Ergo levers and the famous Cinelli 65 dilemma

[saab2000]

So I just got my used set of Chorus Ergos for the CSI. I have been riding Cinelli 65 'criterium' bend bars on that bike and as everyone knows, I love the shape. They are the perfect handlebar shape for the tops, hoods and in the drops.

But modern Ergo levers really just don't want to work with them. In order to have the bottom of the lever sort of even with the bottom of the bar, they are very skewed and pointed outwards.

I have been fooling around with a Sharpie, making marks about where the lever contacts the bar, etc. It looks like one of those cows that has markings all over it describing all the cuts of beef.

Why do I mention cuts? Because I am considering the unthinkable 'solution' of getting out the Dremel Tool and going to town on this Ergo lever.

Causing hesitation is that fact that this kind of cutting cannot be undone (like most cutting...) and could/would ruin the lever for other bars. It would take the removal of a LOT of material to get this thing to sit properly on the bar, and even then it might not because of how it clamps on.

If anyone has ever tried this (Jerk..... pretty please) or any other type of radical surgery, a word of advice would be appreciated.

Worst case scenario would be cutting these things up and then having it still not work as I imagine it should.

[J.Greene]

It's time to leave the past in the past.

JG

[saab2000]

It's time to leave the past in the past.

JG

I know. But I wish someone would come up with some good bars that I like. Sometimes I am a retrogrouch..... But it wasn't that long ago that a large portion of pro cyclists used this style of bar. Olano in his flat tubular WC victory rode something more or less the same.

Still, not everything I have is ancient ('80s). Some of it is kinda modern!

Just that my taste in bars is a bit old fashioned.

[Steve Hampsten]

Check out the PRO Vibe bar - I think it's the closest to a Cinelli 65 of any bar despite its goofy looks, carbon-ness, and preference for Shimano levers.

I'm a fan.

[J.Greene]

Just that my taste in bars is a bit old fashioned.

I've been riding the regular round bend Oval bar from my favorite stockist (www.frukingoodovalbarfromchesterct.com) and i've forgotten how much I liked those 65's back in the day. The oval's meet all my needs now but one.

JG

[mike p]

Cinelli 65=brake levers and DT shifters
Cinelli 66=ergo, sti, or DT shifters

Some things in life are not to be messed with.

Mike

[11.4]

Using a Dremel isn't really the way to do it. There are a number of surfaces that contact the bars, and you'll end up with a lever that rocks no matter how much you clamp it down (rocks in a bad way, not in a good way). We had a rider recovering from a bad cycling injury who needed a different position to his levers, so we went to a framebuilder and used a mill to re-cut the facing surface on the brifters. You could probably accomplish the same result with a carbide drum attachment on a drill or drill press, but it's hard to keep the profile from becoming convex when you need concave, if anything. We milled from the top of the levers at a slight angle to yield a net concave curvature for the bars, and then did the same from the bottom somewhat more aggressively (which reduced reach and allowed bars to be higher yet better aligned. We also angled the milling slightly so the levers pointed more aggressively outward (needed for his injuries) but there's no reason they couldn't be pointed inwards instead. These levers went on some Nitto B125AA's, which are somewhat like Cinelli 65's. You can't just specify angles and leave it with a machine shop, but we've done this a few times with framebuilders or gunsmiths (both of whom are a little more into custom tweaking if you're friendly).

[jerk]

http://serotta.com/forum/showpost.php?p=529773&postcount=1

it works fine. leave'e, sticking out. your hands won't care.

jerk

[saab2000]

jerk,

What bars are those?

[jerk]

jerk,

What bars are those?

65's of course.

jerk

[saab2000]

65's of course.

jerk

Did you just clamp the effers on? Lever bottoms sticking way out?

[Fat Robert]

jimbo, you're going to hate this answer

oval deep drops

put em on all your bikes

after two months, your hands will be used to them

[saab2000]

I want 10-speed Ergos on this bike on these bars. But the bottom end sticks way far out.

And I going to pout if I can't have it. Or else I'll put on 66s. And pout.