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Brake Hoods

08.24.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

I’ve been riding the same road bike for more than six years now, and inevitably it’s going to show signs of wear and tear.

But one area I didn’t expect to see problems is the brake hood. These are items we take for granted. They’re a comfortable place to rest our hands during our rides, and 80 percent or more of our ride time is spent grasping these rubber sheaths.

So I was bothered awhile ago when my left brake hood started showing signs of wear. And tear. In fact, my first inkling that there was a problem was a small tear in the hood.

It's easy to see how the hood separates from the top of the brake lever. A tear is visible, too. (Click pix to enlarge.)
It’s easy to see how the hood separates from the top of the brake lever. A tear is visible, too. (Click pix to enlarge.)

Of course, it doesn’t take long for a small problem to morph into a larger one — and that’s what happened here. First, the rounded area at the top where the hood rests on top of the brake lever popped loose. It’s held in place by a small protrusion on the brake lever. On the underside of the hood is an indent that fits the protrusion perfectly. The first few times it popped off, it was easy to pull it back into place.

Trouble is, with our hot, humid summer this year the hood is subject to a lot of twisting action. Because it’s the left hood, it covers the brake lever/shifter that controls the front derailleur. When I shift into the big ring, my hand twists the hood. And with the hood coming loose from that little thing that holds it in place, it just softened and tore some more. Now, I’m at the point where I don’t even try to fasten it down, because I know it will last only until my next shift.

So, what to do? Well, replacement hoods are available. I like the ones called “Hudz.” They come in a variety of colors, and I thought it would be cool to get some blue ones, and put black bar tape on the bike — just the reverse of my current look.

But Hudz doesn’t make hoods for every model. Mine is a Tiagra shifter, and I guess that’s not high-end enough. I couldn’t find any that filled the bill. (Oh, another thing I learned during my search is that every model of shifter has just enough of a different shape that it requires its very own hood cover. You have to find the one made expressly for the type of shifter you use.)

Here they are. Now what do I do with them?
Here they are. Now what do I do with them?

That’s just a simple Internet search. I found some Tiagra brake hoods at bikeparts.com and placed an online order. They came in the mail yesterday. With no instructions.

I’ve been doing another search — this time for online videos on replacing brake hoods. There are more online that you might expect. I seem to have a complication, in that the shift cable is going to interfere with an easy replacement. It looks like I’m in for taking off the bar tape, then taking off the brake/shift assembly, mounting the hood, and putting it all back on the handlebar. I think. I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

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Categories // Maintenance Tags // bike maintenance, brakes, shifters

An Easy Adjustment

08.22.2013 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

Today I did my monthly thorough bike wash. Good thing, too, since I haven’t done it in about five months.

Besides  getting all the grit and grime off my bike, I treated myself to the always relaxing task of replacing the bar tape. The new stuff, an upgrade from the stuff I usually buy, looks good and feels better. I’m anxious to get out tomorrow and see what it feels like during a longish ride.

But I also thought I would give some attention to something that’s been bothering me during the last several rides. The brake pull for the rear brake really had a lot of travel. I had to pull it almost to the handlebar before I could feel the brakes kick in. The brakes are pretty good — I replaced the pads two years ago, and they’re nowhere near worn down yet. But compared to some other bikes I’ve been on, braking didn’t feel sharp. I guess I’d just gotten used to the way they worked, and I made them work for me.

Adjusting the reach of the brake levers is easy. First, loosen the bolt that holds the brake cable.

Loosen the cable fixing bolt.
Loosen the cable fixing bolt.

Then, squeeze both sides of the brake caliper, and hold them at the distance from the wheel rim you’d like. It should be closer than it is now.

Squeeze the calipers until they almost touch the rim.
Squeeze the calipers until they almost touch the rim.

That squeeze will move the brake cable through the bolt. Tighten the bolt, while still squeezing the caliper, then let it go.

Check the brake lever travel. If it hasn’t changed enough, you can go through the steps again — the process takes less than three minutes — but I’ll bet it works out fine the first time.

Now, I have to get ready to do the thorough monthly cleaning of my wife’s bike. Let’s see — I think it’s been about a year since I’ve done that one.

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Categories // Maintenance Tags // adjustments, brakes

Proper Braking Technique

06.02.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 12 Comments

I was on a short easy ride with Mrs. Noob the other day. We were on a slight downhill leading to a stoplight. I noticed as she braked for the light that she applied both brakes at the same time.

“Do you ever brake with just the front brake?” I asked.

“I’m not even sure which one is the front brake,” she replied.

Hm. Seems to me that to be in full control of your bike, you need to know which lever controls which brake. I explained that the left side controls the front brake, and the right side, the rear brake. She didn’t think it made much difference.

“There’s quite a difference in the amount of braking force between the two,” I said. “Most of your stopping power comes from the front brake.”

I’ve seen some articles that suggest bikers apply both brakes evenly. That’s the opposite of the way I learned to ride. Since the front brake handles most of the load, I’ve always applied the front brake first and hardest. I’ll use the rear brake, but only as a supplement to the front.

For example, if I’m going down hill and there’s a red light at the bottom, I’ll apply the front brake to slow the bike, but squeeze the rear brake on and off to slow the bike quicker. But be careful with that rear brake — it can cause a skid, and that can put you out of control in a hurry.

I experienced that first hand about a month ago. One of my area rides features a nice wide suburban street with a sweeping left-hand curve. Usually, there’s no traffic at all on this street. But at the bottom, there’s a cross street. When I reach it, I’m often going 32-33 mph, and although I have the right of way, I’m certainly not going to depend upon a car in the cross street to wait for me.

On this particular ride, I moved to the middle of the street as I neared the cross street. Sure enough, a car pulled up to the stop sign, looked both ways quickly without coming to a full stop, and started to cross. I went for the brakes hard, putting as much pressure on the rear as the front. My back wheel locked up immediately, and the bike started to fishtail. The driver of the car saw I was in trouble and slammed on his brakes. I got the bike under control at shot across the intersection in front of him.

OK, two things. First, I needed to apply the front brake first. According to Sheldon Brown, you should squeeze it so hard you nearly lift the rear wheel off the ground. The second thing would be to counter a possible rear wheel skid by moving my weight back as far as possible to keep the rear wheel in contact with pavement.

You won’t go over the bars. Just remember to brace with your arms, and even if you forget to scoot your weight back on the seat, you’ll probably have enough traction back there to prevent, or stop, fishtailing.

If you use both brakes equally, you’d probably benefit by practicing with just the front brake. You’ll see that you stop faster.

And every so often, I’ll apply just the rear brake as I pull into my driveway at home — and lay down a nice skid mark. Just for fun.

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Categories // Technique Tags // brakes

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