Mrs Rascal has being saying for a long time that she struggles to stop the bike as there’s too much lever travel for her small hands. She has Dia Compe V brakes on an oldish Spesh Rockhopper.

Anyone recommend some small-hand friendly levers to combat this, that will ideally still work with the existing calipers…that’s if anyone remembers what V brakes are 😉

Anyone got any?

Tell her to brake less !

Shimano LX 570 & 580 vee brake levers have lever adjust screws, ex had them wound right in to suit her little hands

Sounds like she needs to set up her brakes properly.
Set up the brakes so they bite well before the lever comes to the bars once she’s set her lever reach adjustment up.

Avid Speed Dial 7 levers also have a bite point adjuster and have a small lever.

I’d echo checking set up first too though. Assuming she’s not riding the extreme gnarr edge that all us STWers occupy then V-brakes should be more than adequate.

If you’re looking for disks get her the most powerful brakes you can find. Bite point adjustment does help too.

Get her some disks, or at least a front disk.

Sounds like she needs to set up her brakes properly.
Set up the brakes so they bite well before the lever comes to the bars once she’s set her lever reach adjustment up.

Don’t think it has anything to do with bad setup, just that there’s too much reach on the levers. If the levers don’t have a reach adjuster then there’s nothing that can be done to set them up for smaller hands. Also, I don’t agree about your point of setting the bite point to well before the lever comes in contact with your bar. The closer you can get to making a closed fist when you’ve fully pulled the lever, the more control you’ll have and the less your hands will ache from braking.

The GF absolutely loves her Avid Elixxer CRs, seem to fit her small hands perfectly and been problem free for a couple of years. She also found her Formula OROs really comfy as well (and they’re usually pretty cheap off eBay nowadays)

Most girlies are way over-braked because they are smaller and lighter on equipment made for men. it’s not power she needs it’s levers that fit or can be adjusted to her hands.

Being a girlie and small I reccommend you DONT get her a huge set of rotors.

I have a disability to my right hand (only about 50% normal grip strength) so FWIW I run Hope mono minis they are perfectly comfortable in terms of reach and they stop me fine, and I’m quite an aggressive rider for a girl.

Also make sure the levers are set at the right angle to the bars, if she is having to curve her wrists around a bit this won’t be helping.

I have Avid Elixirs on another bike and I am not hugely keen, they seem to lack modulation. Mind you that’s a bigger heavier bike ridden on tuftier stuff so that may be a factor.

Just want levers that fit her hands TBH.
Can’t do discs as they are really old Marzzochi Z4s with no disc tab, plus its more ‘pootling’ than the stuff we do anyway.

Will have a proper fettle with the ones she’s got – if they are indeed pooh as I suspect I’ll get some new levers.

Cheers all

Sounds like she needs some new forks too then.

Don’t think it has anything to do with bad setup, just that there’s too much reach on the levers

The thing is that reach IS set up!

Chances are that there’s a reach adjustment screw on the lever. Use it! 🙂

If you’re considering discs…. (with a change of fork)

mrs xiphon uses M4 calipers, and hope pro levers – adjusted so the lever reach is close to the bars, and bite point is quite close too (use a certain width block of wood for the pistons during bleeding).

She’s petite, so 205/185 rotors take just one finger to stop.

Yes they are completely overkill for her – but I’d rather she was over-braked, than under-!

Knowing she can stop on a penny has increased her confidence a significant amount…

just bend the levers to suit?

I agree with the comment on girls not necessarily needing large rotors. My GF has switched to 160mm rotors on her DH bike cos she’s light and found that big rotors were killing all her speed to easily (whereas I have to run bigger cos I’m a fatty). She’s used them out in the Alps for about 8 weeks and not had any problems.

Maybe treat her to a new pair of disc compatible forks??

try these
All have reach adjustment screws, set up reach first then setup calipers to suit. Probably a few you tube vids to help out

What are the levers? As PP said it’s likely that the levers already have reach adjustment, especially as it’s an older decent bike (modern day cheap crap seems to be fitted with very very basic levers with no adjustment). I have very long fingers but still need to wind the levers in on both my BMX and retro MTB.

Sorry if that pic is stating the obvious – adjuster screw will be in much the same place on a v lever too . . .

oliverd1981 – Member
just bend the levers to suit?

This. Mrs Legend has been running Shimano’s with a custom level bend (pliers + shifting spanner) for years.

On the other hand, she has just got some Hope M4’s on the go and they work very well just with the available adjustment

sd5 are cheap,nicely made and have a small lever.I’ve fitted them to some (ex)gf bikes and they prefer them to shimano levers or the cheap shite they had on before.
sd7 are nearly the same but let you play around with the leverage,though they’ll be on/off if you set the lever travel to minimum.
I think they’re cheapest from rose,or bike24.
lever travel could also be due to housing /pad/caliper flex.
I’d get some sd5 and the sd5 (I know it’s not the model name,but I can’t remeber it,cheap avid anyway) brake calipers.and change the stock pads,at least on the front.+new housing while you’re at it.

Get her some avid lever, remove the adjust screw and instead screw in a long flat head screw, this is what I have done for the wee one.

Magura HS33’s?

tandem.