Installing Cross/Inline Brake Levers
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- I show how to install cyclocross/in-line/interrupter brake levers on my DIY homemade cyclocross/gravel bike. These are secondary levers on drop bars that allow the rider easy access to operate the brakes while riding in an upright position, such on rough terrain.
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Just asking is it also compatible for disc brakes?
@@almeriawilfredniel5444 For mechanical disc brakes, yes.
Very nice I wanna add this levers to my road bike what you call them and where can I get them? can you pls send me a link so I can get this levers do you think I can find them on Amazon if so please can you send me a link or what they call them so I can look for thanks in advance
Excellent video. Just enough detail and you didn’t spend “forever” giving me your life story, what the weather is like, the names of your pets, etc like too many of the others!
Good video, thanks.
For what it's worth, here are my sneaky top tips when fitting inline levers.
First up, you don't need to unwrap the handlebar tape at any point to fit the levers. The levers mount far enough along from where the tape ends that it's actually pointless unwrapping it (but only if you use the second tip).
Secondly, keep the lever loose on the bar during the fitting. This way you can slide the lever onto the freshly cut cable outer instead of wrestling the newly cut end into a fixed lever.
I'll add a 3rd tip: The cut points are important. Getting the snip points right is important because they dictate where the lever sits on the bar. To get them evenly cut on each side, do both cuts at the same time. Don't do one brake to completion and then start on the second. This is important because it's easier to match the snip points when the cable outers are both free because you can measure them flat against the bar. If you cut the first one with the lever in the right place, you can then move the lever out of the way and measure the cut point against the bar so that you get an identical cut position on the other side.
I also use ferules on entry and exit of the lever, but that might just be me.
Thank you RJ! Excellent demo and very helpful! I'm actually adding road-type levers to in-line levers for a dual lever set-up. I'm old school so, though they've been around a good long while now, the in-line brake lever is kinda new to me. I like all your straightforward, clear how-to style demos even I can understand! - Tmothy (now subscribed)
Always enjoy watching you work RJ. Simple and straightforward guides to jobs we may not do too often! Cheers!
Thanks RJ, bet you've saved people thousands of pounds with your videos . I know you have given me the confidence to tackle a lot of jobs that i would have previously paid a shop to do .
I appreciate your videos. Straight forward and clear instruction.
Great video !
It's the small things you do that shows you've been doing bike repair for a long time. And doing it well.
Its 4am here in Australia, and I just woke up with the thought 'I wonder how cross top levers work.' I hate it when that happens. I shall now re-snooze ...
lol - I'm doing the same and bizarrely it's three minutes to four in the morning..
cross levers are great personally I think they should be on every road bike, I have a trek 400 im going to install some TRP retro levers on, and then some cross levers
I have a touring bike, a gravel bike, and a road bike. I have cross levers on everyone of them. I would never ride drops without them again.
These came on my commuter bike with disks. Best thing ever to just be able to cruise on the tops and have braking just in case. Thanks for the video, was wondering how they worked!
Thanks,Good and clear instruction.Just the video I need to fit my Auxiliary/Secondary Brake Levers on a Touring bike.On a long ride when riding along it's nice to use these for minor speed adjustment rather than reaching for the main Levers.I thought when you snipped that extra bit of cable housing off another alternative might have been to loosen the lever and edge/slide it along the bars either way to take up that quarter inch or so.Just learnt that is not possible as the bar diameter changes if you move along my bars.
great video! i didnt know these things existed, and they are exactly what i'm looking for. thanks rj!
Thanks you for the video, I have been curious about these type of brake levers, you clarified the mystery.
I just finished my work on my cxss, so thank U RJ, the video very useful! Greetings from Italy!
thank you so much for that video. It was tough to find any good information about those brakes in the first place. You helped out a lot!
Very cool job there, RJ...as usual!
That went so smooth and easy for you.I just put my front one on.Took me ages and had problems.Cable did not want to push out.Next the metal piece the cable slides into popped out and the little washers on the sides fell off inside the Gear shifter. Eventually got them out by making a hook from a safety pin. I'll put it down to experience but mentioned it for anyone else following the video.My secondary piece of cable housing was also quite short and a tight fit but it does seem to be working well now.Still the back one to do.
Not sure why you had issues. Did you have the shifter shifted to the smallest ring? You need to have it shifted to where the cable is fully released so you can push the cable out.
This was the front brake/gear lever/shifter.I still have the back to do.No I was not on the smallest ring on the front or the back but can't see how this would make a difference as it's the brake lever I am pushing out and there is no tension on it once I undo and release it from the brake..I could not get hold off it even with long nose pliers and only got it once the metal piece it slides into popped out which is when I lost the washer inside the unit.Hard to get ones fingers in there and they can just fall off.Bit tricky.I'll see how I go with the back one.Maybe I was unlucky.
I learn so much with your videos, thank you for sharing with us. :)
Greatly appreciated. Saved me a bunch of money and learned how to work on my brakes in the process.
Great demo RJ.
Nice video. I am going to get these for my new Fuji road bike. I don't like riding and gripping the drop handles for comfort. I wanted a road bike for all the speed but just want the inline brake setup.
Amazing, great work. Thanks for going through all the steps
I have done this on my road bike two years ago. Works fine and useful.
+1zanglang I am considering installing on my road bike as well.
Ive been wondering how that lever works. Now i know!!. Thanks. Good video as usual.
Great video! Thank you
Those are awesome! Im going to install those on my cyclo. thanks!
i have the exact same levers, same colored (they come in black and silver) too but will be removing them if I can master steep hill descent~ after reducing stem length and main levers to a more comfortable position, am using them lesser now~
+imhs81 Why dont you just leave them on?
+Derek Wildash already removed them and lost 250g to surpass 10kg barrier. I guess it's usage is mainly for heavy traffic commuters and cycloX riders.
Awesome, gonna put those on my gravel bike
Tektro used to make RL740 interrupter levers for V-brakes (linear pull). They work with the RL520 linear pull main levers Tektro still sells. You may be able to find these on eBay. Nobody makes linear pull brifters, but I use bar end shifters. For my riding style, I do not need the instant shifting of brifters.
+Mark Holm You can use a "travel agent" between the brifters and the v-brakes to adjust the pull. czcams.com/video/IJEBRCWNC8g/video.html
+Mark Holm +RJ The Bike Guy What works great too with brifters are Mini-V-Brakes like the Tektro RX5. I think they are much more powerful then regular cantilever brakes.
Thanks a lot for this great explanation. I now have the confidence to fit these to my road bike :)
Excellent, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this video! You made it look easy :)
Great video! Thanks!
I've got interrupter levers and I like them a lot! As you show, they are easy to install. I wrapped my cloth bar tape in harlequin style from the middle to the main levers and from the ends to the main levers. No exposed loose ends. No electrical tape. No twine.
+Mark Holm Cloth bar tape can be wrapped like that. The newer fatter tapes tend to roll up at the edges.
+RJ The Bike Guy I did a harlequin wrap, so rolling up at the edges is not really a problem. I put a cushioning kit, from one of the bike accessory companies, under the wrap first. The harlequin wrap makes a double layer of cloth. That and the cushion makes a pretty cushy bar.
+RJ The Bike Guy Here is a picture of the harlequin wrapped bars. The interrupter levers do not show in this picture, but you can see their clamps.
flic.kr/p/7MiuED
Cool! Wouldn't do it on this bike though. I actually plan to add padding. My hands were really bruised up after the mountain bike race I did last year.
+RJ The Bike Guy I think the pads I used were the ones from fizik.
www.fizik.it/accessories/tri-gel-pad/bar-gel/
They add noticeable cush, but I would not call them a complete solution. I wear padded gloves, too, goat leather.
My hands have been much happier since I switched to 50mm tires at lower pressure. My butt is happier, too. I am now convinced that the drive to narrower tires is the worst thing that happened to recreational cycling. Wider, lower pressure tires have such a long list of benefits! I only weigh 155 lbs, but I'm not going back to narrower tires! Now we know the old idea that narrower tires have lower rolling resistance is false. Modern wide tires, like the Schwalbe Big Bens I ride are not a drag in recreational riding.
That looks very useful to be able to vary hand position and have quick access to the brakes.
Thanks to the clear explanation in the video, I have just pulled this off almost perfectly. Thanks RJ! The only issue I have now is a routing one. (btw I am in the UK so front and back are swapped over). Because I have a very short stem (35mm reach), there is a very small gap between the cable stop above the front brake and where the housing exits the inline lever. This means that the bend in the cable is super sharp, so the cable doesnt slide out fully when I release the brake (this is only a problem when using the STI lever, when braking with the inline it's fine). I think if I get a new, longer bit of housing, and make a large loop, that will resolve the issue. Any tips appreciated.
Familiar with UK being opposite: czcams.com/video/OR47XELYmQc/video.html
Routing is a case by case basis. I hope you don't mean a full 360 deg loop. That would probably not be necessary. Usually just adding a little bit extra housing works.
@@RJTheBikeGuy I actually resolved this issue just now by making the housing shorter. I was hesitant to do it before because i thought there wouldnt be enough room to use the inline brake lever but its actually fine. So that bit of housing is now down to 2.5 inches but it all works perfectly now. Cheers!
thank you for the lesson.
This is great, looking forward to trying this. Do you have a list of tools and additional parts needed? I see the (obviously the break lever), Way Hex Wrench, extra crimp end, cable and housing cutter, allen wrench, barrel. Is that it?
Parts vary by project.
Amazing!
Thanks for the video. I have jut successfully transferred interruptor brakes from my old bike to my daughter's.
Great videos sir, thanks for the help too.Looking forward for future great videos:)))
Very helpful - thank you.
This video inspired me to do the setup myself, but I made the mistake of not buying a hinged brake lever! That's crucial for adding it onto these curved handlebars! So i'm shipping back the illfit levers and bringing in some new ones from chainreactioncycles. Through this video- I even got the inspiration to buy a bike just for the frame and to start building it up the way I want it! Baby steps.
You used actual inline cross levers? All of the ones I have seen are hinged. Or were you trying to install regular brake levers up there?
@@RJTheBikeGuy They tektro, off of amazon with cables and housing included. Yea they may have been regular brake levers, a little weighty too.
i'm stunned as hell and i get this. thank you
just what I was looking for! thanks
Thank you soooo much for this.
nice one brother !Thank you!
Hi buddy, where to buy this inline break?
thank you for posting really appreciate it
I installed Tektro RL720's on 4 bikes, only I use 1 per front wheel, to "feather" the break without changing position. Use as a small slow-down. If I need to brake heavy, I know where the main ones are..... One pair does 2 bikes.
I've been riding with crosstop brake lever for weeks,
I would say its worth the hassle, especially on climbs , traffic, recovery or just changing position due to back ache and neck ache.
They say cross top brake lever is ugly but i would say if it ain't a beauty, its practical
It's a great video! Would it also work with disc brakes and caliper brakes?
+Ethan Wong yes.
does the back brake cable need to be routed through a single continuous piece of cable housing in order to work?
I've been wanting to get these on my bike for awhile now but my LBS is so damn busy with all these pandemic bike riders tuning up their dusty bikes that my bike would sit in the shop for weeks. Time do it myself haha. Thanks for the video.
Same here
Hello! I've seen these types of brake levers installed on fixie bikes without hood levers. How do we get them to work, when the lever pushes the cable instead of pulling it?
amazing video thanks
very useful, thank you.
great job
top instruction thanks
Thanks for making this video - extremely helpful - I'm planning this for my road bike. Question: do these types of inline brakes produce close to the same stopping power as the primary brake?
Yes.
RJ The Bike Guy thanks RJ. What a cool feature to be able to add to a bike.
@@adamh7947 Yeah. These are way better than those old suicide levers.
Random question, but where do you find misc. small parts like ferrules and cable ends?
+Brendan T. Burke Local bike shop, Amazon, ebay, etc...
Excellent my local bike shop mech told me I'd have too splice the wire and that it would make my brakes weak 🤦♂️ thankfully I found u instead 👍
Thanks mate,just install them on my wife's giant road e 👍👍
Hey RJ, great video as always!
So I've gone ahead and made a similar setup for my girlfriend as she is new to the cycling world and wanted to feel safer with her never having tried STI levers for braking.
Installation was no problem, but I figured I'd post in this video as I've got cantilevers on her bike as well, so basically the same setup.
My question then goes: How is the feel on your STI levers?
The STI levers I've got feels quite hard (requiring a lot of finger force, not sure what the word is) which is a problem for her as she has smaller hands.
Not sure if it's because it's an older sora 3500 set I've got or if I should try and replace the cantilevers with newer models (as they are older models) or just try and clean/lube the STI levers. Cable inners and outers are brand new.
My levers feel fine. Lubing the STI levers won't effect the inline levers at all. The inline levers come after them. If the STI levers feel okay, but the inline levers feel hard, then it is just the inline levers. Not sure why they feel hard.
Maybe you set to much spring load. Undo her breaks and look if there are multiple holes in the brake mounts to hold the spring in place. By using different holes you could adjust the amount of force the springs put on your breaks in order to hold it open. Less force means less force is needed to use the brakes. But be careful not to reduce the force to much, because this could prevent the brakes from releasing correctly and therefor rub on the rims.
Can I use these as stand alone levers for my single speed?
Such a good idea :D
Can this incline break levers also applicable in mechanical disc break?
Thank you!!
Hi RJ, your video's are very thorough and easy to follow. I am having a problem making sense of some cross top levers that do not have the barrel adjusters. I just purchased the specialized brand but they don't come with them. The guy gave me all the correct cables but am not sure how they will hold in place so i don't want to cut anything. Actually thinking of returning them and getting levers with the barrel adjusters. I can't find a video that shows installation of these kinds of levers. My bike is a 36 year old Raleigh Record which is in excellent condition, just wanted to update some of the components. Any advice?
You don't need barrel adjusters on the cross levers. They are usually located on the brakes, or primary levers already.
Thanks for the quick reply, I'm updating from the old silver shimano levers with the extra brake grip and purchased the tektro alloy aero levers as well, but there are no barrel adjusters on the new levers either. One guy at another bike shop said they were an older model. These are what the guy sold me. Don't have a great feeling about these. Maybe he didn't sell me the correct cables? He gave me end caps but no ferrules
Hi, great video, I'm not amazing with bikes but OK knowledge, do I need any extra stuff to do this apart from the levers themselves.
A new cable and a ferrule and tools. And a crimp end.
could you clarify what the new cable is for?thanks,
James Manley For the brake to pull the pads
How does the brake grip the cable ?
that inline brake lever was for BMX bikes. good idea to use it on a drop bar
Can cross levers be used as primary brake levers alone? Do you simply install the cabel end the other way around, so you can pull it? I am struggling to find a brake lever that fits on a 31.6 handlebar and do the job. I went to the shop and they suggested this type. Fingers crossed that the cable won't snap after a while... Any other ideas?
No, they are not intended to be primary levers. If you rinky dink the cable, it will likely fail at the worst possible time.
Can I use cross top brake levers as the only brake and not have them be in-line. My old singlespeed used to have brake handles that look like the ones you installed as opposed to getting regular brake levers.
No.
Can there levers be used for bikes with disc brakes?
Regardless, I am still having a hard time imagining/picturing/understanding how these things work.....(and I actually got a degree in Mechanical Engineering...)
Is there a hydraulic version of this? Or would it be possible to just add hydraulic MTB levers by adding a junction?
Not that I am aware of.
Good😊
Thanks!
I want to fit my levers/shifters from a flatbar onto a bullhorn/drop bar. I've tried, however the clamps on mine are not hinged and I can't slide them around the bend!
Any ideas how I can fit them?
Obviously you need to buy hinged ones then
Hey viewers... I've subbed.
If I want to use just one lever , should it be front wheel or back ?
nice thanks!
Would this still work with mechanical disc brakes? Obviously more cable will need pulled through the housing.
Probably.
how do we know what size clamp diameter to get? i often see an option of 24mm or 31.8mm i have a schwinn solara
You measure the diameter of your handlebars where you are going to mount the levers.
How do the new levers grip the cable? You just threaded it through loose?
They don't grip the cable. They spread the housings.
is it compatible for disk brake
Thanks g
thanks a lot!!!!
May i know the clamping size of your bars?
hey rj i wanted to put a brake just like that one on my track bike but i wanted to put it right beside my stem and i wanted to knwo what clamp size i would need..23.8 or 27 mm ?
+Der Von Nebenan It may not work right beside your stem as the lever would hit it. And you need to measure your handle bars for the clamp size.
Yeah ill do that...thanks :)
So basically one single brake cable runs through the primary as well as the inline brake? What is your advise to use two separate brake cables? Nice video.
Yes. And works fine. I don't know of a setup that uses two cables. So you are on your own trying to make that work.
My advice would be, unless you're an expert in pulley ratios and spring tensioning and you also wish to make you bike look like a 19th century loom, don't even think about it.
Can these brake levers be used on their own? Like can the head of the cable be placed into the interrupter lever? Would it be a road brake cable?
No. Just buy brake levers. Probably cheaper, and more easily available.
@@RJTheBikeGuy That's a shame, regular flat bar levers are too bulky for the narrow flat bars I want to use. As opposed to how inline the barrel adjuster and clamp are on interrupter levers.
QUESTION: Would you have a link to your favorite wire cutters? Thanks.
Hey thanks for this video/
Thanks for watching.
Hay R.J. I'm planning to build a motorized bicycle and want to use hydraulic disc brakes do you know of anyone that makes a dual hydraulic brake lever? The only thing I can find halfway close is the sunlite mechanical ones
Do you mean cross levers for hydraulic? Not that I know of. I kind of doubt it.
@@RJTheBikeGuy The new Shimano GRX is also including (or maybe will be sold separately) crosstop for hydraulic.
so ya, it's kind of good news.
Can this be done if you're using non-aero break lever?
Probably not well.
RJ PLS REPLY
is it good if I use the brake lever and the shifter and put it on the drop bars?
And it's a mtb shifter and a brake lever, is it good to use different brake lever rather than a road bike brake lever with a shifter? pls reply
Not good.
RJ The Bike Guy could I do this process for my mtb shifters? I’m planning on adding a drop bar and getting straight pull brakes for the drop and use the standard shifters on the bar part. I think it will work but I don’t want to mess up something for no benefit. What should I do?
I have a bullhorn handlebar, I’m looking for ideas for my brake/shifter levers. I’m looking for microshift barends levers but my question is: These brake levers can be used in reverse mode? Looks like a dropbar brake mode... I think I explain good my idea... my English is not gods sorry...
No. They are INLINE brake levers. Between OTHER levers and the brakes.
RJ The Bike Guy thanks so much
I guess the popularity of in-line brakes validates the old safety brakes of the '80s, where there were levers in the drops and extension levers for the upper section of the handlebars.
Not even close. The "safety" brake were weak and pretty much sucked! They generally could be squeezed all the way to the bar without full braking power. Inline brakes like these give full braking power. And in many cases are used on cross bikes where riding is done both on the tops and in the drops. On rough trail, riding in the drops is not great.
Some referred to those as "suicide brakes" because they don't work very well.
Some people say the in-line brake levers makes the brakes feel "spongy". What could be the reason for that?
I have "suicide levers" on my fixie. With quality and properly adjusted dual-pivot brakes they actually do their job well. As brake pads and cables wear brakes must be adjusted in time so the "suicide levers" won't start hitting the bars. I would certainly not advise them for a person who can't / won't do the adjustments. They do look cool, vintage and unique nowadays though.
Sorry, but even properly adjusted suicide levers suck!
Thank you! Am doing this now!