Jan. 18, 09
Hello Ed + List,
you're absolutely right, I wrote it wrong. Lance sometimes used a down tube shifter on the left, not a bar-end shifter, sorry. The similarity I meant was that he had a Dura-Ace STI brake+shift combo on the right and a non-shifting Shimano R600 aero brake lever on the left.
On hybrid set-ups, I currently like to use a Camp Record 10x mated to a Shimano 9x derailleur on the right and either a DiaCompe 287-V or Magura on the left.
Greets
Kai Hilbertz Munich, Germany
On 18.01.2009, at 18:09, ehbusch wrote:
> Only problem I see here is that I never saw Lance using a front bar
> end shifter. All the pics and personal observations I've seen have
> Lance using a front down tube shifter, with a standard left brake
> lever...A down tube shifter would I believe have too many cables for
> his ride...
>
> Ed Busch
> Vonore Tennesse USA
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kai Hilbertz" <khilbertz@googlemail.com
> >
> To: "CR List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 11:57 AM
> Subject: [CR] Brake Levers
>
>
>> Jan. 18, 09
>>
>> Hello List,
>>
>> I can confirm what Michael Schmid + Tobit Linke said, brake levers
>> in Germany are almost always mounted in the Continental + US style,
>> i.e. left to front. As a friend of mine who is a professional
>> mechanic confirmed, almost all exceptions he deals with are either
>> British bikes or bikes belonging to cyclo-crossers who also ride
>> motorcycles. And there are some cheap bikes and roller brake bikes
>> with right to front, as mentioned.
>>
>> One point hasn't been raised yet. All off-topic modern brake+shift
>> systems are set up to shift the rear derailleur with the right.
>> Why could this play a role with how you set up your brake levers?
>> If you'll bear with me, it can play a role for KOF or classic
>> bikes with mixed braking systems.
>>
>> On a racing bike, I'll typically have side-pull brakes front and
>> rear. My tandems and heavy touring bikes have cantilever bosses
>> front and rear. With bikes in between these extremes, city bikes,
>> commuters and light tourers, I personally often prefer a hybrid
>> system with a side- pull in the rear and v-brakes in the front.
>> This gives me a combination of braking strength in the front and
>> modulation in the rear. Probably not most folks' cup of tea, but
>> it works for me. (You can also get strength and modulation with
>> Magura HS 66's + 77's, but these are no longer made, rare, and off
>> topic).
>>
>> In the 70's and 80's, I never much liked down tube shifters and
>> preferred bar-end shifters. I still like them today, but often
>> prefer the comfort of a brake+shift system for the rear. A hybrid
>> system impinges on brake levers as follows. My on-topic 70's Bruce
>> Gordon has a rear side-pull brake and will receive a new KOF fork
>> with cantilever bosses. The right brake (and shift) lever goes to
>> the rear, where it perfectly matches the Campagnolo side-pull
>> brake. The left brake lever, which has no shifting function, goes
>> to the front and perfectly matches the v-brake without any travel-
>> agents etc. The front derailleur is shifted by a bar-end lever on
>> the left. BTW, different motives can lead to similar results; on
>> mountain stages some racers such as Lance used a similar brake
>> lever setup (without front cantis) with a bar-end shifter on the
>> left to reduce weight.
>>
>> In the end, I have to agree with the Jan Heine that neither left
>> to front nor right to front is superior. It's just a matter of
>> personal preference, use whatever floats your boat.
>>
>> Greets
>>
>> Kai Hilbertz
>> Munich, Germany