plumberroy

I have an old Univega mountain bike. I put the drop bars on it from my Surly Steamroller the steamroller got a butterfly bar. Along with the brake levers on it . Steamroller was bought second hand. The brake levers a have seem like they aren't able to apply as much force to the mountain bike brakes as the original brake levers . I am looking for a set of budget levers to give me more braking power. This bike has road tires and bar in shifter it's a project that I probably have too much in now . I like the old bike and I am trying to get back to riding after foot issues have taken me off my bikes for 6 years

Kontact

Do you have cantilevers or V brakes

plumberroy

Cantilever sorry I should have included that information. I can stop the bike now but I doesn't feel as positive as my other bikes

maddog34

you need to measure the distance from the Center of the pivot bolt of the brake lever to the Center of the cable ferrule hole in the brake lever that worked best on the Canti brakes in question...
now.. go find that SAME measurement on a road type lever that will fit your Recently Installed drop bars.

the Canti levers are SHORT Pull.. Road levers are also SHORT pull unless they are for V-brakes.

MTB disc and V-brakes use LONG pull.. Canti, Road disc, Side-pull, center pull, and Mini-V-brakes use SHORT pull.. there are a lot of versions of both.. MEASURING them is the Only Way to be sure of their pull ratios. .. i've found from 22mm to 28 mm being called "Short pull".. and from 30mm to 38 mm being called "Long pull" 25mm short and 35mm long seems to be the median specs...

one thing i'm not seeing mentioned yet... CABLE HOUSINGS. they have a Major effect on Braking performance..... were they replaced when you did your swap?

also... were the pads changed or re-aligned?

plumberroy

Thanks I will do some measuring and maybe some adjustments it's been a long time since I did anything to it. I am trying to get back to riding so I am getting bike yot and going through it before taking it out. I am trying to ride every day even if it is just a couple of miles

Kontact

I'm sure an adjustment to the cantilever angle and distance via the brake pads, plus 45 degree cables to straddle.

maddog34

when adjusting the pads, i set the lower brake arms straight up to the rim as the pads contact the rim...

the "45 degrees" you reference is the straddle cable as the pads contact the rim, correct? this creates the highest pull on the arms, IMO.

I just set up a Corsaro Sherpa this afternoon with fresh cables and cantis... it's been languishing in the rafters for 5 years now... it's wearing a Shimano Deerhead drivetrain now... i still have some work to do on the rear frame triangle alignment... no wonder it was only $20, eh?... sigh... ...A Tange Champion #5 tubeset.. tough as nails.

plumberroy

I got my old mountain bike out and made some adjustments to the brakes cleaned it up lubed it . I made sure all my bikes are at proper tire pressure. Dusted off and lubed

Leisesturm

Some of you are making things way harder on the o.p. than they need to be. A bar swap was made. It happens. But unless I way miss my guess, nothing was done to change the straddle cable length. Chances are good, however, that in setting up the new fit at the anchor bolt that some slop may have been introduced. You really have to wail on that cable core. That's why there are 4th hand tools. The pads being aged is a valid observation but I worry about that when the bike I am buying at a garage sale is 40 years old, or 30. Not six. I'm not sure it is necessary to second guess Tektro or Avid about the pull of their brake levers. If they say it's short, I believe them. So can the o.p. It's not like you can actually measure them anyway! About the only thing in stock at most LBS's is new bikes. Parts are special order. Brake levers are parts. Tektro sells the Gold Standard short pull drop bar lever. It's aero, cheap and will do the job. .... .....

Out of idle curiosity I looked at a Surly Steamroller. It's a flat-bar model OEM. So it was messed with modified by the first owner. Maybe what I said earlier is still valid. Maybe not. I suggest the o.p. take the bike to a co-op if they are not an experienced wrench. Brakes are not an area where a person can afford to wing it. FWIW.

plumberroy

I have wrenched on a lot of bikes but this is the first time I have changed to drops. Most of the time I am getting rid of drop bars. I redid this bike around the time my health issues started. All cables were new . I adjusted the cables today and do think that the main problem is they need readjusting after time due to normal stretch settling in. . I am thinking the pads are original to the bike → 30 years old , so I do plan on new ones.i rode the bike a couple of miles today and think between adjustments and new pads it's fine. I appreciate the input. The steamroller is a 2008 it came with drop bars and a single brake on the front wheel. I have that brake along with the non matching one on the back in my parts box the brake levers that I got on it are decent but I would have to go look for the brand. I bought the Steamroller in 2012 the gentleman said he had rode it a couple times as a fixie changed it to a single speed added the brakes new seat post. And it only has been ridden on a trainer since. Condition of the bike made that believable. I gave $300 for it . He said he wanted another bike and he wife demanded he sell one first. I've changed the brakes, free wheel brake levers and it wears a butterfly bar now

maddog34

You missed your guess. Changing from flat bar to road drop bar requires different levers due to a DIAMETER CHANGE on the bars, and a rather awkward CURVED relationship between the Drop bars and the levers... The CABLES are also different, so they would also need to be changed.... If the chosen straddle is not a Stirrup type, the Cable is also 1/2 of the straddle.... I'm an "LBS" that has ZERO "brand new bikes in stock", yet have brand new Brake Levers in stock.. Avid FR5s and Avid Speed Dials... I stock Thousands of Dollars worth of New Parts.. no, i won't list them for you. I measure brake lever pull frequently, mostly with an old Mac tool 6" ruler. The "pull ratio" is represented by the radius of the lever's swing since the "lever" is also a "Bell Crank".. etc.

Leisesturm

The bars have been changed previously. They are no longer stock. They are already of the right type to fit on drop bars. The rest is of no use to the o.p. unless they live in your city and can visit your shop.

maddog34

maddog34

Here's Plumberroy's original post...
"plumberroy
Brake levers helpI have an old Univega mountain bike. I put the drop bars on it from my Surly Steamroller the steamroller got a butterfly bar. Along with the brake levers on it . Steamroller was bought second hand. The brake levers a have seem like they aren't able to apply as much force to the mountain bike brakes as the original brake levers . I am looking for a set of budget levers to give me more braking power. This bike has road tires and bar in shifter it's a project that I probably have too much in now . I like the old bike and I am trying to get back to riding after foot issues have taken me off my bikes for 6 years"

i was responding to your missed GUESSES (multiple) in an attempt to prevent anyone else from making the same mistakes you cling to.

plumberroy

I changed to the drop bar off my Surly Steamroller (it's what I had) the original owner had added a rear brake and origin8 brake levers new cables were used I believe readjusting the cables have taken care of it . I was told locally the drap bar levers were the problem. Personally I prefer butterfly/touring bars but I had the drop bars and a was just playing around with a bike I had.
the bike is a 90's Univega Alpina 501 . I put surly drop bars with origin 8 brake levers,all new cables used bar end friction shifters Serfus 26 x 2 tires new tubes and a different seat
I should note also this bike is just a project. I have 2 Surly's if I need a ride

Leisesturm

Those look like the very same Tektro levers I was talking about. I read your o.p. and subsequent posts loud and clear. Other posters not so much. There was tbf missing info in your o.p. that could have kept the dogs at bay, but it is what it is. Enjoy.

maddog34

Nice! next time, try wrapping about 4-5 inches of the Shift cable UNDER the Bar tape... that will reduce the bouncy cable effect and also keep the cable housing from getting bent at the shift lever or the end cap from breaking.. My older Road Bikes all get Bar-end shifters installed.... the '09 Fuji CF bike is the first one to get brifters.
Tell me that you didn't lose that WATER BOTTLE on the car roof.

plumberroy

Water bottle is safe and sound. I am pretty meticulous on securing everything before starting the car. Topeak bag goes in the back seat grab the Velcro straps to keep front wheel from flopping around grab the bottle put in front cup holder

grumpus

Assuming the levers are a standard short pull for normal caliper brakes then they'll work fine with those cantilevers. The problem is with the "low profile" cantilever design - to get a good straddle cable angle you need to extend the brake blocks further on their stems than with an older style cantilever. Those Shimano straddle cables from the same period don't help any, they're not adjustable like the traditional style straddle and sometimes came from the factory with the wrong size fitted.