Women's Brakes/Shifters?

[Bethany1]

Rode my Mukluk 10 miles today as it's the longest trip I've done with him and realized the brake levers are too far away from the bar and once your hands get sweaty the grip shifts are really hard to twist. Any ideas? I do have gloves but didn't think to use them.

Brakes are the biggest concern since the reach is hard. Since my Mamba is at the LBS I can't see what brake levers are used. Mamba has SRAM BB5 and the Mukluk has Avid BB5 disc brakes. Mukluk has Tektro CL530 brake levers but I don't see what levers are for the Mamba on the Trek site.

Any ideas?

[laura*]

It is very common these days that (cable actuated) brake levers are adjustable. All it takes is one adjustment screw to move the "released" position closer to the handle bars.

[OakLeaf]

Although the owner's manual doesn't mention it, that's normally what the little pin just outboard of the clamp does. Duh, I can't remember what that part is called but it's like a little threaded rod with an Allen head (2.5 mm??). Can't hurt to try it, just count the turns, and if it doesn't do what you want, take it back to its original position.

Picture here (Flash, so I don't know how to embed it)

You may need to readjust your brake cable after adjusting the lever position.

[Irulan]

Disc brakes, both hydraulic and mechanical, can also have the reach adjusted. (that's what it is called) There are little allen screws on the inside. This is a critical and often overlooked element of correct bike set up. Sometimes repositioning the brake levers closer in can really help, as can the proper angle. So there are three potential adjustments you can do, really. I've done this on all my mountain bikes... disc brakes, center pull and side pull.

Useful tutorial, although it could use photos:
http://www.mtbtips.com/mountain-bike...etup-position/


Here's the screw for adjusting the reach.



Great photo of correct hand angle on the brakes. Note the "one finger" set up... this is how disc brakes should be set up ( not for grabbing a handful)


Brake position shifted closer to center of bar

another tutorial for setting up the whole cockpit with photos...
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...in-bike-20662/

[Anelia]

I do have gloves but didn't think to use them.
Any ideas?

My levers are adjustable and maybe so are yours.
But why don't you wear gloves? The ones with long fingers are comfortable even in summer. You don't feel the sweat and also they protect your hands in case of an accident. Your instinct is to put your hands in front of your body to protect it so the most common injury are the hands. Put your gloves on and you'll get used to them quickly. Also if I don't wear quality gloves, I get blisters from the grips.

[Irulan]

All bike brake levers are adjustable. If you aren't sure about it, just have your local shop guy help you.

And double ditto on gloves. I can't think of riding without them. They also protect from general abrasions ( tree bark etc)

[Sky King]

Great posts on adjusting brake levers.

I have yet to find a pair of gloves I like and I have been riding for 30 years. So am going to move myself to gear and accessories and see what everyone has to say. Maybe I should look at full fingered as the short ones always seem to cut off my circulation and if they are to big they bunch up in the palm...

[OakLeaf]

Maybe try men's gloves? I can't wear men's gloves at all, but if women's gloves give you trouble, maybe your hands are shaped more like a typical man's.

[Loraura]

The one-finger braking comment shouldn't be overlooked. When adjusting the reach on brake levers, it is much easier to achieve a comfortable reach for one finger than it is to try to get the reach in close enough for two or three fingers to grab.

I bit the bullet and set my brakes up for one finger (including moving the brakes toward the inside of the handlebar to allign the "hook" of the brake lever with my pointer finger). Set up this way, my middle finger would just grab air if I tried to use it to brake unless I moved my whole hand over. It took less than a day to get used to one finger braking. With disc brakes, there is no need for more than a single finger to apply as much stopping power as we could possibly need.