Positioning / Alignment for Brake Levers

NLee1875

April 17, 2004..

Question:

What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever and
the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?

My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars have
markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime I
finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?

I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.

Much obliged.
Nick Lee
carless since January 2000

Collin O'Neill

Use a carpenter's level.

"NLee1875" <nlee1875@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040417221243.19534.00000046@mb-m06.aol.com...
> April 17, 2004..
>
> Question:
>
> What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever
and
> the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?
>
> My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars
have
> markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime
I
> finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?
>
> I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.
>
> Much obliged.
> Nick Lee
> carless since January 2000
>
>
>

Dan Daniel

On 18 Apr 2004 02:12:43 GMT, nlee1875@aol.com (NLee1875) wrote:

>April 17, 2004..
>
>Question:
>
>What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever and
>the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?
>
>My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars have
>markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime I
>finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?
>
>I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.
>
>Much obliged.
>Nick Lee
>carless since January 2000
>
>

Lay a bar, carpenter's level, some solid straight object across the
top of both levers so that it is resting on the same point of each
one.

Sight the straightedge along the flat of the bars. Any unevenness
should be obvious.

Zog The Undeniable

NLee1875 wrote:
> April 17, 2004..
>
> Question:
>
> What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever and
> the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?
>
> My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars have
> markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime I
> finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?
>
> I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.

Put a straight edge along the bottom straight section of the drops, and
have the bottom of the brake lever just touch the straight edge. This
is an old roadie convention which you may or may not like!

Qui si parla Campagnolo

nlee-<< What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left
lever and
the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar? >><BR><BR>


A long straight edge, on top of the levers, to see that the gap from the
straight edge to the handlebar flat is the same, left-right.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Jeff Starr

nlee1875@aol.com (NLee1875) wrote in message news:<20040417221243.19534.00000046@mb-m06.aol.com>...
> April 17, 2004..
>
> Question:
>
> What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever and
> the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?
>
> My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars have
> markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime I
> finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?
>
> I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.
>
> Much obliged.
> Nick Lee
> carless since January 2000

Hi, I recently replaced both my levers and bars, this is how I did it.
I put the bike in my trainer and made sure that the bike was vertical.
I mounted and positioned the bars, I then mounted one lever. I have a
24" bubble type level that I used to position the second lever. If you
don't have a level that is long enough, use a straight edge, that is.
Place your too short level on the straight edge, accomplishing the
same thing, it is very simple. Now if you have no level or straight
edge, you could, after mounting one lever, measure from the ground to
the lever bracket, and match it up that way. Just make sure that the
bike is straight up and down, not tilted to one side.
Life is Good!
Jeff

Steve Knight

or even simpler use a piece of string to measure one going from the end to the
edge of the leaver and match it on the other side. Or use a cloth measuring tape
and measure it around the curve. using a level assumes your bike is level in the
first place.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Jeff Starr

Steve Knight <stevek@knight-toolworks.com> wrote in message news:<jpi580t8t49m57elds1h5tps067gabbi0s@4ax.com>...
> or even simpler use a piece of string to measure one going from the end to the
> edge of the leaver and match it on the other side. Or use a cloth measuring tape
> and measure it around the curve. using a level assumes your bike is level in the
> first place.

Hi, why would you assume that the bike is level? I had said "made sure
that the bike was vertical". It is very easy to make sure that the
bike is level. I think, reading most of the other replies, that a
straightedge is a very common method. I agree with the poster who
mentioned using the top flat of the bar as a reference. There are a
number of ways to do this, most involve measuring, a reference point,
and some common sense.
Life is Good!
Jeff

NLee1875

April 18, 2004

Thank you all for responding to my question.

I have tried many methods.. some that are suggested here. The cloth tape
method I've already tried.. but there is some stretch to cloth tape / rope..
etc.

As for using a level and/or combination of level and straight edge, is it
correct that you are using a straight edge resting on top of the lever hood
from left lever to the right lever? If so, I could never get the straight edge
to rest properly on the top of the hood --mainly because of the ergonomic
curve on top of the hood.

The closest I got to perfect was removing the handlebar from the stem.

I slipped the areo brakes far up the handlebar.. I rested the handlebar on a
table top in its natural upright position.. and move down the brake levers to
the handlebar postion where the bottom tip of the lever touches the table top.

That said, it presents another problem..is the brake lever positioned properly
along the curve of the handbar for the maximum application of force when
sqeezing the brake lever? I won't know.

I like the person who suggested the idea of using a straight edge (parallel)
along the bottom of the handlebar drops He brings the bottom of the brake
lever until it touches the straight edge.

With this method.. no level is needed and the bike need not be secured in a
straight up position.

This way, the results will be the same as if the handlebar is resting on the
table top.

Of course.. I know nothing about the STI brake levers and where it should be
positioned on the handlebar. That is a whole another topic.

Much obliged.

Nick Lee
Sparks, NV
carless since January 2000

A Muzi

NLee1875 wrote:
> What is the best way to install areo brake levers so that the left lever and
> the right lever are at the same height / position on the handlebar?
>
> My bare handlebar are not marked with position alignment (Syntace bars have
> markings on their handlebar which makes installation easy) .. so everytime I
> finish the installation.. it seems one lever is lower than the other?
>
> I never seem to get the positioning exactly right.

Lay a straightedge across the levers, sight to the top of
the bar.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Jeff Starr

nlee1875@aol.com (NLee1875) wrote in message news:<20040418230140.22188.00000051@mb-m22.aol.com>...

>
> Of course.. I know nothing about the STI brake levers and where it should be
> positioned on the handlebar. That is a whole another topic.
> Much obliged.
>
> Nick Lee

Hi Nick, Although I imagine that there is an accepted position or two,
as to the placement of the levers. The best position will be the one
that is most comfortable to you. One way would be to measure the old
ones and put them in the same place.
I do think that you are making this harder than it needs to be. One
other thing you could do, would be to take your bars, that you have
off the bike and do some measuring, then place a series of matching
marks on the curves. Then with the bars on the bike, to help choose
the most comfortable position, you would have your markings to match
the levers to.
It doesn't take much force to use the STI brake levers, any position
that allows the lever reasonable room to be squeezed is fine. I get
plenty of stopping power, braking over the tops, with thumbs on the
hood tops.
Like I said though, this really shouldn't be that difficult. Get it
done and get riding;-)
Life is Good!
Jeff

JayofMontreal

My method is to make them no-slip tight, then get on the bike. You probably
don't have perfectly equal arms, so why would you want your levers to not
reflect it?

You can gently, without scratching the bar move them around, feel when its
right, which is much more important than them being equal.

--


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"Jeff Starr" <jstarr@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:10c5841f.0404190707.74b48d10@posting.google.com...
> nlee1875@aol.com (NLee1875) wrote in message
news:<20040418230140.22188.00000051@mb-m22.aol.com>...
>
> >
> > Of course.. I know nothing about the STI brake levers and where it
should be
> > positioned on the handlebar. That is a whole another topic.
> > Much obliged.
> >
> > Nick Lee
>
> Hi Nick, Although I imagine that there is an accepted position or two,
> as to the placement of the levers. The best position will be the one
> that is most comfortable to you. One way would be to measure the old
> ones and put them in the same place.
> I do think that you are making this harder than it needs to be. One
> other thing you could do, would be to take your bars, that you have
> off the bike and do some measuring, then place a series of matching
> marks on the curves. Then with the bars on the bike, to help choose
> the most comfortable position, you would have your markings to match
> the levers to.
> It doesn't take much force to use the STI brake levers, any position
> that allows the lever reasonable room to be squeezed is fine. I get
> plenty of stopping power, braking over the tops, with thumbs on the
> hood tops.
> Like I said though, this really shouldn't be that difficult. Get it
> done and get riding;-)
> Life is Good!
> Jeff


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