Brake levers for tops of drop handlebars

GJ255
GJ255 Posts: 35
edited September 2013 in Road buying advice
I have a new pair of 26mm drop bars and want levers up on the top of the bars (and not on the hoods), but far from the stem (where the bars are 23.8 mm wide I think?) --- the problem is, I can't find levers that are a) not suicide levers, requiring the cable to be fed through from the hoods, b) are the right diameter and c) have hinges so that I won't have to remove the handlebar tape and slide them on from the ends.

I was wondering if anybody had any advice on where to find such levers etc.

Cheers

Comments

  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    I might be wrong but I believe that what you mean is called a 'cross top' brake lever, try a Google for these, something like these ones from CRC...

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cane-creek-crosstop-brake-levers/rp-prod27933

    :D
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    Tech 77 BMX levers (or most decent BMX levers) will do the job and are hinged. Got one on my fixie.
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    arran77 wrote:
    I might be wrong but I believe that what you mean is called a 'cross top' brake lever, try a Google for these, something like these ones from CRC...

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cane-creek-crosstop-brake-levers/rp-prod27933

    :D
    trek_dan wrote:
    Tech 77 BMX levers (or most decent BMX levers) will do the job and are hinged. Got one on my fixie.

    Thanks for the replies. Those cross top levers do the job great EXCEPT they require the cable to be fed through, rather than terminating at the brake lever (I believe). So my brake cable looks like this:
    [[]]

    meaning I can't thread it through levers like those (I think)...

    Cheers
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    GJ255 wrote:
    Thanks for the replies. Those cross top levers do the job great EXCEPT they require the cable to be fed through,
    they can be used as you want without any brakes at the STIs.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    nicklouse wrote:
    GJ255 wrote:
    Thanks for the replies. Those cross top levers do the job great EXCEPT they require the cable to be fed through,
    they can be used as you want without any brakes at the STIs.

    Sorry how do you mean?

    Cheers
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Like this

    oi13.jpg
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    first what are you wanting to do?

    just have some brakes on the top of your bars and your shifting is on the down tube? or have the STIs just doing the shifting? or is it a single speed?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    arran77 wrote:
    Like this

    oi13.jpg

    So isn't it the case that the brake levers here feed through the cross tops into the brakes on the hoods?
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    GJ255 wrote:
    arran77 wrote:
    Like this

    oi13.jpg

    So isn't it the case that the brake levers here feed through the cross tops into the brakes on the hoods?
    yes so you have two options for a brake.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    nicklouse wrote:
    GJ255 wrote:
    arran77 wrote:
    Like this

    oi13.jpg

    So isn't it the case that the brake levers here feed through the cross tops into the brakes on the hoods?
    yes so you have two options for a brake.

    Ah OK, but what I'm looking for is just having brakes on the top of the bars, without any on the hoods... In which case I need my brake cables to terminate with the brakes on the hoods, and I need them to be decent brakes.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    and you can just use those levers for that as well.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    nicklouse wrote:
    and you can just use those levers for that as well.

    So how does that work then -- my brake cables have a thing like this on the end
    Universal_Brake_Cable_Ends_2.jpg

    so surely I won't be able to feed them through the cross tops?
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    GJ255 wrote:
    arran77 wrote:
    I might be wrong but I believe that what you mean is called a 'cross top' brake lever, try a Google for these, something like these ones from CRC...

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cane-creek-crosstop-brake-levers/rp-prod27933

    :D
    trek_dan wrote:
    Tech 77 BMX levers (or most decent BMX levers) will do the job and are hinged. Got one on my fixie.

    Thanks for the replies. Those cross top levers do the job great EXCEPT they require the cable to be fed through, rather than terminating at the brake lever (I believe). So my brake cable looks like this:
    [[]]

    meaning I can't thread it through levers like those (I think)...

    Cheers
    If I understand correctly, you're saying you can't thread your cable through the cross top levers because the cable has a big metal nipple on the end of it. What you would need to do is remove the cable crimp at the brake caliper end, undo it from the brakes and pull the cable back through. Then install the cross top level, and feed that end through it, not the end with the nipple on that's already in your existing brake lever.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    GJ255 wrote:
    nicklouse wrote:
    GJ255 wrote:
    arran77 wrote:
    Like this

    oi13.jpg

    So isn't it the case that the brake levers here feed through the cross tops into the brakes on the hoods?
    yes so you have two options for a brake.

    Ah OK, but what I'm looking for is just having brakes on the top of the bars, without any on the hoods... In which case I need my brake cables to terminate with the brakes on the hoods, and I need them to be decent brakes.

    Just curious why you only want brakes on the top? Not sure I'd want that :shock:

    Imagine you're using the lever on the drops to change gear and then you suddenly need to brake as well you've got to move your hands from the drops to the tops, is it not a safer option for these instances to be able to brake from both positions?

    Just a thought :)
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    LOL !!!

    You'll need to cut the end off the cable before you feed it through any type of brake !

    Obviously cut the correct end off....
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    you just feed them through. after removing the nipple you dont need.

    what you are showing is a cheap universal brake cable where you cut off the pear nipple and use the barrel on an MTB and Vice Versa. but for what you want you might want to check which nipple is best suited to leave on.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    arran77 wrote:
    Just curious why you only want brakes on the top? Not sure I'd want that :shock:

    Imagine you're using the lever on the drops to change gear and then you suddenly need to brake as well you've got to move your hands from the drops to the tops, is it not a safer option for these instances to be able to brake from both positions?

    Just a thought :)

    Mine's a single speed bike and I spend all my time riding around in town so I spend most of my time on the tops.
    cougie wrote:
    LOL !!!

    You'll need to cut the end off the cable before you feed it through any type of brake !

    Obviously cut the correct end off....

    If I cut the end off then I won't be able to use the cable with any brake lever that requires it, e.g. these:
    http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_produ ... rt=1&fid=3
    which I may want to use again at another time.
    Graeme_S wrote:
    If I understand correctly, you're saying you can't thread your cable through the cross top levers because the cable has a big metal nipple on the end of it. What you would need to do is remove the cable crimp at the brake caliper end, undo it from the brakes and pull the cable back through. Then install the cross top level, and feed that end through it, not the end with the nipple on that's already in your existing brake lever.

    Yeah that's right, thanks. How difficult a procedure is that? For my back brake for instance, I would have to feed the cable out of all its housing, and then feed it all back through the other way? Is that straightforward? Also, I thought cross top levers were generally fairly weak and not so good as primary brakes?

    Cheers
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Are you serious ?

    You use the cable with the brakes that you have on the bike. If you change brakes and need a new cable - you have to buy a new cable. How do you plan to shorten it otherwise ? Tie a knot in it ?
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Ah, single speed, that makes a bit more sense :)
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    cougie wrote:
    Are you serious ?

    You use the cable with the brakes that you have on the bike. If you change brakes and need a new cable - you have to buy a new cable. How do you plan to shorten it otherwise ? Tie a knot in it ?

    I'm serious, if not very experienced at this sort of thing. My brake cables won't need shortening, since the brake levers they are currently attached to are placed at a very similar to position to where I plan to put my new brake levers. I would like to be able to switch between (handlebar+brakelevers) A and (handlebars+brakelevers) B (my new ones) regularly and without a hefty evening job, so I would want to use the same brake cables for both.

    In light of this, what I really want is some brake levers similar to the ones I have now on my flat bars that will fit on my new handlebars. This way I don't need to cut any pieces off or fit any new cables or anything like that.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    1. So your new cables somehow know where your existing levers are ? I thought they usually came in a longer length than you'd need and then you cut them to length. Maybe I'm missing something.

    2. If you're reusing your cables - They might not have the right nipple on the end. Get new ones.

    3. Swapping bars will also mean threading the cables through. Its a silly idea.

    4. If you want drop brakes and flat brakes - why not get the braking system as used on cross bikes ?

    You'd prob be best off getting a shop to do it if you're not confident.
  • GJ255
    GJ255 Posts: 35
    cougie wrote:
    1. So your new cables somehow know where your existing levers are ? I thought they usually came in a longer length than you'd need and then you cut them to length. Maybe I'm missing something.

    2. If you're reusing your cables - They might not have the right nipple on the end. Get new ones.

    3. Swapping bars will also mean threading the cables through. Its a silly idea.

    4. If you want drop brakes and flat brakes - why not get the braking system as used on cross bikes ?

    You'd prob be best off getting a shop to do it if you're not confident.

    Sorry, I may not have been very clear. I currently have a bike with flat handlebars and everything set up fine. I want to switch out the handlebars (with brake levers attached) for some drop handlebars (with new brake levers attached in a similar kind of position to the brake levers on the flat bars). I figured that most brake levers for the tops of the bars would either work like top mount levers (i.e. feed the cable through) or like the ones I have currently (i.e. connect the 'nipple' into the lever), and so I thought that if I could find some brake levers of the latter kind, in the right size, with hinges, then I would not need to worry myself at all with cables, because I could just unclip the cables from the old levers and attach them to the new...

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