I got an old Raleigh road bike on ebay last week and today i decided to get to work on it.The drop bars were 36cm wide which felt incredibly unstable.I cut an old steel pair of 42's down to bull horns and put some mtb brake levers on,however the braking efficiency is now horrendous.The rims are alloy and everything is the same except the levers and they worked a damn sight better before.Are mtb levers incompatible with caliper brakes.Oh and the levers are fairly stiff to operate too.
mtb brake levers on a road bike......help please.
- Thread starter Chris-H
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
thegravestoneman
three wheels on my wagon
- Location
- Castleford, Yorkshire
If you use the original levers (racing) at the very top of the bull horn they will not effect your riding position and should retain the original braking effort.
I was thinking along those same lines but was'nt sure the levers would look right,i was considering bar end levers though,i'm just mystified as to why the levers would reduce the efficiency.
PatrickPending
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
The pull on the brake levers won't be right for dual pivot brakes - which I assume the raleigh has - poor braking will result from using levers designed for vee brakes with dual pivot brakes and vice versa.
PatrickPending
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
Its the different amount of pull required which causes the reduction in efficiency..
Nigeyy
Legendary Member
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
The original brakes (calipre?) have a "short" cable pull. I'm thinking the mtb brake levers you put on were for v-brake style brakes which have a "long" cable pull (that's why they feel stiff -you have no mechanical leverage).
However.... if you can get hold of some older mtb brake levers that were intended to be used with canti brakes (short cable pull required), you should be OK. Otherwise, it's back to those original levers or replacement levers with a short cable pull. Even appropriate pull levers can be a crap shoot -cable pulls can still vary by millimeters and provide a surprizingly different feel to the brake (e.g. my Shimano STI levers pulled less than the Cane Creek replacments I got, even though they are meant for the same brake style).
I should also add you should consider at a minimum making sure your rims and pads are clean. If you can afford it, also try some KoolStop salmons or similar for the brake pads as well. You also mentioned its an old Raleigh; I don't know if you have single pivot or dual pivot brakes, but I've had better luck with dual pivots so try those if you haven't already or can afford them.
However.... if you can get hold of some older mtb brake levers that were intended to be used with canti brakes (short cable pull required), you should be OK. Otherwise, it's back to those original levers or replacement levers with a short cable pull. Even appropriate pull levers can be a crap shoot -cable pulls can still vary by millimeters and provide a surprizingly different feel to the brake (e.g. my Shimano STI levers pulled less than the Cane Creek replacments I got, even though they are meant for the same brake style).
I should also add you should consider at a minimum making sure your rims and pads are clean. If you can afford it, also try some KoolStop salmons or similar for the brake pads as well. You also mentioned its an old Raleigh; I don't know if you have single pivot or dual pivot brakes, but I've had better luck with dual pivots so try those if you haven't already or can afford them.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Got a pr of carbon pr end levers and some cut down drops if it helps chris !!
All sorted now cheers mate
