[Mr645]

I'm fairly new to road riding, but up to riding about 3 times per week, close to 100 miles per week. I have the bike very well fitted but find one more detail I would like to adjust.

I spend most of my time with my hands on the drop bar, and in group rides, like to keep a finger on each brake lever. My hands are on the smaller side and the levers are a little too far away. The shop told me that the spacer is already installed and they have never looked into moving the levers closer then that, but will see what they can do.

The bike is a Fuji Altamira with 105 shifters

 

[wim]

Try adjusting the brake calipers so the brake pads not as close to the rim as they are now. That introduces more free play into the levers, allowing you to pull them closer to the bar before they actuate the brakes. As long as the levers don't hit the bars during a full-out panic stop, the pads are close enough to the rim.

If you can't do that with the adjusting barrel on the brakes, you will have to loosen the brake cable clamping bolt, reposition the brake cable slightly and tighten that bolt again.

 

[Peter P.]

Shimano offers 2 sizes of adjustment blocks for their STI levers.

If you're lucky, you currently have the 5mm version and ordering the 10mm version will solve your problem. To help the shop quickly order the correct part, bring the part numbers from the above linked page with you.

It's item #11.

 

[Mr645]

Thanks, I was told :The 5mm spacers are already in there" Perhaps they are not aware of the 10mm spacer.

Thanks Again

 

[cxwrench]

What everyone has missed so far is that your levers might not be positioned optimally on your bars. OR, the bar shape might not be a good one for small hands. Obviously the 10mm reach spacer is a good thing to try. Wim's advice is excellent, i would recommend trying that, especially if your brakes are on the tight side.

 

[Camilo]

What everyone has missed so far is that your levers might not be positioned optimally on your bars. OR, the bar shape might not be a good one for small hands. Obviously the 10mm reach spacer is a good thing to try. Wim's advice is excellent, i would recommend trying that, especially if your brakes are on the tight side.

ditto on these comments including the advice to loosen the brakes themselves (to a point, as described above). A photo of the bars and lever set up would be worth while I think. I've struggled quite a bit getting levers set up properly for my smallish hands and personal preferences for comfort. Bar shape, "reach", and lever position make very significant differences in getting it to work.

So post a photo or two, OP, if you can.

Also, regarding the spacers: if you look at how they work, you can definitely jury-rig something onto the ones you already have to make them "thicker" and therefore test if that's going to help you with your issue. You might even be able to enhance the thickest spacer available. I used some dense rubber material I had in the garage, with double sided tape. I've even used small wedges slipped under the top edge of the lever clamp rings to angle the whole thing downward a little. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does work too.

But those interventions have pretty much been eliminated as I've found bars that actually work with the levers I have. I've fouund that there's many virtually identical versions of "compact, short reach" bars, that work well for me with a variety of levers. Not recommending these, except to show the shape that is becoming pretty generic. I have versions made by Bontrager, Specialized, Giant, these Civia, and some made by Soma that when compared directly, are very close to identical: