Just looking at the new MBR front cover. These brake levers look to be mounted really really inboard. Presumably this is to allow one finger braking on the “notch” of the lever. Does it mean you have to alter your grip to shift gear???? Looks like it but surely not?!?!?!

That’s what I do as it allows for more leverage with 1 finger. It’s not really that much of a pain to move your hand a bit to shift.

Have you seen the image on the cover? Yours are like that?

put shifters in between levers and grips – simples

Its less about to allow one finger braking on the “notch” of the lever and more about making it so you can hold onto the bar with 2/3 fingers yet still brake – and also not ‘trap’ fingers on the bar ‘cos you can set the lever closer.

Have you seen the image on the cover? Yours are like that?

Not seen it but I thought it was pretty common practice to have them in a bit. Mine are about an inch or two away from the edge of the grip, then shifters inboard from them.

put brake and gears so you dont move your wirsts to operate them 🙂

I’ve noticed this trend too and am experimenting with a gap. May try the grip/gear/gap/brake setup this weekend, always one to copy others 🙄

My other half has his set like that, large gap for one finger braking.

Fashion.

Always set my levers inboard of the grips. Otherwise I be pulling on the lever closer to the pivot than the end, which would be crazy.

it’s not fashion, it’s function
more powerful brakes, more fingers on the bars, more control

I thought MBR just did things like that to see how many people follow – M B Baaaaaaa.

seems to be a requirement with new shape brake levers :

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/who-rides-with-their-brakes-inboard-of-shifters-shimano-xt-content

also you can move the 2 bolt shifters across the 3 bolt positions, makes setting the (inboard) brakes easier

I don’t know why anyone builds bikes up with the brakes outboard now that discs allow one finger braking.

Moved my shifters between brake and grip at the weekend, massive improvement. Bit daft really as I did the 90km SPAM ride without more than a whizz around the car park test. But it was brilliant, pretty much brake and change gear at the same time.

Although the current XT shifters have an annoying ridge on them that assumes that you will run them inboard of the brake levers.

I tend to run fairly large gap due to my freakishly large hands it gives me a bit more space and allows the brake lever to fall into a more natural position for me at least.

How about Shimano coming up with a design that would allow braking and shifting from a single unit? I’m sure it would be an instant success 😉

Its handy this way if you have avid juicy 3 brakes – it means you can set it up so that when you brake you don’t crush the fingers holding the bar with the brake lever.

mine are inboard, it helps with leverage 🙂

This is how I have mine set up, works well for me

Cheers, Rich

yup got mine all set up for one finger braking, much better.

Mine (just visible here) seem to be quite a way inboard, by virtue of the bar shape…

Keep up at the back please, I would point out that it’s entirely dependent on set up, I use formula & SRAM on wide bars where as magura julies & SRAM on narrower bars are better suited to the trad method. Suck it and see.

I have not seen the mag but I think most of the bikes in the house have brakes set 4-5cms from grips with most having the shifters between grips and brakes. Needs the windows to come off most Shimanos but, Saints, XTRs X9 etc don’t have them and the XTRs (my fav) move along on their brackets so really adjustable. Some shift levers and grips don’t mix so well so that can need juggling.
Reasons: as above, bit more leverage, one finger braking, levers don’t mix up with fingers on grips.

Hooray for matchmaker, makes it easy to get it right

I used to brake with my middle finger, was I wierd? Swaped t index finger braking to get the SRAM rocket shifters to the right position , they need to be mounted much more verticaly than Shimano or new SRAM IME. I can now brake wit 1 finger, shift with my thumb (or knuckle/index finger when climbing with my thumbs over the bars).

Haven’t tried running my levers closer to the bars yet though.

“more fingers on the bars, more control”

If only it were that simple ! I find a death grip most unhelpful, and only have two useful fingers on my right hand anyway. One to hold the bars one to brake.

Fashion indeed.

Get the brakes right and worry about the shifters after that. I found Formula Oro levers and SLX/XT shifters to be a right pain (even with windows removed) – unfortunately that meant I had to buy some XTR shifters 🙂

i’m a middle finger braker too. makes sense to me as it is my longest finger and stronger than my index.

I had mine like this on my old bike not sure how that relates to mbr as I havnt seen it but I have my gears inboard because I catch them with my knuckles and shift by accident otherwise. And there are the windows on my current shifters to think about too. I might try removing the windows and moving the brakes even further in.

DSC_0006 by i_ache, on Flickr

There’s no need or benefit to setting the levers inboard then the shifters outboard.

Fashion indeed.

Dual control ftw. I miss it.

There’s no need or benefit to setting the levers inboard then the shifters outboard.

Weaktroll.

Weaktroll.

Not at all – all you are doing is making your thumbs foul the gear lever, or that’s how it would be for me.

“more fingers on the bars, more control”

If only it were that simple ! I find a death grip most unhelpful, and only have two useful fingers on my right hand anyway. One to hold the bars one to brake.

Fashion indeed.

You do realise you can vary the amount of pressure you grip things with?

“Oh I’m holding this hammer a bit tight, not to worry – I’ll just use the 2 fingers instead”

Cynic-al: Thumb for gears, index finger for braking.

Eh?