STI levers for small hands

Hi, This is my first post but there seems to be a lot of experience out there so I thought I'd give my question a shot.

I'm 5'2" and have owned a Dawes tourer for about 9 months. It's the 43cm compact sardar sti. It's my first road bike and I love it but I really struggle with the sti levers (Shimano Tiagra STI 3x9sp
). They are out of my reach and make braking quite ineffective unless I hold the bottom of the handlebars. They also make my hands ache.
I've heard of the Shimano adjustable reach ST-R600 levers. Has anybody else?
They are quite expensive at about £170 and I want to know if there are any other options.
Should I be looking to change my handlebars to ones that bring the levers closer?
Any response appreciated.

:confused:

Have you tried moving them on your handlebars? Remove the tape, loosen the clamp that holds the brake to the bar , then adjust them up and down through the drops to see if you can find a more comfortable position. Once you find a more comfortable position, tighten the brakes back down and retape the nandlebars in the color of your choice. :D


Good luck!

Veronica

Thanks for your reply Veronica.
I went to a good bike shop and they inverted the handlebars and chopped the protruding bits off. The bottom part of the sti levers are now positioned so I can brake without having to move my hands. I'm having to adjust a bit as the reach has become shorter but it didn't cost much to do.
The reach adjustable levers are a waste of time if you already have sti levers. There is just an extra wedge that brings the lever closer but wouldn't have made much difference overall.

Try angling the brifters out a bit to the sides which should make them a little more accessible.