Changed my bars – now finding it harder to stop

dizzydane

Yesterday I changed my std handlebars to a woman’s specific bar and a shorter stem.

When I brake using the hoods, it seems a little harder to stop than it was before I changed the bars over. I’m assuming that because the new bars are a smaller, the cables are a tighter fit and therefore this would be the reason for me having to apply more pressure to stop.

I won’t get to test them out on any serious hills till this weekend, but I was wondering if anyone else has downsized their bars and noticed the same thing? Or, is there something I’ve missed that can also be tightened/made loose, enabling me to get better stopping power?

Anonymous

As you say, if the cables haven't the tension then this will cause problems. Undo the cable bolt on one of the brakes and pull the cable to ensure it is tight, then redo it...

dizzydane

Maybe I worded that a little incorrectly – Squeezing the brake levers requires a little more strength….

Is there a way of adjusting the tension on the lever?

geoff_ss

I suspect that it's more likely to be due to a slight change in the angle of the lever on the bars. It could be that your arm and hand are at less advantageous angle for grip with the result you find. Other than adjusting the lever position on the bar I don't think there's anything else you can do.

I assume you haven't replaced the levers but lever quality (ie stiffness) can also have a huge effect on braking efficiency.

Geoff

dizzydane

Thanks guys!

Went for a ride yesterday evening and played with the brakes a little and all is good!