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  #1  
Old 03-18-2019, 09:55 AM
fmradio516 fmradio516 is offline
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Getting brake levers level...

Something ive always had problems with. Newer bars have horizontal lines to use when you are mounting road levers to bars to make sure theyre level but mine dont.

Ive always just tried to do it by looks and feel, but I cant get it right on one of my bikes. How do I do this with bars that are already wrapped? Making micro-adjustments just isnt working for me.
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  #2  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:00 AM
batman1425 batman1425 is offline
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The lines are helpful but not always symmetrical. These approaches work for me:

1) Put your bike on a level surface and place a level across the hoods. Loosen the clamp bolts and see if there is enough wiggle room to get them dialed.

If not, you'll have to unwrap and untape the housing to get it spot on.

2) Use a piece of string or flexible tape measure to measure the distance from the bar end to a fixed (symmetrical) point on the lever lever, following the curvature of the bar. Adjust till both match and are in the right spot on the bar for your preference.
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  #3  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:02 AM
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mktng mktng is offline
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take bars off and use the flat ground to level everything. works for me.

sort of.. makes installing the cables on some shifters a pain. but its never impossible.
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  #4  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:21 AM
Ed-B Ed-B is offline
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Disappearing act...

Remove the front wheel. Stand the bike upright with the fork tips on the floor and the handlebar at a right angle to the frame (as it would be if riding in a straight line).

Stand behind the bike, lift the bike from the seat stays, keep the fork on the floor, and eyeball the tops of the brake levers as you raise the back of the bike.

When the tops of both hoods disappear at the same point the levers are at the same level.

Last edited by Ed-B; 03-18-2019 at 10:25 AM.
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  #5  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:24 AM
FlashUNC FlashUNC is offline
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Tape measure from the base of the hood to the tip of the drop, around the outside of the bar. Measure the same distance and voila.
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  #6  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:30 AM
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BlueFly BlueFly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FlashUNC View Post
Tape measure from the base of the hood to the tip of the drop, around the outside of the bar. Measure the same distance and voila.
+1
Like this technique as I also don't like the horizontal line etched into the bar
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  #7  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:43 AM
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R3awak3n R3awak3n is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by batman1425 View Post
The lines are helpful but not always symmetrical. These approaches work for me:

1) Put your bike on a level surface and place a level across the hoods. Loosen the clamp bolts and see if there is enough wiggle room to get them dialed.

If not, you'll have to unwrap and untape the housing to get it spot on.

2) Use a piece of string or flexible tape measure to measure the distance from the bar end to a fixed (symmetrical) point on the lever lever, following the curvature of the bar. Adjust till both match and are in the right spot on the bar for your preference.
This is exactly what I do to level up horizontally. Vertically I do it by eye. I bet they are not 100% perfect but I am content with 98%.
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  #8  
Old 03-18-2019, 10:49 AM
dddd dddd is offline
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I always just put a long wood ruler across the tops of the levers, then sight down whether the top of the bar is level with the ruler.

Sometimes I look from the front back, sometimes the other way.
Can use either the upper or lower "edge" of the ruler or bars depending on bar height and your preferred viewing angle.
This works well even after the bars have been wrapped.

Doesn't someone make a special tool for this job?
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  #9  
Old 03-18-2019, 11:03 AM
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Davist Davist is offline
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broom handle/hockey stick across the levers is the way I do it..
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  #10  
Old 03-18-2019, 11:36 AM
old_fat_and_slow old_fat_and_slow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davist View Post
broom handle/hockey stick across the levers is the way i do it..
+1
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  #11  
Old 03-18-2019, 11:52 AM
Mark McM Mark McM is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davist View Post
broom handle/hockey stick across the levers is the way I do it..
Ditto. I'll also peel the rubber hoods back and bit to rest the broom stick directly on the lever bodies, lest the rubber be distorted by overlapping the handlebar tape.
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  #12  
Old 03-18-2019, 11:56 AM
BubbleWrap BubbleWrap is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mktng View Post
take bars off and use the flat ground to level everything. works for me.

sort of.. makes installing the cables on some shifters a pain. but its never impossible.
This is the way to do it if you want to ensure that you’re level. Do it for the top and bottom sides.
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  #13  
Old 03-18-2019, 12:22 PM
fmradio516 fmradio516 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davist View Post
broom handle/hockey stick across the levers is the way I do it..
Can you elaborate? If I set a broom handle on the tip of the lever or top of the hood, how can I tell if its level as the broom can be at a slight angle/pivot on the hood? I guess I could use a level on it, but that wouldnt be accurate enough for this.
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  #14  
Old 03-18-2019, 12:28 PM
benb benb is offline
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I replaced 2 bars (different size) in the past month and I am basically doing that hockey stick/broom handle thing but I do it with a 1m carpenter's level instead. I've been doing this for years.

I stick my bike in the trainer for this and make sure the trainer is level first. Way easier than a work stand. I put the level across the two highest points on the hoods. My level is a Dewalt and it actually has an indentation along it's length as well which slots in nicely onto the top of the hoods.

Another way, and it depends on your preferences & parts is to set the brake lever to be perpendicular to the ground with a level. Put the level between the bump at the top of the hood and the curve out at the bottom of the lever. This tends to work really nicely for me with Shimano & SRAM integrated shifters as it gets the right compromise between the hood position being high enough and the brakes being reachable in the drops.

Regarding lines.. I have noticed the majority of bars with lines the lines have not been symmetrical so they're fairly useless. This most recent pair of bars I got were Zipp, 1x Service Course 80 and 1x Service Course SL 80... both bars had the markers symmetrical.

Shoe soles with measuring lines for cleats that are crooked/assymetrical on the 2 shoes are way more annoying IMO.
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  #15  
Old 03-18-2019, 01:18 PM
scopes scopes is offline
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Neat ruler trick

https://youtu.be/vNTQaKAT4dY?t=102

I saw this on youtube the other day, the builder uses a ruler with holes in it to position the shifters. Pretty neat trick that I'll be using next time I have to align.
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