[smitty1930]

I just bought these brakes and have a simple question. I havent received them yet so I havent looked really hard at the lever install process. However, I know I have the shimano easy fire shifter 'pod' with the lever somehow attatched.

My question is, am I going to run into a compatibility problem. I was looking at the shifter last night and it seems the "pod" holds the shifter and the lever is connected behind it. I am upgrading from a horrible Promax Mechanical to these hydraulics, I got them for a really great price and thats why I jumped on them.

I just want to cancel the order if they wont work. Im not worried about them fitting the fork, just mounting the lever with the shifters listed above.

 

[olijay]

Sounds to me like you have something like this:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=20975&src=froogle

That is a combo shifter/brake lever. You will need separate shifter pods for your derailleurs if you want to use your Elixirs (unless you somehow frankenstein it and remove the old levers, which is obviously cheaper!).

The type of shifters you need depends on what model your derailleurs are, you can find that out by simply checking the name on them. Count the number of small chainrings in the back, while you're at it, then you'll know if you need 8 or 9 speed shifters.

 

[smitty1930]

thats what I have. They are a shimano shifter/v-brake. I know it has 8 rings on the rears cassette and a shimano atlus rear derailleur. Does that mean I can put any shimano shifter or do I need to just make sure they are 8 gear.

I guess I should have mentioned that I only bought the front for right now, so really the front chainring is the only one affected. I want to make sure Im happy with this certain model before springing for front and rear. The front deraillear is a Shimano m190A, so should i stick with Shimano or can I buy any shifter? I think they only come in pairs.

 

[olijay]

You can use pretty much any model shifter for the front derailleur.
Usually you have to buy either front + rear shifters as a set or sometimes you can get the rear only, but I'm sure you can find a single front shifter on ebay somewhere.

Good luck!

 

[smitty1930]

thanks bro, really appreciate the input! :thumbsup:

 

[s0ckeyeus]

Or you could avoid some hassle by going with BB7s instead of hydros. That way you won't have to change your shifter.

 

[smitty1930]

the price I got the hydros for was the sole purpose of me going hydro. I picked them up for under 100 bucks new and shipped........may spend more in the long run, but if hydros are THAT much better, why not?

I was going to get the BB7's until I came across those Elixirs.

 

[s0ckeyeus]

OK. It's your bike.

So far you have spent $100 for one brake. That would be $200 for two brakes, plus extra money for new 8 speed Shimano shifters, plus extra for a hydraulic bleed kit. The next thing you know, you've spent $300. It's potentially a bit of a Pandora's box.

You could save the $300 and put it towards the Cannondale Rize you want (according to your profile).

 

[AndrwSwitch]

Just cut the brake lever off.

A shifter set is not too expensive. Especially an 8-speed shifter set. Another thing you might consider is a 9-speed shifter set. Just install the new front shifter for now. When you wear out your cassette, get a 9-speed cassette and either a rear hydraulic disc brake or a separate V-brake lever.

You probably won't need a bleed kit, if you bought the same product I did - pre-bled brake?

The braking feel is going to be pretty different between front and rear. Elixirs are a lot more powerful than cheap mechanicals, so it'll take some getting used to.

 

[smitty1930]

OK. It's your bike.

So far you have spent $100 for one brake. That would be $200 for two brakes, plus extra money for new 8 speed Shimano shifters, plus extra for a hydraulic bleed kit. The next thing you know, you've spent $300. It's potentially a bit of a Pandora's box.

You could save the $300 and put it towards the Cannondale Rize you want (according to your profile).

Well, when I buy my next bike, my g/f gets my bike now and I want her to have something decent. I bought my Haro knowing I was gonna do a front fork and brake upgrade. Going with the BB7's would have been more cost effective but I didnt choose that route. You have a valid point to which I dont have a good answer too lol. Im really trying to get my g/f into riding with me bc I do it so much and if she rides a nicer mtb then maybe it will stick.

I do want that Rize or a trek 6500 or 6800,

Im thinking of just sheering off the brake lever and saying eff it. Its not the right way, but its practical.

Every hobby is a bit of Pandoras box.:thumbsup:

 

[s0ckeyeus]

Well, when I buy my next bike, my g/f gets my bike now and I want her to have something decent. I bought my Haro knowing I was gonna do a front fork and brake upgrade. Going with the BB7's would have been more cost effective but I didnt choose that route. You have a valid point to which I dont have a good answer too lol. Im really trying to get my g/f into riding with me bc I do it so much and if she rides a nicer mtb then maybe it will stick.

I do want that Rize or a trek 6500 or 6800,

Im thinking of just sheering off the brake lever and saying eff it. Its not the right way, but its practical.

Lop it off, and pray that the whole thing with the g/f works out.

 

[smitty1930]

Im pretty sure it comes pre-bled, if not I feel I can do it. When I asked the question on here I was pretty sure of the answer but having a solid answer is better than guessing, especially if you have the resource at your fingertips.

I am going to experiment with cutting off the lever but im worried about fubaring something else. I will post up what I do when it comes to that.

 

[smitty1930]

lol. she is curious about the sport but hesistant............or shall I say overwhelmed with the trails around here (which arent DH epics or crazy like that) and Im hoping a decent entry bike (upgraded) will soften the introduction into something Ive come to love.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

I am going to experiment with cutting off the lever but im worried about fubaring something else. I will post up what I do when it comes to that.

I was just thinking about that... Most shifter pods are designed to be able to be stuffed onto a handlebar inboard of a brake. Since you have a two-in-one deal on that bike, the clearances could turn out to be really awkward. You can probably remove the pivot for the brake lever pretty easily, and then take out the whole thing. It would look a lot cleaner. Those levers are designed to be replaceable, at least on mid-level brakes.

There's some shifters online as low as $30, probably less for 8-speed. This might be one of those "in for a penny, in for a pound" situations. You'll probably want new shifter cables while you're at it.

Anyway, something to look at when you get your brake.

 

[smitty1930]

I was just thinking about that... Most shifter pods are designed to be able to be stuffed onto a handlebar inboard of a brake. Since you have a two-in-one deal on that bike, the clearances could turn out to be really awkward. You can probably remove the pivot for the brake lever pretty easily, and then take out the whole thing. It would look a lot cleaner. Those levers are designed to be replaceable, at least on mid-level brakes.

There's some shifters online as low as $30, probably less for 8-speed. This might be one of those "in for a penny, in for a pound" situations. You'll probably want new shifter cables while you're at it.

Anyway, something to look at when you get your brake.

my bike is less than 6 months old so I shouldnt need new cables (im a noob at this still so I could be wrong) and I have probably only ridden maybe 200-250 miles since I bought it. Mainly on singletrack. Im thinking of getting just a LH shifter and rolling with it for awhile and then buying a decent pair. Stupid priorities :madman: . Im going to swing By my LBS tomorrow and see what they offer before I really scour the internet for a deal. I always try to support them before buying offline.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

Buy the full pair. Buying shifters a la carte is terribly inefficient use of money. You can sell the RH shifter if you're sure you don't want it, and recover a decent chunk of your initial cost.

You'd have to replace the shifter cable because it can be difficult to non-destructively remove and then rerun them in a new shifter pod. It's a $2 part, though. Waste is stupid, so if you can do it, more power to you.

Let us know how it rides after all this.

 

[smitty1930]

Buy the full pair. Buying shifters a la carte is terribly inefficient use of money. You can sell the RH shifter if you're sure you don't want it, and recover a decent chunk of your initial cost.

You'd have to replace the shifter cable because it can be difficult to non-destructively remove and then rerun them in a new shifter pod. It's a $2 part, though. Waste is stupid, so if you can do it, more power to you.

Let us know how it rides after all this.

For 2 dollars I might as well, good point. I will post up pictures (if able) and send you a message or a post here. Thanks for all the help guys.