only different traditions that date back to before Coppi, et.al.
dbrk
|
skagwayroadie
contributor
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 141
Loc: Alaska
|
|
Since I am not a beer drinker, this explains my distaste for the Belgian High style!
All this does make sence since I do not ride 7800 levers. I have heard mix feelings on the comfort issue with them. Some say the shape is better, but the angles are not or the hoods are still too skinny. Others have commented that the shifting is so much better with the longer levers, but they are more uncofortable.
Best to try 'em for yourself.
I would love to try them out...I certainly would not mind the extra gear in the cob, but the price sure is steep.
hmmm...Mark
|
Lon
sage
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 595
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
|
|
A friend set up my bike with the 7700 D/A shifters higher...I liked it better immediately...prior to this I thought I would not...I switched all my bikes...
Lon
|
Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
|
|
I believe modern understanding of ergonimics drives where the levers are placed now, not tradition. How bars are shaped and whether they are parallel or tilted depends not on tradition but on natural hand position. We humans are mechanical machines in a way and have limitations on how we position our bodies. For me comfort is a high priority since my riding style has me on the bike for hours at a time.
I think when the originial post posed the question on position it may have been the thought that there is a "correct," position. For me, what is correct is what is comfortable, not what is tradtional.
|
Previous
Thread Index
Next
Threaded
Brake lever postion on handlebar????
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 
Re: Brake lever postion on handlebar????