Upgrading brake levers
06-04-21, 04:40 PM
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Upgrading brake levers
Recently acquired a free road bike that was apparetly built up by a fellow cheapskate like myself, so it's a mishmosh of high end and low end components. The brake calipers are Shimano 600, but they're hooked up to stiff clunky Schwinn branded turkey lever brake handles. Was hoping I could find a better, used pair of brake levers online. So my question is, are older road bike brake levers more or less universal, or would I have to look for a specific type to work with these calipers?
Thanks much for your advice.
Thanks much for your advice.
06-04-21, 05:04 PM
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06-04-21, 05:51 PM
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06-04-21, 05:54 PM
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Recently acquired a free road bike that was apparetly built up by a fellow cheapskate like myself, so it's a mishmosh of high end and low end components. The brake calipers are Shimano 600, but they're hooked up to stiff clunky Schwinn branded turkey lever brake handles. Was hoping I could find a better, used pair of brake levers online. So my question is, are older road bike brake levers more or less universal, or would I have to look for a specific type to work with these calipers?
Thanks much for your advice.
Thanks much for your advice.
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06-04-21, 06:40 PM
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Parts Identification You just need short pull levers The site listed appears more of a reference.
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06-04-21, 07:01 PM
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+1 - for budget yet excellent performance i really like the shimano 600 SLR levers (bl-64XX is the model). great feel, very affordable used on ebay and they'll go great with your 600 brakes.
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06-04-21, 10:21 PM
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You don't have to search high and low for inexpensive used levers. I have a 35 year old Limongi that had been badly converted to flat bars. It has Mavic branded single pivot sidepull brake callipers( probably manufactured by Modollo). I wanted to go back to drop bars to see what it was like to ride mostly using parts I already had. I purchased a set of Tektro RL 340 brake levers (inexpensive) and was astonished how well the brakes work even with the brake pads that are probably at least 25 years old. These old brakes work as well as most new double pivot brakes on new bikes.
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06-05-21, 07:44 AM
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Tektro R200 or their Cane Creek identical twin are very reasonably priced, comfortable and work very well. I have them on bikes with Shimano BR-6400 Ultegra and BR-7700 Dura Ace caliper brakes and TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes and they work properly with all of them.
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06-05-21, 02:25 PM
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You don't have to search high and low for inexpensive used levers. I have a 35 year old Limongi that had been badly converted to flat bars. It has Mavic branded single pivot sidepull brake callipers( probably manufactured by Modollo). I wanted to go back to drop bars to see what it was like to ride mostly using parts I already had. I purchased a set of Tektro RL 340 brake levers (inexpensive) and was astonished how well the brakes work even with the brake pads that are probably at least 25 years old. These old brakes work as well as most new double pivot brakes on new bikes.
06-05-21, 03:30 PM
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You can always just take the turkey levers off the weinmann on there.
06-07-21, 10:28 AM
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06-07-21, 11:07 AM
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Any brake lever for drop bars that is not specifically marketed as compatible with V brakes' or 'long pull' or 'mountain brake compatible' (don't know what they actually call them) will work.
And I think there have only ever been one or three models of 'long pull' road brake levers manufactured. You'd have to go out of your way to specifically find a set of levers that aren't compatible.
And I think there have only ever been one or three models of 'long pull' road brake levers manufactured. You'd have to go out of your way to specifically find a set of levers that aren't compatible.
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