View Poll Results: Does my brake throw look right?
Yup, looks about right.
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Nope, that ain’t right.
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New 105 disc - is this correct?
#1
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Thread Starter
New 105 disc - is this correct?
I have a new Defy. I asked my LBS if it was possible to adjust the brake lever reach. A manager and two mechanics all said no, not possible. Well, they were wrong. Long story short, insert a 2.5mm hex wrench into the black hole next to the silver bit you see in my pictures and you can adjust the reach to your hearts content.
During my Googling I came across
. In it he mentions the brake throw with properly-bled brakes. I have quite a bit of throw but I’m coming from a worn-out rim brake so I didn’t give it a second thought. Now I’m wondering if the shop bled my brakes properly when they put the bike together. Take a look at my two photos and, if you like,
.
Wheel just locked
Full open
During my Googling I came across
Wheel just locked
Full open
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They were probably confusing the Reach adjustment with the Free Stroke adjustment, which is only on Ultegra and above. LBS managers and wrenches aren't all perfect.
You could probably firm up the brakes a little more, but I wouldn't be terribly concerned unless the lever is closer to bottoming out/pinching fingers.
Also, the install/bleed job may not be at fault. Air can and does collect in the fluid reservoir in the levers. Inverting the bike in transport or during storage can jiggle some air from the reservoir in to the lines, resulting in some squish. If you want to try a quick "bleed,' tilt the bike/raise the front wheel so that the brake line is "uphill" from the caliper, and give the lever some vigorous flicks and pumps. If some sections of brake line are exposed, you can also tap on those sections while pumping/flicking the lever to encourage the bubbles to move upwards.
You could probably firm up the brakes a little more, but I wouldn't be terribly concerned unless the lever is closer to bottoming out/pinching fingers.
Also, the install/bleed job may not be at fault. Air can and does collect in the fluid reservoir in the levers. Inverting the bike in transport or during storage can jiggle some air from the reservoir in to the lines, resulting in some squish. If you want to try a quick "bleed,' tilt the bike/raise the front wheel so that the brake line is "uphill" from the caliper, and give the lever some vigorous flicks and pumps. If some sections of brake line are exposed, you can also tap on those sections while pumping/flicking the lever to encourage the bubbles to move upwards.
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If the lever doesnt bottom out on the bar, then itll stop you and setup can be viewed as 'proper'.
But yeah, less lever pull is a nicer feel to me and I dont like it when the lever nearly bottoms out. Its a simple but time consuming adjustment.
But yeah, less lever pull is a nicer feel to me and I dont like it when the lever nearly bottoms out. Its a simple but time consuming adjustment.
#6
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Thanks for the replies.
No, not hoarding TP, that’s some cheap stuff I bought to use for a science project at my kids school. 😂
No, not hoarding TP, that’s some cheap stuff I bought to use for a science project at my kids school. 😂
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You need to find a balance between braking from the hoods and braking from the drops. You set it up for drops only and you will find that it is way too stiff from the hoods.
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Shimano changes everything nearly in every iteration anymore. On just about everything I have to go look it up. Most shops aren't going to go look it up.
I have never been much of a fan of reach adjustment. I kind of understand it but have only really had to do it for tiny kids/juniors riding adult sized gear or people/riders with really tiny hands. Apart from that I have always felt it's just a matter of finding the correct hood position for the rider. Adjusting the reach always decreased the ability of the brake to perform ...until we got to hydraulics.
Keep in mind we (the industry) have only been messing with road hydraulics for a few years and that nearly every system and generation is different. If you figured out how to adjust your reach then good for you. If the brakes don't function correctly afterwards then....yeah. You can have a mechanic check the bleed but odds are the reach adjustment is affecting how functional those brakes are.
To me it's always been a bit like people saying they want the brake pedal in the car to be really close to the floor for comfort but then being surprised when they bottom the pedal out and can't stop.
I have never been much of a fan of reach adjustment. I kind of understand it but have only really had to do it for tiny kids/juniors riding adult sized gear or people/riders with really tiny hands. Apart from that I have always felt it's just a matter of finding the correct hood position for the rider. Adjusting the reach always decreased the ability of the brake to perform ...until we got to hydraulics.
Keep in mind we (the industry) have only been messing with road hydraulics for a few years and that nearly every system and generation is different. If you figured out how to adjust your reach then good for you. If the brakes don't function correctly afterwards then....yeah. You can have a mechanic check the bleed but odds are the reach adjustment is affecting how functional those brakes are.
To me it's always been a bit like people saying they want the brake pedal in the car to be really close to the floor for comfort but then being surprised when they bottom the pedal out and can't stop.
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I had a new rental with Shimano Ultegra that closed like the OP's video (ie. below snip).. found it quite annoying as it would pinch the 2 or 3 fingers I typically have wrapped under the hood. So I'd say, not being any kind of expert on Shimano, that I'd be surprised if that's operating as intended/designed. Then again, those hoods appear much longer than I'm used to on a rimbrake campy setup. Wouldn't mind seeing a photo as to what it looks like with the brake pulled but with hands in typical on-hoods riding setup.
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Shimano changes everything nearly in every iteration anymore. On just about everything I have to go look it up. Most shops aren't going to go look it up.
I have never been much of a fan of reach adjustment. I kind of understand it but have only really had to do it for tiny kids/juniors riding adult sized gear or people/riders with really tiny hands. Apart from that I have always felt it's just a matter of finding the correct hood position for the rider. Adjusting the reach always decreased the ability of the brake to perform ...until we got to hydraulics.
Keep in mind we (the industry) have only been messing with road hydraulics for a few years and that nearly every system and generation is different. If you figured out how to adjust your reach then good for you. If the brakes don't function correctly afterwards then....yeah. You can have a mechanic check the bleed but odds are the reach adjustment is affecting how functional those brakes are.
To me it's always been a bit like people saying they want the brake pedal in the car to be really close to the floor for comfort but then being surprised when they bottom the pedal out and can't stop.
I have never been much of a fan of reach adjustment. I kind of understand it but have only really had to do it for tiny kids/juniors riding adult sized gear or people/riders with really tiny hands. Apart from that I have always felt it's just a matter of finding the correct hood position for the rider. Adjusting the reach always decreased the ability of the brake to perform ...until we got to hydraulics.
Keep in mind we (the industry) have only been messing with road hydraulics for a few years and that nearly every system and generation is different. If you figured out how to adjust your reach then good for you. If the brakes don't function correctly afterwards then....yeah. You can have a mechanic check the bleed but odds are the reach adjustment is affecting how functional those brakes are.
To me it's always been a bit like people saying they want the brake pedal in the car to be really close to the floor for comfort but then being surprised when they bottom the pedal out and can't stop.
I was hoping adjusting the reach would make a difference, but apparently what I really wanted was 'free stroke' adjustment, which 105 levers don't have.
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Seems to be more problematic for the rear - I assume that it's because the front brake line is so up-and-down that there's not much opportunity for a bubble to get trapped in a, uh... trap. Rear lines are so much longer and often have a low point at the BB, so there's places for bubbles to hide.
#12
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Thread Starter
I had a new rental with Shimano Ultegra that closed like the OP's video (ie. below snip).. found it quite annoying as it would pinch the 2 or 3 fingers I typically have wrapped under the hood. So I'd say, not being any kind of expert on Shimano, that I'd be surprised if that's operating as intended/designed. Then again, those hoods appear much longer than I'm used to on a rimbrake campy setup. Wouldn't mind seeing a photo as to what it looks like with the brake pulled but with hands in typical on-hoods riding setup.
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Seems to be more problematic for the rear - I assume that it's because the front brake line is so up-and-down that there's not much opportunity for a bubble to get trapped in a, uh... trap. Rear lines are so much longer and often have a low point at the BB, so there's places for bubbles to hide.
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Also, the install/bleed job may not be at fault. Air can and does collect in the fluid reservoir in the levers. Inverting the bike in transport or during storage can jiggle some air from the reservoir in to the lines, resulting in some squish. If you want to try a quick "bleed,' tilt the bike/raise the front wheel so that the brake line is "uphill" from the caliper, and give the lever some vigorous flicks and pumps. If some sections of brake line are exposed, you can also tap on those sections while pumping/flicking the lever to encourage the bubbles to move upwards.
If there was a worthwhile alternative to pneumatic tyres, we'd be all over it, since relying on a contained fluid is inherently problematic... I have a feeling that if somehow, hydraulic brakes came first, there'd be a lot more people singing praises of the humble Bowden cable.
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I'm in the middle on this one. Usually hands off and maintenance free if done well but I really have to deal with a lot of issues that other shops or owners seem to create. Outside of that - bikes that seem to be used hard always end up with some sort of issue in the long term.
Bikes that seem to sit a lot seem to have issues as well (SRAM).
Bikes that seem to sit a lot seem to have issues as well (SRAM).
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#17
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I dunno. My Canyon has 105, R7020 brakes, and the rear lever is like that. The reach adjustment made no difference - except when it was at the shortest reach the shifter blade was touching the tape. As it is, mine are at maximum reach and I ended up using two fingers on the lever from the hoods on a long descent so I wasn't pinching my middle finger.
I was hoping adjusting the reach would make a difference, but apparently what I really wanted was 'free stroke' adjustment, which 105 levers don't have.
I was hoping adjusting the reach would make a difference, but apparently what I really wanted was 'free stroke' adjustment, which 105 levers don't have.
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That's good. Though I look at the picture from your video and can't tell how it would not be hitting either your fingers or the bar itself?
#19
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This is with the reach adjusted to the lowest setting. (Small hands)
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Yup. I was going to go there, but decided to skip it. Lots seem to suffer from self-inflicted troubles.
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I rarely see issues with hydraulic brakes, that weren't created by the owner/user. SRAM brakes still suck in the heat, but I know how to fix that. It's a shame that SRAM can't figure it out.
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Yeah sure, mostly. But that one bike in fifty or a hundred is an utter bastard. You can't get eyes on the problem. Way more hassle than the fiddliest of cable brakes like old school cantis, nasty BMX gyros or even a rear brake on a Peugeot folder.
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Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list
Sheldon Brown's bike info ~~~ Park Tools repair help
Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list