Road bike brake lever position

[JeremyA]

I have recently finished building my late 60's Rory Obrien road bike. I am very happy with how it has turned out. It rides really well. I will be using it for the Eroica in Tuscany in October 2026. Cani get advice on brake lever position. Have Cinelli Champione Del Mondo 64 60 bars and am using Campagnolo Nouovo record levers. They work well with my Mafac Racer centre pulls but I am struggling to get the position right. The current set up is good for riding on the hoods but a bit of a stretch when in the drops. The bars are tipped up a bit too far which I feel makes it look ugly. Was thinking of trying Mafac levers if they have a shorter reach or getting some different smaller bars. All advice gratefully received.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Temple cycles do a shallow drop bar in silver. Try a taller Nitto stem and 20mm shorter. I like the top of the bar level and you should get that with the above.
Put the bars on a flat surface and nip the levers up, I usually end up around 10-15mm above that, it's a start though.
We're all different and what works for me may not work for you, nice bike and good luck.

 

[hamster]

It looks to me like the stem could go up a bit - do that then rotate the bars. They generally look right when the hooks point somewhere near the rear hub. Then you may have to reposition the levers I'm afraid.

 

[pigman]

I think it looks right when the bottom of the bars are horizontal (or near). Then fit the levers to suit. But there's the problem. Older deeper bars don't allow for a good ergonomic lever position. To me, modern bars with a shallower drop have been a revelation

 

[Midlife]

There's a write up on how to set up brake levers properly for that era, the bloke who does all the Raleigh SBDU stuff.

In the very expensive campagnolo toolkit BITD there was a special tool to do brake lever position....looked very much like a long ruler lol

I'll have a look for the link.

https://dentoncycles.co.uk/2020/05/...uches-to-sb5422-with-new-cables-and-bar-tape/

 

[bikeworkshop]

Those bars have massive forward throw and humongous drop.
Realistically, unless you're racing in around 1980, they aren't going to work for you - unless the look is vital.
A short forward throw puts the hoods in a comfortable position.
Brakes are more important these days.

 

[LondonClassic]

Sean Yates always liked his brake hoods somewhere down near the front axle.