The OriginalSpartacus Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Howsit, I am riding basic Tektro Drako Hydraulic Disc brakes on my bike and the long levers are driving me mad!! Anyone know if other replacement levers like Shimano, Avid etc. will work if I swop the stock ones out for a more racier 2 finger lever? Or does anyone sell the Tektro 2 finger levers? had a look at a few online shops and I can't seem to find anything. shot
patches Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 ummm... this may not be helpfull at all, but here's my 2c. First... if your levers clamps are hard up against your grips... move them inwards. Put about 25mm between your grips and levers. This will line up the lever so that your index finger alone can operate it sufficiently. 1 finger braking will also mean you have more control. If you're used to using 2 fingers, this will feel weird at first. but once you get used to it, it's way better. Here's my setup on my jump bike (and I have similar on my DH bike, just with wider bars) See how my index finger lines up with the end of the lever (ie. where the most leverage can be obtained). As mentioned, this offeres more than enough stopping power, and if one wants to slam on brakes, 2 fingers can still fit on the lever. So there... that would be my suggestion... but to answer your original question... yes, you do get replacement levers... like the ones offered by Straitline (not sure if they do Tektro though). But these are pretty pricey (R500 a set, excluding any changes to internals that may have to be made)and probably not viable on Dracos. http://www.sicklines.com/news-images/sl2big.jpg
Guest Omega Man Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 I think your problem is that your brakes are fairly low rent compared to say Avid and thus people with your brakes won't easily part with R900 for replacement levers. No offense or anything. I have Tektro's on one of my bikes. There are 2 main sources for after market levers. Dangerboy and Straitline. I have Straitline after market levers on my Avid Codes. They are amazing but nowhere near worth the R900 they cost me. I only bought them cos my one lever was bent beyond repair. In general tho after market levers are KAAK expensive and you're probably far better of just upgrading your brakes entirely. Just my opinion.
patches Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 yeah... as Omega Man mentioned... aftermarket levers may be over capitalizing a bit. Another option is to put the money towards brakes with reach adjust (this is me assuming that dracos don't have it... I may be way off on this).
The OriginalSpartacus Posted October 17, 2011 Author Posted October 17, 2011 shot! maybe I should just get new brakes @patches : I have moved the brakes in towards the Stem but the end of the lever still sits by my ring finger and if I move it inwards anymore the shifters start getting to far away thanks for the great feedback.
Guest Omega Man Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) shot! maybe I should just get new brakes @patches : I have moved the brakes in towards the Stem but the end of the lever still sits by my ring finger and if I move it inwards anymore the shifters start getting to far away thanks for the great feedback.Yeah dude. Those aftermarket levers are kaaaaak expensive for milled bits of ali. Take a look on the cwcycles site. I bought Avid Elixirs for less than 2k for the pair from them. I doubt you will find brakes cheaper anywhere. No i'm not a cw salesman. hehehe. I do have to say tho. The gold Straitline levers on my bike are pure sex. Edited October 17, 2011 by Omega Man
patches Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 shot! maybe I should just get new brakes @patches : I have moved the brakes in towards the Stem but the end of the lever still sits by my ring finger and if I move it inwards anymore the shifters start getting to far away thanks for the great feedback. hahaha! yeah... this can be an issue. Another issue is that some bars simply aren't wide enough and taper too early, therefore not allowing the levers to be shifted in far enough. Simple solution is that if you want to move your levers further in, just put your shifters on the outside of the levers, then you can still reach both. I know in my pic I'm running the shifter on the inside, but that's cos Saint shifters (and a few others) have a sort of reach adjust. Plus I don't shift much and want it outta the way when I jump But yeah... new brake options might be your best bet. Not the answer you wanna hear... but the one that will have the best result on the long term
wesley_r Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 shot! maybe I should just get new brakes @patches : I have moved the brakes in towards the Stem but the end of the lever still sits by my ring finger and if I move it inwards anymore the shifters start getting to far away thanks for the great feedback. I went from Tektro's to Avid's (Juicy 5s, so not even Elixirs) and the different in lever design was chalk and cheese
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 I went from Tektro's to Avid's (Juicy 5s, so not even Elixirs) and the different in lever design was chalk and cheese Amen to that! Every time I get onto my XC bike I have a mental facepalm. The Elixirs are just THAT much better. Also helps that I'm able to run my DH bike's shifters inboard of the levers though, thanks to the removable display on the shifter...
rwa.basson Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 Awesome advice guys just moved them in a bit going to fun testing it out tomorrow on the mountain !!
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