Ultegra brake lever removal

[ayceejay]

I need to change my 'bars but I can't figure out how to remove the dual levers. Do I need to disassemble them to get to the bolt head the holds the lever to the 'bar. I have checked with their tech docs but I need a bit more help tha that.

 

[accountantpete]

It's usually under the hood at one side.

Peel the front of the hood back and you should see a hex nut.

 

[festival]

Peel the rubber hoods back carefully away from the bars and you will see the 5mm allen key bolt that you loosen to open the clamp.

 

[ayceejay]

So: I peeled back the rubber and located the allen key bolt head which is extremely difficult to engage and seems to be made from very soft metal so that as you can't get a straight purchase on it is easily damaged. Is there something I should know as I don't want to round out this head and be unable to remove the levers.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Is there something I should know as I don't want to round out this head and be unable to remove the levers.

Use decent tools and make sure they are properly seated in the bolt before applying pressure.

T bar allen wrenches are very good as they allow you to apply downward pressure at the same time as twisting to ensure the tool stays seated.

I'm pretty ham fisted at times but I've never managed to round off a Shimano bolt.

[EDIT] THIS should help

 

[youngoldbloke]

+1 T bar allen wrenches - I actually look forward to using them

 

[ayceejay]

So: job done. I must admit I thought it was going to be easier, moving the handlebars so that I could get all my weight on top of the levers did the trick. I realize it needs to be tight but it took all my strength to loosen the nuts. I knew it would be next to impossible to reassemble if I unscrewed it all the way so I loosemed only enough to wiggle the levers off and back on again.

 

[ayceejay]

Oh, and it's the rubber hood that makes it hard to get the Allen key in straight.

 

[festival]

Like a lot of things, when you have done it a few times (with the right tools) it becomes a simple job.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I had great trouble loosening the equivalent bolt when fitting new Campag Veloce shifters a year or so ago, groping around under the rubber with an allen key. It was only when I discovered online that they had changed to a Torx fitting (WHY?) that things began to go right ...... (you couldn't see the head due to the tightness of the hood and fortunately I hadn't damaged the socket poking at it with the wrong key). As Festival says, It was so easy once you knew how - with the right tool.