road bike brakes

[youngoldbloke]

LIke most if not all of the road bike users I ride with in the club, 95% of the time I am riding with my hands on the hoods, and in spite of having small hands have no difficulty covering, feathering and operating the brakes with the fingers, from that position. You don't have to be on the drops to operate the brake levers effectively. One bike has Tiagra shifters, one Campag (newer shape), and the other Tektro levers, all work well, from the hoods. Interrupters would simply clutter the bars.

 

[Rob3rt]

I was actually wondering about this this morning. I am unable to actually reach my brake levers as they are currently. Apparently they can't be adjusted to be any closer. I don't have particularly short fingers in the slightest, so am also left wondering, how am I meant to brake?
Currently the only thing I can come up with is to change the brake levers to something I can reach or that is more adjustable. Never remember having that issue with my old BSA racer as a teenager...

You might need to adjust the hood position on the bar or look into a bar with a different curve profile. Furthermore you may be able to shim the hood out a bit at the top under the clamp to change its angle (not sure on how safe this would be).

 

[youngoldbloke]

Hand position on the hoods should be something like this

But if you can't reach the levers from the drops follow Rob3ert's advice. You can see how a compact more curved bar would bring the lever closer to the bar.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Why dont modern road bikes have brake levers on the top of the bars like 80's racers,seems like a backward step to me

I remember those things, some of the cheap bikes I had at the time had them, they weren't called suicide leavers for nothing, I was glad to see the back of them.

 

[Widge]

I had a rather classy 'Mercian' framed retro racer from the 8o's for a few years. BEAUTIFUL bike with lots of campag and Wolber etc. but I had bought it on a whim 2nd hand and didn't ride it that much. It was just too big...having been obviously made-to-measure for someone 6ft+. I gave it away inpayment to a chap who painted our house. Wish I'd kept it now!

However...it DID have 'suicide' levers attached to the standard brake levers with thick nylon zip-ties and they seemed to work perfectly well just for dabbing.(I wouldn't trust them on a long fast descent!) Also HUGE friction levers (campag) on the stem which where mostly trouble free when you got used to guessing where to shift to. It was a triple chainset with a monster 'bailout' cog on the back as well which was a godsend here. I confess to missing all these old-fashioned features on my shiny new Triban...but I guess that's the price of progress??

I find it a bit tricky to apply much pressure to the brakes from the hoods even though I have fitted the maximum size of reach-reducing inserts under the hoods and wasn't aware of having unusually small hands. I suppose you get used to it..........? If desperate I could always look at different profile ,or even 'female' specific bars if it became an ongoing issue?

w

 

[Cycleops]

Why dont modern road bikes have brake levers on the top of the bars like 80's racers,seems like a backward step to me

Have you ever tried them? Useless!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

OK - off to talk to LBS, if I can find them, about new sti levers or other options. thanks for assistance. think some of my issues are I don't have full use of my left hand, but struggling to reach brake lever with right hand as well, so may be another option is required...
(PS - had fun getting my tourer set up for me to use the brakes as well, so this is no surprise).