Campag Athena brake lever question

[Padraig]

When I got my Bob Jackson, the brake cables were taped to the handlebars. It was fitted with a pair of Campagnolo Athena brake levers with rubber hoods. I took the bike apart for a complete rebuild, which I tend to do with a newly-acquired machine. I prefer my brake cables to describe graceful arcs out in the open air, as I've always had them. However, when I tried to refit the Athena levers, it seemed that you could only use them with the cables taped to the bars as before, with the inner cable exiting from beneath the stationary part of the lever assembly where it attaches to the bars. This puzzled me, because the levers have a hole in the same place as the Weinmann ones I ended up fitting, although the Athena rubber hoods haven't had a hole punched in them in the corresponding place. I have a feeling I must be missing something. The problem is that, when the Athena levers are applied, the bar to which the ferrule of the inner cable attaches is free to slide in a slot. I don't know if I've explained this satisfactorily. Can anyone suggest what I'm doing wrong? I would prefer to use the Campag levers, as the Weinmann ones have those awful bosses for safety levers, and don't really belong on a quality machine.

 

[accountantpete]

I'm not sure this helps as I only have a Record levers from that era (with the white hoods).

The brakes were aero ( emerging from the back) or non-aero (emerging from the top).

Mine have the nipple holder set in the round drum which emerges on both sides of the lever. Above this should be a guide for the wire to route it backwards for the aero brake operation. My brakes have been used for the non-aero set up which you want and in this case the guide has been pushed out from one side and removed entirely to allow this.

 

[Padraig]

Thanks. I'll dig the levers out tomorrow and have a look.

 

[MichaelW2]

Campagnolo Ergo brake levers have always routed the brake cable along the bars, there is no alt routing. If you use a barbag, the routing is much easier to integrate with the bag.
Many bars have a depression along the lower/front edge to accept the cable.

 

[Padraig]

The Bob Jackson has Cinelli Campione del Mondo bars without the groove, which is partly why I wanted to route the cables in the old-fashioned way. Also from innate conservatism, and to enable it to qualify for L'Eroica. That method seemed more in keeping with its 1971 build date. I used to have a set of Cinelli Giro d'Italia bars with the groove, but I gave them away before acquiring the BJ. Probably another bike-related mistake.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I prefer bars without the groove. Running brake and gear cables along the front gives a nicely profiled grip for my hands.