Retro brake levers for small hands

modolo.jpg Back in the old days before drop bar levers had adjustable reach, a savvy mechanic could bend your levers for your small hands. I’ve never seen it done, so when I decided to modify my early ‘80’s Modolo Professional levers I just winged it.

Those Modolo levers are drilled out to a ridiculous extent, so there was definitely the risk of snapping the levers in the process. So I made a couple of forms from a two-by-four, stuck the levers in between, and then clamped down on the sandwich in a vise. Voi la! Accurate, controlled bending on both levers.

I bought these levers from a teammate in 1995 for $20 with the matching blue calipers. Every few years I forget how much better new stuff works than old, and I start a retro bike project…which is usually me stripping off the Dura-Ace STi from my steel Bianchi and throwing on the Modolos with some Superbe Pro. But this time I’ll be able to reach the brakes much better… the braking power still sucks though.

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