Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I'm looking at a SRAM brake lever on bikeinn.com and it states, in bold, that "Left levers work with front brake and right levers work with back brakes". Surely it's entirely up to the individual which brake they connect each lever to? Or am I missing something here and the levers are inherently "front" or "back".

I know the convention is different in different parts of the world, but surely mechanically you can just run the cable wherever you see fit, right?

Probably marketing BS. Bikebug list R/front and L/rear sets. Looks like SRAM only want to sell them together, so the EU sites sell their combo and the AU sites sell the other. Somewhat effective geoblock when you're not actually geoblocking.

familyguy wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 09, 2022 1:32 pm

Probably marketing BS. Bikebug list R/front and L/rear sets. Looks like SRAM only want to sell them together, so the EU sites sell their combo and the AU sites sell the other. Somewhat effective geoblock when you're not actually geoblocking.

Yeah, that's what I figured. Thanks

They are just a variation on the assembly. If they are hydraulic brakes, then just swap the hoses, if rim brakes, just swap the cables.

Simple.

CavStCav wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 09, 2022 1:17 pm

I'm looking at a SRAM brake lever on bikeinn.com and it states, in bold, that "Left levers work with front brake and right levers work with back brakes". Surely it's entirely up to the individual which brake they connect each lever to? Or am I missing something here and the levers are inherently "front" or "back".

I know the convention is different in different parts of the world, but surely mechanically you can just run the cable wherever you see fit, right?

Funnily enough, i asked them the same question as I await my GRX shifters. The braking is just a function of which caliper you connect the hose to, but the only possibility is that for levers that come with the brake hose, they will supply a shorter hose for the front brake. If buying both levers you can just swap the hoses over anyway.

I am waiting on the right lever to be ready for shipping. it showed as in stock when I ordered it a few weeks ago but the status changed a couple of days ago and now it says ready to ship on March 15th.

I’ll be curious when it hits AU, as no GST was charged and it’s under $1000. My previous shipments from them have come straight through without issue though. I like that when your item ships, you get a photo of the package as it goes through the scanner. It’s a strange setup as they are a Spanish company but shipment goes from the Netherlands via NLpost.

As above, there is nothing about brake levers that makes them specifically front or rear, however hydro sets often come fully assembled, with hose lengths to suit a particular end, so it's probably just come out implying such in the translation. Supplied hoses are typically fairly generous in length, so usually need to be disconnected and shortened anyway, so it's a moot point really, just reconnect to the opposite levers.

Duck! wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:04 pm

As above, there is nothing about brake levers that makes them specifically front or rear, however hydro sets often come fully assembled, with hose lengths to suit a particular end, so it's probably just come out implying such in the translation. Supplied hoses are typically fairly generous in length, so usually need to be disconnected and shortened anyway, so it's a moot point really, just reconnect to the opposite levers.

Exactly what I thought was the case. I am buying the levers only, and it's unclear whether or not it's supplied with any hoses. I am swapping out my Ultegra R8020 levers. I am not sure whether the GRX810 and the R8020 uses the same hoses and fittings, so I may not have to buy any new hoses to do the swap (bike shop is doing it anyway, so not my problem!). The part number for the hoses seems to be the same for GRX and my Ultegra Brake Calipers, so here's hoping.

If you're only buying levers, that's all you'll get. R8020 and GRX810 are exactly the same units under the rubber covers, so hoses will be a straight swap.

Duck! wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:54 pm

If you're only buying levers, that's all you'll get. R8020 and GRX810 are exactly the same units under the rubber covers, so hoses will be a straight swap.

Perfect then. Should just be a straight swap. My 8070 brake calipers are listed as directly compatible so it should be plug and play. Only swapping to get the ServoWave and slightly different lever shape. I’ve found the road levers can be challenging on technical gravel, and since i am swapping the R8000 RD for the clutched GRX version, plus fitting the gravel crankset (which requires the GRX FD as well), I just went all in…so partial Ultegra 8020 group going up for sale in a few weeks

a while back, i bought a used bike shipped from Spain.
the brake levers were in the EU configuration.
i did consider leaving them as-is, having never worked on Campagnolo shifters before and not wanting to risk damaging them.

But after a while, I thought it was just too risky and dangerous if I accidentally hit the wrong brake, so I bit the bullet and did the cable swop myself. Turned out to be a lot easier than expected! Unwound bar tape, remove cable from derailleurs & shifters, switch cable, retighten derailleur, bar tape.

long story short - yes, mechanically you can run the cable wherever you see fit.

^^ It is completely unnecessary to disconnect the derailleurs when flipping brake cables...... They're totally separate systems.

Lars Boom did a CX clinic before a local race here in Perth a couple of years ago. Was on a borrowed bike, and on his first example of Barrier dismount..........he dismounted over the bars . He went on to win the nights CX race on the same bike, so figured the brake swap quick .

Duck! wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:35 pm

^^ It is completely unnecessary to disconnect the derailleurs when flipping brake cables...... They're totally separate systems.

Actually that's true. I don't think I ever disconnected them, that's why it was a quick swop. Good pickup.

caneye wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:36 am

But after a while, I thought it was just too risky and dangerous if I accidentally hit the wrong brake

I have generally had my front brake lever on the left for years - mostly because I've never seen a front caliper with the cable entry on the left. In all the years I used to ride motos, I never once accidentally hit the clutch.

Assuming you're on tarmac in the dry, you can feel when the rear wheel starts to lift - at that point I ease both brakes - last thing you want is to put a locked up rear wheel back on the ground.