Brake leverage

Aux1 · May 2007

I rode a pretty steep track today, and braking wasn't easy. The guys told me later they can brake with one finger and I have to try hard with two to control speed. OK, I'm a bit heavier than they are, at 90kg with gear vs their 70ish and maybe some bigger rotors, but they tested my brakes and found absolutely nothing wrong with them. Only that my hands are pretty close to the brake levers because of the bar ends, and they recommended moving the levers further in so I can squeeze them from further out and achieve a bigger lever effect on the blades, maybe even the same stopping power with only 1 finger...

I could really use that, because I'm having a hard time gripping the bars with 2 smaller fingers while squeezing the brakes at the same time on some tougher sections of the track. But I'll also have to move the shifters, hope they won't be harder to reach then! What do you guys say?

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

majorbloodnock · May 2007

I changed from Shimano shifters to SRAM ones for exactly this reason. The shifters were exactly where they needed to be, but the brakes needed to be just the inboard side of them. Unfortunately, the Shimano shifters had a window that encroached on exactly the bit of bar I needed to use, so I ended up getting some SRAM Attack shifters where the indicator window is integral to the band that goes around the bars. Problem solved, and braking with one finger is both possible and comfortable.

Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat

Aux1 · May 2007

Can SRAM shifters be combined with Shimano mechs?

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Unknown · May 2007

No only shimano with shimano and sram with sram apart from one sram one which does work but can't remember teh name of it.

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majorbloodnock · May 2007

SRAM make rear mechs that use a 1:1 ratio on the cable, so the shifter needs to do the same. That is why SRAM X-series shifters will only work with SRAM mechs. However, SRAM also do some 2:1 ratio shifters (Attack and Rocket) specifically to work with Shimano rear mechs.

Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat

Aux1 · May 2007

I bet that pretty much sums it up! [8D]

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Aux1 · May 2007

Ok, tried it, those Shimano indicators really get in the way! I mean, they're nice and all but a round-the-bar indicator band would be much less obtrusive. So I just moved both the levers and shifters about a half inch in... Now I can grip the levers reasonably well with one finger, but I have to put my hands closer to the middle when I want to shift. However, I'll need that extra brake leverage only on rough descents, so I can ride normally just with the hands a bit more to the middle and have the shifters accessible at all times, and I don't need that much stopping power on a flat road. I just hope it won't feel awkward that way, will see tomorrow...

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Hamishwmb · May 2007

Aux1 - I don't know if you picked up from the other's posts but SRAM Attack and Rocket shifters work with Shimano mechs (Rocket = 9sp, Attack =8sp). They're really easy to use with a 1 finger setup as you only use your thumb to operate both up and down changes.

I weigh about 88kg and manage to always use 1 finger braking with no problems, although I do have pretty good brakes (Magura Louise FR 180/160). I should also point out that it's easier to use your middle finger when 1 finger braking, for a good amount of leverage and also a good position for shifting gear.

I don't have terribly big hands but use narrow grips and find SRAMs so much easier to use without adjusting my hands. Having said that, shifters are very personal thing and they mightn't necessarily suit you.

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majorbloodnock · May 2007

I'll second that; I much prefer the action of the SRAM shifters now.

I would say, though, that you can get 9 spd Attacks too.

Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat

Aux1 · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hamish

Aux1 - I don't know if you picked up from the other's posts but SRAM Attack and Rocket shifters work with Shimano mechs (Rocket = 9sp, Attack =8sp). They're really easy to use with a 1 finger setup as you only use your thumb to operate both up and down changes.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hey, of course I read it all [;)], just maybe I can avoid an unnecessary expense... I get the braking problems only on really steep parts of the track, the ones I wouldn't normally choose to ride myself. In all other conditions, the brakes work. Maybe I can just move the levers and shifters more to the middle 1 or 2 times a week, before the big descent... I will see how that works, if I'm not satisfied then I'll try to find SRAM ones.

*I found a Slovenian shop not far away, they have them for 33GBP! Will see then...

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Hamishwmb · May 2007

How about 29 Euros?

(you'll need to add delivery but it's still darn cheap)

--

Hamish

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Aux1 · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hamish

How about 29 Euros?

(you'll need to add delivery but it's still darn cheap)

--

Hamish

Hamish's bike
Hamish's photos
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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Umm, the delivery to Croatia is 40 euro [xx(]
But hey I can always sell my Deore shifters! They're like new...

Another question... When you get the shifters, do you get them with the cable going out of them and lead it over the bike to the mechs, or do you attach them on the existing cables?

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Aux1 · May 2007

Hey, after today's ride with levers and shifters moved a bit inward and hands on the normal outward position, I can still shift without problems (have long fingers I guess [:D]) and one-finger braking is easier too! Maybe I'll try that extreme track again, see if I can brake with one finger there and hold the bars with three, that could make a big difference!

P.s. mid finger braking isn't comfortable... I can achieve a much stronger grip with other fingers when I brake with the index finger.

So, if this is sufficient, there will be no need to switch to SRAM shifters...

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Unknown · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hamish

Aux1 - I don't know if you picked up from the other's posts but SRAM Attack and Rocket shifters work with Shimano mechs (Rocket = 9sp, Attack =8sp). <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

both attack and rocket come in 8 and 9 spd versions the name represents the Level not the number of gears.

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Vegeeta · May 2007

Maybe you're just weak?

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Aux1 · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Vegeeta

Maybe you're just weak?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Oh, guess that's it! Looks like I'm switching to road bikes after all...

KTM Mountain Bike for sale, cheap!!!!!!!!111onetwothree (Aux1 smacks Vegeeta with a downhill frame[B)][:D])

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Aux1 · June 2007

Problem solved! I know this is nothing really smart, but I'm still as happy as a little child for doing it so I have to share it! [:D]

Option 1:
Buy SRAM shifters which can go on the outside of the brake levers. Optimal solution.

Option 2:
Break off the Shimano gear indicators, or melt them off with a soldering iron. Violent solution. [:D]

Option 3 (for the long-fingered ones):
Move the levers and shifters a little bit to the middle. The free solution. Problem: now the grips slide during riding. To solve it, I needed 2 bottle tops. Saw them off and cut them so they fit on the bars. Put the grips back and apply some duct tape to make it look nice! Now you can brake with one finger and still shift without problems, field tested! I only needed two fingers on the front brake for short bursts of mega braking power, otherwise I used only one finger for all braking and held the bars firmly with the other 3! [:)] It's nice to have a brake that fulfills all your needs! My old v's couldn't do that back in the day...

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Unknown · June 2007

Nice slippers[:D]

Bike Build Photos Here
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Aux1 · June 2007

Thanks! The old ones had holes and the sole cracked in two![:D]

To clip or not to clip, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind of men to suffer the dings and contusions of unclipp'd riding, or to bind thy feet against a sea of gnarly singletrack and by these contraptions, ride o'er them with ease. To clip... to slip no more, and by clipping to end the buttache and the thousand natural shocks that ryders are heir to; tis a consummation devoutly to be honed. No clip - to slip perchance to be thrashed most heinously...

KTM Ultra Flite 2007

Brake leverage

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