Perfectly Symetrical Brake Lever Alignment... How?
01-01-24, 04:42 PM
#51
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YouTuber GC Performance created the following video showing the tool he uses for perfect brake hood alignment. Me likey...
01-08-24, 09:40 PM
#52
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I use as level. I'll mark the handlebar where I want to put it and then judge if it seems fine. With the bike in a stand, I'll get the bar tops level in the stand and then use the level across the hoods. I'm sure it is not perfect, but as has been mentioned your arms will let you know if the position is not comfortable. That and I really doubt that the right and left arm lengths are the same within standard manufacturing tolerances.
John
John
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01-08-24, 10:40 PM
#53
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My boss used to question my character when I said I just lay a 2-foot broom handle over the hoods and eyeball it to be parallel to the top of the handlebar. I told him that absolute-level didn't matter. It just needed to be level compared to the rest of the bike. He had to think it over a minute or two. As for toe-in, well, most customers were less discerning than we were.
A 2” tall level sits across the hoods and makes it easy to use the tops to line it up. I really don’t use the bubble at that point.
John
01-11-24, 11:42 AM
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Despite all the hubbub about the UCI planning to ban riders from having their brake hoods pointed inward, I've been riding with my hoods angled slightly inwards for two years now and love it. (And I don't race, so UCI's decision doesn't impact me.) However, every time I get on my bike, I swear that one lever is angled in slightly more than the other and that makes me bonkers. 
Have any of you found a way to ensure perfectly symmetrical alignment of both levers other than the "eyeball it" method I've been using?
Making sure both levers are mounted at the same height on the bars and the same angle inwards has so far proven to be a task my puny brain can't handle. YouTuber "Rides of Japan" has the same burning desire for perfection as I do and he created a video that almost resolved my issue... however, I think his video came out before angling brake hoods inward became a thing. Thus, his video doesn't address perfectly aligning the angle of each lever... his are straight forward.
My "eyeballed" inward levers...
********* Solution Found **********
YouTuber GC Performance created the following video showing the tool he uses for perfect brake hood alignment. Me likey...
https://youtu.be/o21g64Hg-8w?si=uwEIsIot7AT1z-0L&t=223
Have any of you found a way to ensure perfectly symmetrical alignment of both levers other than the "eyeball it" method I've been using?
Making sure both levers are mounted at the same height on the bars and the same angle inwards has so far proven to be a task my puny brain can't handle. YouTuber "Rides of Japan" has the same burning desire for perfection as I do and he created a video that almost resolved my issue... however, I think his video came out before angling brake hoods inward became a thing. Thus, his video doesn't address perfectly aligning the angle of each lever... his are straight forward.
My "eyeballed" inward levers...
********* Solution Found **********
YouTuber GC Performance created the following video showing the tool he uses for perfect brake hood alignment. Me likey...
https://youtu.be/o21g64Hg-8w?si=uwEIsIot7AT1z-0L&t=223
1. Those that eat off a table.
2. Those that eat off the floor.
Pick one.
Either will work for perfect lever alignment.
=8-|
__________________
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
02-03-24, 11:39 PM
#56
Senior Member
For height, tie the front wheel to the down tube so the wheel points straight ahead. Place a spirit level across the tops of the hoods to set the height. For the angle, open the Measure app on your iPhone and select level. Place the phone against your brake levers in exactly the same place on each lever. Adjust one lever to match the iPhone reading on the other. Perhaps there is a similar app for Android phones.
