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Post by brianbutler on Nov 2, 2022 20:08:14 GMT
I was out for a ride today and descending a fairly steep country road. I saw a car ready to enter the road from a driveway on my side so I defensively slowed to avoid a T-bone. The car had stopped but still did not see me and pulled into the road causing me to brake harder than usual. I was leaning on the brake hoods and at that point I had the butt-puckering experience of the front brake lever breaking off the handlebar. Somehow I did not crash, avoided the car, and stopped the bike with the rear brake. I thought the entire brake lever body had failed but after nursing it home I discovered the problem. When I last installed the brake levers (2600 miles ago), I got the little nut that grips the notches in the band around the handlebar upside down so the claws did not catch and allowed it to slip off. This lesson is now burned in.
Brian
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390 
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Post by Jem on Nov 2, 2022 22:28:52 GMT
Just to say, glad you're ok Brian - that could have been quite a nasty one. Sounds like your instinct kicked in there, grounded in many years of cycling.
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Post by triitout on Nov 2, 2022 23:38:24 GMT
Good thing your reflexes, anticipation and experience clicked in. Downhills and failing equipment are what nightmares are made of. Stay safe and enjoy the nice fall weather!  |
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Nov 3, 2022 5:14:27 GMT
So very glad you are all right! I suspect you had the band clip with one vertical notch (see top photo) instead of a clip with the two horizontal notches (bottom photo). If a vertical clip is mounted upside down, then the notch is pulled out of the clip when you tighten the screw. Just guessing, glad you were not hurt.
Cheers Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 3, 2022 11:28:44 GMT
Jim, that's right, a single vertical notch, almost a hook. It was definitely upside down. I have assembled dozens of these and don't really see how I was able to tighten it in the first place. Anyway, all's well that ends well. I won't make that mistake again, and hopefully I have not made it more than once! I'm trying to figure out how to inspect the rest of my fleet but it is not easy to see without disassembling the lever.
On a side note, I checked a Weinmann lever and it has a completely different, and better, mechanism. The ends of the strap overlap and the bolt goes through both ends with a nut underneath to pull it tight.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Nov 3, 2022 14:33:10 GMT
Jim, that's right, a single vertical notch, almost a hook. It was definitely upside down. I have assembled dozens of these and don't really see how I was able to tighten it in the first place. Anyway, all's well that ends well. I won't make that mistake again, and hopefully I have not made it more than once! I'm trying to figure out how to inspect the rest of my fleet but it is not easy to see without disassembling the lever. On a side note, I checked a Weinmann lever and it has a completely different, and better, mechanism. The ends of the strap overlap and the bolt goes through both ends with a nut underneath to pull it tight. Brian Brian, Glad you’re okay. Bikes are mechanical critters and are “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. So many things can go wrong on a bike and the best we can do is stay a step ahead, whether it’s a newer bike or a 50 year old one. It helps that you’re an experienced rider when things go wrong. Best, John “wheelson” |
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Post by triitout on Nov 5, 2022 23:30:53 GMT
It must be contagious. As luck would have it, my rear brake cable snapped yesterday on the Sebring at the ball thingy that sets in the notch at the brake handle while executing a hard brake in Long Island suburban traffic. Luckily the stop required hitting both brakes together so no harm. Rode the rest of the way home gingerly as I didn't want to test the front brake cable as they were both not replaced when I bought the bike this summer. I guess that's what I get for trusting old, probably original cables. Fortuitously, my new cable cutter just came in the day before. I hate when I misplace a tool and it just never re appears. I'm sure that now that I have a new one, I'll find the old one in the most obvious place. That's always the case!.  |
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 6, 2022 0:35:49 GMT
It must be contagious. As luck would have it, my rear brake cable snapped yesterday on the Sebring at the ball thingy that sets in the notch at the brake handle while executing a hard brake in Long Island suburban traffic. Luckily the stop required hitting both brakes together so no harm. Rode the rest of the way home gingerly as I didn't want to test the front brake cable as they were both not replaced when I bought the bike this summer. I guess that's what I get for trusting old, probably original cables. Fortuitously, my new cable cutter just came in the day before. I hate when I misplace a tool and it just never re appears. I'm sure that now that I have a new one, I'll find the old one in the most obvious place. That's always the case!. Crazy coincidence. I guess we should all ride Michael Jackson style with a gloved hand ready to grab the front tire in case of brake failure. I actually tried that once and there must be a learning curve. My neighbor and sometimes riding partner can do it but he was a track racer (i.e. fixed gear, no brakes) in his youth.
Brian
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