small hands

[Richard Burton]

Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm sure
I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.

Anyone know of a source for such?

Cheers

Rich

 

[Toby Barrett]

"Richard Burton" <[email protected]> wrote in news:z1I1a.6154
[email protected]:
> Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
> have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
> sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.

I looked into this when getting my wife a bike with drops. It came with Shimano Sora brake levers,
and these can be adjusted (by means of a screw on the back of the hood) so that the levers are
nearer the bars. This was fine for her.

An alterative might be women-specific handle bars. I think some are designed to place the hands
nearer the brakes.

Toby

 

[Simon Ward]

Richard Burton <[email protected]> wrote:
> Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
> have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
> sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.
>
> Anyone know of a source for such?
I know for a fact that Shimano's Sora STI shifters are adjustable for reach, assuming you want to
go down this route - I don't know, off-hand, of any adjustable non-STI levers though.. It would
appear that Ultegra levers are also available in 'adjustable' form (as spec'd on their 2300WSD
road bike see http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/road/2200wsd.jsp). I *think* that Campag levers
are reach-adjustable too, but I could well be wrong here (don't use them). As for a source, any
decent bike shop should have them or be able to order them. Sora shifters aren't desperately
expensive, Ultegra are

Has she considered putting flat bars on the bike? Whilst this could be taken to be quite the
fashion statement at the moment, the fact is that most (all?) brake levers for flat bars are
adjustable for reach, but this is a potentially expensive way to go (new bars, shifters etc.)

Simon
--
Simon Ward, Accent Optical Technologies (UK) Ltd., York, YO31 8SD, UK "You'd never guess the things
that I do, I've had the Devil round for tea ..."
- "60 Miles an Hour", New Order

 

[Phil Bixby]

Hi Rich

Depends how digitally challenged she is, but I've got pretty cute pinkies too (glove size "small"
etc) and have just fitted 3T Morphe Randonneur bars to my bike (with 105 levers). I find I can
reach the levers okay tho they needed positioning carefully. May be worth grabbing a few sets of
bars at the LBS.

Phil Bixby York, UK

"Richard Burton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
> have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
> sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.
>
> Anyone know of a source for such?
>
> Cheers
>
> Rich

 

[David E. Belche]

"Richard Burton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
> have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
> sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.
>
> Anyone know of a source for such?
>

Orbit (www.orbit-cycles.co.uk) used to, and may well still, provide special Dia-Compe short reach
aero levers on their drop-bar models for smaller riders. Don't know if they can supply them as spare
parts, but might be worth contacting them anyhow to ask where they source theirs from.

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

 

[Frank]

"Simon Ward" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Richard Burton <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers.
> > I have looked at every website I can think of
to
> > find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find
> > anything.
> >
> > Anyone know of a source for such?
> I know for a fact that Shimano's Sora STI shifters are adjustable for
reach,
> assuming you want to go down this route - I don't know, off-hand, of any

All a bit pointless surely as Sora's can only really be ridden on the hoods, due to to thumb buttons
used to shift gear to smaller cogs.

However I'm perfectly happy to do this, and would recomend them.

I would have thought ridding on the hoods would be ok for someone with small hands?

 

[Chris Malcolm]

"Richard Burton" <[email protected]> writes:

>Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers. I
>have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
>sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.

>Anyone know of a source for such?

I've got small hands. Last time I bought a bike with non-adjustable levers which were too far out
for a comfortable grab I bent them. Worked fine.

--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] +44 (0)131 650 3085 School of Artificial Intelligence, Division of
Informatics Edinburgh University, 5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/daidb/people/homes/cam/ ] DoD #205

 

[Pete Biggs]

Richard Burton wrote:
> Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers.

From hoods or drops?

> I have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars (I'm
> sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.

Sora levers may help but different bars can help more - especially if existing bars are "anatomic"
(most are now) and reaching from the drop position is a main concern.

3T Morph's provide a shorter reach to the brakes than just about all other anatomic drops (and also
have shorter reach from tops to hoods: she'll like this!), but even better for drop-brake-reach will
be non-anatomic or "classic" drop bars. These just have a plain curve in the drops instead of
incorporating a diaganal straight section - which causes the problems from the drops. Also check out
Terry bars which are designed for women and people with small hands: www.terrybicycles.com/

If your workmate's not too keen on the idea of drops anyway (although won't really know until tries
properly), then it'll be well worth converting to straight bars.

~PB

 

[Peter Vesel]

Deda's range of anatomic handlebars puts the levers closer than on most other bars. I also
reduced the reach to my campag ergo levers by packing where the quick release button rests
against the hood body

Peter

"Pete Biggs" <pLime{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Richard Burton wrote:
> > Having now found a bike for my vertically-challenged workmate, she can't reach the brake levers.
>
> From hoods or drops?
>
> > I have looked at every website I can think of to find short-reach brake levers for drop bars
> > (I'm sure I've seen such advertised) but can't find anything.
>
> Sora levers may help but different bars can help more - especially if existing bars are "anatomic"
> (most are now) and reaching from the drop position is a main concern.
>
> 3T Morph's provide a shorter reach to the brakes than just about all other anatomic drops (and
> also have shorter reach from tops to hoods: she'll like this!), but even better for
> drop-brake-reach will be non-anatomic or "classic" drop bars. These just have a plain curve in the
> drops instead of incorporating a diaganal straight section - which causes the problems from the
> drops. Also check out Terry bars which are designed for women and people with small hands:
> www.terrybicycles.com/
>
> If your workmate's not too keen on the idea of drops anyway (although won't really know until
> tries properly), then it'll be well worth converting to straight bars.
>
> ~PB

 

[Pete Biggs]

Peter Vesel wrote:
> I also reduced the reach to my campag ergo levers by packing where the quick release button rests
> against the hood body

That's a novel idea! What did you use? Epoxy resin? But do the levers have to be mounted higher to
make braking from the hoods acceptable (which could partly defeat the object)?

~PB

 

[ecce_ecce]

simon ward ?

Are you THE simon ward of ................cycling journalism fame?

 

[Richard Burton]

"ecce_ecce" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> simon ward ?
>
> Are you THE simon ward of ................cycling journalism fame?
>
> --
> >--------------------------<
> Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com

Stop looking everyone, I've just solved the problem by attacking a pair of old brakes with a
half-round file, removing about 5mm and changing the angle. Should work, but the lady will decide.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

Cheers Rich

 

[Peter Vesel]

I used cut up electrical cable ties (may be called zip ties)

Essentially what you are trying to do is stop the quick release button from resting against the
brake hood in its normal position by using packing. I thought about using epoxy but didn't want to
have a mess.

Take a mid size cable tie and cut a 4-5 inch section from the non-head end. You need to been the
cable tie into a u shape so the thin end goes inside the brake lever and the cut piece tucks under
the brake hood. The "bottom" of the u packs out the quick release pin.

As the brake lever travel is now reduce it will foul the inner shift lever. take a small sized cable
tie and thread it around the top part of the shift lever where it comes to rest.

this is very hard to describe. if I can get hold of a digital camera I'll take some pictures.

I know somebody out there has come up with a better solution.

peter

"Pete Biggs" <pLime{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Peter Vesel wrote:
> > I also reduced the reach to my campag ergo levers by packing where the quick release button
> > rests against the hood body
>
> That's a novel idea! What did you use? Epoxy resin? But do the levers have to be mounted higher to
> make braking from the hoods acceptable (which could partly defeat the object)?
>
> ~PB