So anyway of stopping my lever blades hitting the top tube or minimising the effects ... im thinking about ruining it look of my bike and zip tying some pipe lagging on the top tube.... anyone else come across this ?
Reason being is just been sent some photos of a bike where the bars repeatadly hit the top tube and the top tube has split ....
I already have chopper tape in the area affected.
Cant move stem or levers as they are in comfortable positions and would need huge changes to miss the top tube ! , currently working on the premise of not crashing on that bike !
Maybe make sure the brakes are loose enough to move in the event of a crash? Can't see it compromising safety as they could still be done up pretty tight.
Get a frame with more standover height/top tube clearance or run your old 888s/Monsters 😛
Have you tried running your levers closer to the bars but with shorter throw until the bite point? how much do they catch by?
change to riser bars to "lift" the brake levers up?
leave levers a little loose
they hit the top tube square in the middle of the tube ... on a 20inch merida FLX carbon frame ..... im 6 foot 3 and need it you know that gary
they are already loose enough for that flipidy(always done that as crashing in my old downhill racing days got expensive if you didnt) but the carbon is tapered the other way and so they dont spin out the way
Has never bothered me on alloy frames as it always happens with me .... has been the ends of the handlebars in the past ! but with carbon and the fact that ive just been shown a roadie where the bars have done the knocking and split the frame im a bit paranoid now !
I seem to recall nitto making an absurdly expensive toptube guard to avoid such a thing.
On a DH bike toptube, I've stuck the padded feet than go under chair legs or hi-fi stande on there to stop dual crown damage. Should work just as well for this problem.
acros have just launched an headset with stop tabs in.
contact there uk dealer wheelspin cycle huddersfield.
exellent german haedsets & bb manufacturers.
I considered making myself a top tube guard (put a big crack in a previous carbon frame from the end of the bar hitting it), but in the end just raised my bars a tad.
Actually just realised my brake levers probably do still hit, but they're Formula B4s, so the levers just pop out without much force.
I had this with flat bars so low that the shifter pods would hit off the top tube of my race bikes if the bars spinned. My solution then was to just not crash.
Running risers this year, so it's no longer an issue.
If it's just the levers touching, most lever blades will release when they hit something. If not, run them just loose enough so they pivot up when they hit the TT. This is pretty good practice anyway, since the lever spinning round the bar in any crash is cheaper than snapping it off.
The new Acros Block-lock headset is designed for exactly the problem you are describing. They were getting requests for it as people were getting fed up with 'spearing' their top tubes with their brake levers on Carbon frames.
They have landed with us in the UK today so will be available from a dealer in a few days. We have regular A-head & semi-integrated in stock. Black only for now.
Prices are £99.99 for either fitment with the stainless bearing (5 year guarantee) - Its a lot cheaper than a frame!!
Here is a piccie link http://acros.de/acros2/02_products/index.php?open=781d8e8e4ae871936d8deb7d8a173c87&product=4ef3b0abd4374fd9d2a1e66023cccb05 & you'll notice the small replaceable rubber bumpers designed to cushion the blow.
J
Get hold of an old velcro attaching shock boot (Lizard skins or whatever).
Armour the indide of it with some strips of plastic coke bottle, or carefully shaped coke can, then velcro it around the top tube.
Cheap, protects the TT and totally removable.
Mail me, I've a spare lying around somewhere.
I was going to suggest as aracer said...get some brakes where the levers pop out to prevent them bending in a crash. My gf's Formula Oro's do this.