Brake levers for flat bar road bike???

lex

Hi

I'm converting an oldish racer from drop to flat bars for commuting.

Assuming that a straight MTB bar will be compatable with road stem what brake levers do i need??

I've heard that BMX levers work better than MTB levers with dual caliper brakes, will they be the right diameter for MTB bars??

Any other suggestions appreciated.

Gears not a problem as running singlespeed.

Thanks

Lex

gundersen

I have Avid SD 2.0 with Campagnolo Chorus

maddog 2

you need cantilever levers, not V levers. V levers pull too much cable for DPs and lead to a hard lever without enough power. Avid's adjustable SD levers (eg SD5) on their softest setting will just about work.

road stems are usually 26mm whereas mtb bars are 25.4mm, so you may need a thin shim (a piece of pipesnap which you put on copper rad pipes is ideal )

gundersen

Avid SD 2.0 out of the bag with no adjustments works just like an ordinary Campagnolo racing lever. Not hard, not soft - but just like it should.

And I have an ordinary MTB aheadstem from 3TTT ( 1") without any need for a shim.

And if you want to use a shim ( for any reason) then cola cans are perfect.

lex

Thanks for the replies

Using coke can for shims is a great idea!!

What about bmx brake levers? I've heard of people using them on fixies on the top section of drop bars so assume would work even better on flat bars.

Thanks

Lex

meagain

Anything like this would do:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANTILEVER-BRAKE- ... dZViewItem

Nice pair of "vintage" XT pre-Vs levers on there as well - but might fetch a few quid!

geoff_ss

Ànother vote here for Avid brake levers. I've fitted them on the straight bar lightweight touring bike I've just put together. It has Shimano 105 callipers and the Avid levers work very well and you have the option of adjusting the leverage if required.

I'm using an MTB 25.4mm stem with straight bars.

Geoff