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Dura-Ace brake adjustment?

952 views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  kirkB 
Use the drops while descending. You have more control and can brake better.

Is your problem the reach to the levers, or the leverage that you get on them- meaning that you are applying the brake with the very ends of your fingers.

If it is the latter, then you can adjust the point in the lever travel where the brakes come on. Most shops adjust the brakes very tight so there is little lever motion before the brake pads touch the rims. That is safer for riders who don't pay attention to brake pad wear or who might install narrower rims without checking the brakes. But it means that the brake leverage may not be the best especially for people with smaller hands.

You can try turning the cable adjuster in to get more cable slack but chances are that you will need to undo the pinch bolt and redo it with a little more slack in the cable.

I like to set up my brakes so that the lever is in a comfortable position for application from the drops with one finger. For me that means that the brakes come on with the lever about 40% through its travel.

Don't put too much slack in the cable; you really don't want your brake lever to bottom out on the bar. It would be bad. I test my brake reach and adjustment before every ride, it takes 2 seconds.

If the problem is just the reach to the lever period, then Specialized make some stick-on shims to shim the lever in. They make cable adjustment a little more critical, a lot like moving the engagement point in as I describe above does.
 
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