Flat bars on road bike - What brake levers?

[Stein Ballangru]

If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes, such as 105 or Tiagra) to a
flat handlebar: Could I use standard v-brake levers, or do I need special "non-servo wave" levers?
If I do; what levers would you recommend?

What would the results be If i went on and used v-brake levers anyway?

Stein

 

[Zog The Undenia]

Stein Ballangrud Andersen wrote:

> If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes, such as 105 or Tiagra) to a
> flat handlebar: Could I use standard v-brake levers, or do I need special "non-servo wave" levers?
> If I do; what levers would you recommend?
>
> What would the results be If i went on and used v-brake levers anyway?

Shimano do a part-groupset (imaginatively called "Flat Handlebar") specially for use with road
components, and you need to ask for BL-R440 brake levers.

V-brake levers pull lots of cable, which will give a very firm feeling brake with little real power.

 

[Rosco]

"Stein Ballangrud Andersen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes, such as 105 or Tiagra) to a
> flat handlebar: Could I use standard v-brake levers, or do I need special "non-servo wave" levers?
> If I do; what levers would you recommend?
>
> What would the results be If i went on and used v-brake levers anyway?
>
> Stein

Wouldn't "old fashion" cantilever mt bike levers also work? Could probably pick up used ones pretty
cheap or free off an old junk yard mt bike (I see bikes in the scrap metal bin at the transfer
station once in a while). Rivendell sells new ones as well
(http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/brakes/15112.html).

 

[Bruni]

Old school Canti levers work fine on the bikes I build this way. If no old stuff is around, try
Tektro MT4.0, MT2.1 Eclipse, or the RT350AG. They all switch from V to canti. Tom

--
Bruni Bicycles
"Where art meets science"
brunibicycles.com
410.426.3420
Zog The Undeniable <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Stein Ballangrud Andersen wrote:
>
> > If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes,
> > such as 105 or Tiagra) to a flat handlebar: Could I use standard
> > v-brake levers, or do I need special "non-servo wave" levers? If I do;
> > what levers would you recommend?
> >
> > What would the results be If i went on and used v-brake levers anyway?
>
> Shimano do a part-groupset (imaginatively called "Flat Handlebar")
> specially for use with road components, and you need to ask for BL-R440
> brake levers.
>
> V-brake levers pull lots of cable, which will give a very firm feeling
> brake with little real power.

 

[crazy6r54]

Canti brake levers would work not V brake levers.

I MTB 2004

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Stein Ballangrud Andersen wrote:

> If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes, such as 105 or Tiagra) to a
> flat handlebar: Could I use standard v-brake levers,

No, but any lever _not_ designed for direct-pull (V-type) brakes will work.

We have some unusually nice NOS Ritchey levers that we particularly recommend for such applications,
I use 'em myself. See:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakes.html#leversup

> or do I need special "non-servo wave" levers?

This doesn't have anything to do with "Servo-wave."

> What would the results be If i went on and used v-brake levers anyway?

When you would squeeze the levers, the brakes would engage with a very short stroke, but they
wouldn't squeeze the rims very hard.

Basically, you would have to squeeze twice as hard for the same amount of braking.

If you are a very light person with very strong hands it could work, but it's basically a Bad Idea.

Sheldon "WCS" Brown Evanston, Illinois +-------------------------------------------+
| Any smoothly functioning technology | will have the appearance of magic. | --Arthur C. Clarke |
+-------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone 617-244-
9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Stein Ballangru]

* Zog The Undeniable
> Stein Ballangrud Andersen wrote:
>
> > If I was to change the drop bars on a road bike (with roadbike brakes, such as 105 or Tiagra) to
> > a flat handlebar: Could I use standard v-brake levers, or do I need special "non-servo wave"
> > levers? If I do; what levers would you recommend? What would the results be If i went on and
> > used v-brake levers anyway?
>
> Shimano do a part-groupset (imaginatively called "Flat Handlebar") specially for use with road
> components, and you need to ask for BL-R440 brake levers.
>
> V-brake levers pull lots of cable, which will give a very firm feeling brake with little
> real power.

I was afraid of something like that. :-(

Stein

 

[Stein Ballangru]

* rosco
> Wouldn't "old fashion" cantilever mt bike levers also work? Could probably pick up used ones
> pretty cheap or free off an old junk yard mt bike (I see bikes in the scrap metal bin at the
> transfer station once in a while). Rivendell sells new ones as well
> (http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/brakes/15112.html).

Yes, but it's a new bike, so It'd be fun with new levers as well.

Stein

 

[Stein Ballangru]

* Bruni
> Old school Canti levers work fine on the bikes I build this way. If no old stuff is around, try
> Tektro MT4.0, MT2.1 Eclipse, or the RT350AG. They all switch from V to canti.

Thanks. I think I have both some Tektro levers and some old Dia Compe PC7's lying around, come to
think of it.

Stein