Swapping brakes...

Schoie81

Hi guys,

I've bought a second-hand, hand-built bike that was built in 1991. The brakes are set up so that the left hand lever operates the front brakes, and the right hand lever the rear - the opposite to my other bikes (from what I can gather this is common on older bikes??). Anyway, I'd prefer them to be the same on all my bikes, so to change it round, is it as simple as swapping the cables from one lever to the other? Or is there more to it than that?

keef66

No, it is as simple as that, as long as the outer cables at the bars / shifter end are about the same length. Undo the clamp bolt at the caliper and withdraw the inner cables from the shifters. Swap the outer cables so that the one from the RH shifter goes to the front brake caliper and the left to the cable stop on the headtube or downtube. Thread the inners back into the opposite shifters and through the outer cable on the bars.

If it's a really old bike, it may have a continuous length of outer running all the way to the rear caliper. Then you'll have to remove the bar tape to swap it

ETA - scratch that, you say 1991

Schoie81

Thanks keef - yes, it dates from 1991, or certainly some time around then. That said, the bar tape is coming off anyway as it needs replacing - the tape is white, but very grubby, and it's someone else's grubbiness, so it has to go!! That's why I wanted to sort the brakes at the same time.

keef66

In that case I'd treat it to new inner and outer cables while you're at it!

Just make sure you use decent cable cutters, file or grind the cut ends perfectly square (Dremel's good for that) and open the ends up if they were squashed when cutting.

And don't mix up gear and brake cable outers, they are different!

markhewitt1978

Schoie81 wrote:

Thanks keef - yes, it dates from 1991, or certainly some time around then. That said, the bar tape is coming off anyway as it needs replacing - the tape is white, but very grubby, and it's someone else's grubbiness, so it has to go!! That's why I wanted to sort the brakes at the same time.

Brakes are a simple operation so you might as well replace all the inners and outers while you're on.

bice

I think the British always set up brakes with the right hand operating the front brake.

But I think the Americans for one do the opposite.

Anonymous

bice wrote:

I think the British always set up brakes with the right hand operating the front brake.

But I think the Americans for one do the opposite.

Bought all my bikes in Germany and they are front brake left. I actually prefer it this way as I know everything on the left is front - brakes and gears and the right is rear. Just makes more sense to me.