STI levers for small hands

ian5spot
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Joined: 26 Nov 2011, 8:05am

STI levers for small hands

Post by ian5spot »

Hi there
I have just built up a drop bar road bike for my wife, Kirsty, using a new Sabbath ti frame and parts off an old bike of mine. Unfortunately Kirsty is having trouble with using the STI brake levers/gear shifters as they are too large for her hands to brake and to change gear when going onto larger chainwheel or sprockets. I would imaging that this is a problem that many other people, particularly women, have so wondered what solutions people have tried?
Thanks
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Hellhound
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by Hellhound »

Shimano micro shift STis.
My son had them on his first drop barred bike when he was 7.IIRC though they only do 9-speed.
Another option is SRAM double-tap but you'd then need SRAM front and rear mechs too.
slowster
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by slowster »

I suggest you consider the short reach version of Microshift STI levers.

https://www.microshift.com/products/com ... s=r-series

https://kidsracing.co.uk/collections/mi ... -groupsets

They are what were fitted to Hoy Bikes drop barred bikes for children (now discontinued), because of their greater suitability for small hands. Isla bikes use Shimano STIs and rely on the bar shape to improve the reach and grip for children's hands, but the Hoy Bikes used both Microshift STI levers and bars with a shape like Isla Bikes'.
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Hellhound
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by Hellhound »

slowster wrote: 2 Dec 2021, 1:35pm I suggest you consider the short reach version of Microshift STI levers.

https://www.microshift.com/products/com ... s=r-series

https://kidsracing.co.uk/collections/mi ... -groupsets

They are what were fitted to Hoy Bikes drop barred bikes for children (now discontinued), because of their greater suitability for small hands. Isla bikes use Shimano STIs and rely on the bar shape to improve the reach and grip for children's hands, but the Hoy Bikes used both Microshift STI levers and bars with a shape like Isla Bikes'.
Frog Bikes use the same shifters and bars as Hoy bikes.
ian5spot
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Joined: 26 Nov 2011, 8:05am

Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by ian5spot »

Thanks for the feedback - I see Chevins Cycles stock Frog bikes so I may be able to see if my local store stocks any.

I see the levers are described on the Microshift website as: "Brake Reach Short Reach (S), Standard"

Is the short reach simply an adaptation to the standard, or do I need to buy the short reach version specifically?
slowster
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by slowster »

ian5spot wrote: 2 Dec 2021, 5:34pm Is the short reach simply an adaptation to the standard, or do I need to buy the short reach version specifically?
From the website of the retailer I linked above:
To reduce reach for short fingers, their ‘Short-Reach’ versions (they make non short-reach too, so be careful) have a shifter casing that is 10mm shorter than the standard casing, which is a big difference.
https://kidsracing.co.uk/blogs/bikes/ki ... ts-gearing
ian5spot
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by ian5spot »

Thanks for the clarification! It looks like the short reach shifters are not available in the UK right now so I may need to look at the SRAM double tap or even go for bar end shifters which may be a reasonable option until the Microshifts become available.
Thanks
L+1
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by L+1 »

As an adult woman, I’ve had this exact problem on a Condor Heritage tourer and I can confirm it is frustrating and painful, potentially leading to permanent injury if not rectified.
Some women’s hands simply don’t have the span or strength when fully extended to successfully change gear on standard STI combined shifters. Or, in fact, safely apply the brakes.

In the end I opted for a change to bar end shifters and these are a great success - I wish I had specified them from the start.
In my case the change necessitated a few changes to the drivetrain - technically lower spec but so much of an improvement in comfort. I would never think of combined shifters again.

Initially, asking advice from mechanics without much touring bike experience I was offered electronic shifting options. These weren’t for me, but might be a suitable solution.
ian5spot
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Joined: 26 Nov 2011, 8:05am

Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by ian5spot »

Thanks for your response - bar end shifters may be an easier option for us to consider as the short reach microshift levers don't seem to be available in the UK right now. Did you also opt for a smaller brake lever?
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NUKe
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by NUKe »

Shimano do shims which sits in the hood which shortens the reach. if you cant find them would be fairly easy to make
https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/products/sh ... 20Strategy
NUKe
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slowster
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by slowster »

If you are prepared to give up using STI shifters, there is a lot more choice of brake lever shapes and sizes available to you. I think also that because of the shape of the larger/taller area of the body of STI levers where they are in contact with the handlebar, they need to be fitted to a smaller radius curve on the bars than brake 'only' levers. That means they are a good fit on the tight curve of compact bars, but cannot be moved much further up the bar, hence so many riders rotating the bars in the stem in order to angle the lever so that it points upwards and presents a different angle for the hand to rest on the hood, as shown in the photograph below. Traditional style brake levers usually have a much wider range of points where they can be positioned on the drop, so that the hoods can be anywhere from horizontal to pointing upwards at 45 degrees or more.

It is unlikely that the STI lever will be ergonomically optimal for most people. For someone with small hands they are likely to be a particularly poor choice ergonomically. The narrowest standard brake lever currently available is probably the Shimano BL-R400, and below are some rough measurements I have made of the width of the body of that and other levers:

Shimano BL-R400 - 29mm
Tektro RL340 - 31mm (there is a slight waist to the lever, and 31mm is the narrowest point in the middle of the lever)
Dia Compe 287V - 31mm (V brake lever, but also used to be available in a 287 standard lever version)
Tektro RL520 - 35mm (V brake lever)
Cane Creek SCR-5 - 37mm narrowing to 32mm (a rebadging of a previous version of the Tektro RL340) *
Shimano 105 10sp STI - 40mm, narrowing to 34mm

* The Cane Creek SCR-5/older version Tektro RL340 was a copy of the shape of the 2nd generation Campagnolo Ergolevers, and consequently is relatively wide despite being a brake only lever.

Typically the wider the lever, the longer also the reach. The curve of the the hoods on the BL-R400 and Dia Compe 287V/287 also effectively reduces the reach somewhat with those levers, unlike levers with a pronounced flat hood, such as the Cane Creek SCR-5 and modern ('non-washing line') Shimano STIs.

What is worn on the hands will also be a major factor. Modern track mitts typically have fabric palms and are relatively thin, but will still add bulk compared with bare hands. The BL-R400 lever is a ~>30 year old design, and track mitts then often had a much thicker padded leather palm. Winter gloves with thick padding over the palm will add a lot of bulk.

If I had particularly small hands and found Shimano STIs awkward or uncomfortable, I personally would probably choose one of the following options in preference to the short reach Microshift STIs (and fit them to a traditional shallow curve drop bar in preference to a compact bar):

- Shimano BL-R400 with down tube levers or bar cons (NB Someone with short hands is likely to need a small frame, with only a short reach from bar to down tube lever. Someone tall who rides a large frame will have a much greater distance between bar and down tube lever. Therefore very tall riders are less likely than small riders to find that down tube levers suit them.)

- Tektro RL320 with down tube levers or bar cons - https://www.tektro.com/products.php?p=206. This model is made specifically for children/junior racers. I don't know what the dimensions are, but it appears to be a scaled down version of the Cane Creek SCR-5/older version Tektro RL340.

- Gevenalle levers - https://www.gevenalle.com/shifters/. These are based on Tektro levers (Tektro RL520 for V brake/MTB pull discs, and I think the old model RL340 for road pull brakes), and use Microshift bar cons, although the Audax version is available without a Microshift lever so that you can fit it with whatever Shimano bar cons you have.

https://www.gevenalle.com/shifters/

https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/gevenalle-326-c.asp

https://www.pathlesspedaled.com/2017/09 ... er-review/

Image
L+1
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by L+1 »

ian5spot wrote: 3 Dec 2021, 1:43pm Thanks for your response - bar end shifters may be an easier option for us to consider as the short reach microshift levers don't seem to be available in the UK right now. Did you also opt for a smaller brake lever?
I fitted the ‘simple’ brake levers which matched the TRP Spyre disc brakes on my bike. Although they are standard/unisex equipment, I find them very successful and I’ve got 100% reliable braking capacity.
I found that the combined brake/shifter unit was so broad, it was ‘using up’ too large a share of my hand span, just to hold onto the hoods.
The simple brakes are much slimmer but still a comfortable shape. I’ve got much more reach to get my fingers down past the brake lever pivots for reliable braking.
The possible slight loss of gear changing ‘smoothness’ with the bar end shifters is more than made up for by being pain and stress free when out on the road.
Such as massive improvement.
ian5spot
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Joined: 26 Nov 2011, 8:05am

Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by ian5spot »

Thanks for the additional information everyone!
It looks like there are some quite good options and having looked at some brake only levers on an old Raleigh of mine, I can see that they could be a lot safer and more comfortable with bar end shifters. Fortunately I live in Harrogate so can pop along to Spa Cycles who have quite a few options around brake levers and bar end shifters
AndyK
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by AndyK »

Shimano do make short-reach STI levers for some of their groupsets:
ST-R7025 (105, 11-speed, hydraulic brakes)
ST-4725 (Tiagra, 10-speed, hydraulic brakes)
ST-R8025 (Ultegra, 11-speed, hydraulic)
Each is designed for "smaller hands" and incorporates "tuneable reach adjusters" according to the blurb..
CathM
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Re: STI levers for small hands

Post by CathM »

Like other posters above, I removed my STI levers and fitted bar-end ones to my road bike. My hands are not particularly small (I take women's size 'L' in gloves) but I found the STI levers cumbersome and the movement to change up the front rings awkward. My husband, whose hands are much larger than mine, rode my bike and said that he too found changing up difficult (he doesn't use STI levers on his own bikes). With bar-end levers it's much simpler to replace a broken cable, and if a gear-lever is damaged, the cost of replacement is a fraction of the cost of replacing STIs. Also, to my eye, the large, cumbersome STI levers looked ugly and out of proportion on my small-framed bike - I was glad to be rid of them.
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