Brake Lever Swap Question

[Brett CT]

My current brake set up on my bike are entry level Shimano BR M447 Calipers and BL 445 Lever. They work perfectly fine but I am not a huge fan of the ergonomics of the brake levers and rather than upgrading the entire set up I am looking to only change the levers.

I am considering getting some DEORE BL-M6100 Levers which would be a nice upgrade.

Is there any technical reason why I should not do this swap. I know I will be running different calipers than what Shimano recommends but is there a technical reason why I cannot just upgrade the levers? Are the internal diameter of the pistons different or the throw of the calipers? 

The small amount of research I did suggests that this is not recommended but I cannot think of a reason why it would not work.

[BaGearA]

go for it , re port back you experience ( I'm 99.9999% you're fine to go ahead ) 

[Arnostokes]

should be fine

they also said i should not replace my piston on my caliper and ive done it with great sucsess

i also switched my levers on my xt brakes with xtr ones so it should work

 

[porqui]

Welcome to LeHub

You say "The small amount of research I did suggests that this is not recommended but I cannot think of a reason why it would not work."

If it is not recommended then maybe consider the fact that it is not recommended.

[Mars1967]

The main issue is whether the 6100 levers would fit on the existing set. From looking at the images on the Shimano website and manuals, it appears as if the designs may be different. The 445 clearly works with a push rod connected to the piston. It appears as if the 6100 has a different actuating mechanism pushing directly on the piston. It does not appear as if the levers are interchangeable. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Mars1967

[100Tours]

I run Shimano road levers with Magura calipers. Works better than the original - also not recommended. I've also mixed MTB XT calipers and 105 road hydraulic levers quite successfully. ????

Go for it. On the lesser models (other than XTR) I suspect that a lot of the calipers are identical with different paint jobs. It will work just fine. 

Mixing and matching brake levers and calipers - all Shimano | Mountain Bike Reviews Forum (mtbr.com)

Edited September 13, 2021 by 100Tours

[Jewbacca]

I also ran Magura calipers with Shimano levers and absolutely loved the way the brakes felt.

You will have absolutely no issues marrying them.

 

[RobertWhitehead]

There won't be any issues. I have done this quite a few times in the past. 

[droo]

Shimano levers and calipers all work together. Swap away. And as a bonus the lever sets are cheap as chips, if you can find them.

 

(Assuming you're talking about swapping complete lever assemblies and not just the blades, cos that probably won't work.)

[DieselnDust]

4 hours ago, Mars1967 said:

The main issue is whether the 6100 levers would fit on the existing set. From looking at the images on the Shimano website and manuals, it appears as if the designs may be different. The 445 clearly works with a push rod connected to the piston. It appears as if the 6100 has a different actuating mechanism pushing directly on the piston. It does not appear as if the levers are interchangeable. 

This has nothing to do with the compatibility of the mating parts.

Both use mineral oil and Shimano fittings.

The only issue will be the lever throw. Does the lever master cyclinder of the BL 445 match that of the Deore BL6100? From what I can gather they are similar and therefore should not represent a problem to swaparoo.

[DieselnDust]

37 minutes ago, droo said:

Shimano levers and calipers all work together. Swap away. And as a bonus the lever sets are cheap as chips, if you can find them.

 

(Assuming you're talking about swapping complete lever assemblies and not just the blades, cos that probably won't work.)

 

You can't get the lever blades separately any longer unless you have a source.....?

[droo]

Just now, DieselnDust said:

 

You can't get the lever blades separately any longer unless you have a source.....?

My source is all the seized M785 / M8000 levers in my lever graveyard. It's not an endless supply, but I haven't run out yet.

[Hairy]

30 minutes ago, droo said:

My source is all the seized M785 / M8000 levers in my lever graveyard. It's not an endless supply, but I haven't run out yet.

Are all those seized lever due to the previous owners never bleeding their brakes?

[Wannabe]

1 hour ago, droo said:

My source is all the seized M785 / M8000 levers in my lever graveyard. It's not an endless supply, but I haven't run out yet.

Comment removed. Off Topic.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Wannabe

[droo]

26 minutes ago, Hairy said:

Are all those seized lever due to the previous owners never bleeding their brakes?

That and pressure washers...

[DieselnDust]

12 minutes ago, droo said:

That and pressure washers...

car serviced every 15000km religiously - brakes serviced= brakes don't fail = great brakes

bike serviced and jet washed after every ride - brakes not serviced = brakes fail = crappy brakes

 

????