Shortening brake lever reach

othello
othello Posts: 578
edited May 2011 in Workshop
My son has a junior road bike but he struggles to reach the brake levers when on the drops. The bike has a set of Dia-Compe short reach levers.

I've seen pictures of clamps you can fit around the end of the brake lever to the handlebar, to bring the lever nearer the bar. I've tried googling and looking online but cannot find any. I suspect I'm not using the right name/term.

Anyone know what they are called?
Blogging about junior road bikes http://junior-road-bikes.tumblr.com

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    reach adjusters? Shims?
  • othello
    othello Posts: 578
    keef66 wrote:
    reach adjusters? Shims?

    Tried those with no luck! Just cannot find any to buy online but I have seen them, so know they exist...
    Blogging about junior road bikes http://junior-road-bikes.tumblr.com
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,416
    try your lbs, some levers come with shims, if they're not fitted then the workshop will probably have saved a few in their spare bits box
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • fludey
    fludey Posts: 384
    Think the clamps you mentioned are actually intended to lock the brakes on, saw them in a bike mag for stopping bike rolling off when leaning up against a wall. Not sure on your levers but I know my shimano levers have diff size shims you fit under the hood area to reduce reach.
    Felt AR4
    Planet X Pro Carbon 105
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  • forward_loop
    forward_loop Posts: 314
    Never seen clamps - but Evans used to do generic shims (these stop the brake levers springing back completely - so keep the levers closer to the bars), not sure f they do now.

    All new Ultegra chainsets come with two sets of shims one set larger than the other. LBS that fit the chainsets will 9 times out of ten not pass on the shims - so perhaps ask if they have any left over ?

    you could bodge a set with an old inner tube - though Im not familiar with these brakes
  • forward_loop
    forward_loop Posts: 314
    Never seen clamps - but Evans used to do generic shims (these stop the brake levers springing back completely - so keep the levers closer to the bars), not sure f they do now.

    All new Ultegra chainsets come with two sets of shims one set larger than the other. LBS that fit the chainsets will 9 times out of ten not pass on the shims - so perhaps ask if they have any left over ?

    you could bodge a set with an old inner tube - though Im not familiar with these brakes

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