[Closed] Brake levers - do you set them inboard or outboard of your shifters?

I have my brakes mounted inboard of the shifters, and the whole lot is a good 3/4 inch inboard of the grips, for exactly this reason - don't think it's that unusual...

Either is acceptable. I run my gear shifters inbound of the brake lever but my colleague has his the other way round. Set them however works for you.

I've always ridden with brakes inboard of the shifters. XTR shifters let you move them about a bit if you find the shifter in an odd position as a result.

brakes are now inboard of shifters on all my bikes.

I have the back brake outboard & the front brake inboard

I pratted around for ages trying to get it feeling right & that's how it ended up.

wot fadda said - I changed mine around on my bike to have the brakes inboard of the shifters for exactly this reason. 1 fingered braking is soo much easier with this set up as you've got more leverage and it's more comfy.

the way forward*

*depends on your brand of shifter/brake - I've got SRAM/Elixirs so they work well together (as you'd expect)

As wwwaswas says - XTR shifters are pretty flexible in this regard.

Here's mine - with a Poploc in-between
[img] [/img]

Cheers guys...! In the process of re-arranging my handlebar setup as I type..! 😀

Formula Oros have this annoying bit undeneath though that doesn't quite work with SRAM 7s... The brake levers have ended up a lot further inboard than I would've planned. Still, it does kinda feel better..

druidh - that is a little glimpse of mountainbike heaven, shiny, shiny carbon and XTR, also a useful photo too! I can re-arrange with confidence now that I know I'm not doing anything too oddball..

Do whatever's comfortable.

I'm with the brakes inboard brigade - shifters are about 1/2" in from the end of the grips & the brakes about the same again from the shifters.

My method is to put brakes where I want them first then try to fit the shifers around them. I don't mind stretching to reach shifters, but must have 1 finger brakes. As a result I've got it different on different bikes because one has long brake levers and the other one short.

If I was druidh I'd move everything in a bit

My brakes are outboard of the shifters, but then again I brake with my middle finger.

I agree, I'm a one finger braker so I set the brakes up and make the shifters fit..

My method is to put brakes where I want them first then try to fit the shifers around them.

Ditto. Inboard a go-go.

I went through this dilemma a couple of weeks back. seems so obvious to have the brake lever inboard for better one finger braking its odd the bikes are still supplied with the lever tight up to the grips.

I tried making the change but have indicators on my shifters which meant the shifters were so close to the grip they were getting in the way. Ended up moving the whole lot inboard for optimum brake lever position. The shifters are bit far away but i'm getting used to it and the brake lever is perfect for aiding my braking finesse 🙄

Brakes inboard for me, and you can not only remove the display on SLX shifters but also move them across on the clamps. This enables me to get the single-digit setup.

Hmmmmmm is this possible on XT? Looks like the shifter windows only fit one way to me

If it's the new XT stuff then there's even a little cover tucked inside the shifter when you remove the indicators. Stick that on, ditch the indicators and it will make things easier for arranging things.

The bars on my DH bike look silly with old Moto V2 levers about 3" in from the grips as the levers are sooooo long! It works though.

Who cares what it looks like? Get your stuff into a position that gives you the most efficient use of the brake and the most comfortable use of the shifter(s). To me, it's more "oddball" to go around questioning the aesthetics of somebody else's handlebar set-up.

Brakes inboard of the shifters - grip -1/2" gap - shifter -1/2" gap -brake (hope mini). Middle finger braker as well

I had to remove the shifter window to make it fit but I never looked at them anyway

I'm and 'inny' on the solo and an 'outy' on the tandem. Guess the ergonomics of different levers & shifters dictate what feels comfortable.

I've got the inboard on my main bike - much comfier positioning for braking and shifting and they sit about 3/4 inch from the end of my grips. On my occasional bike they are outboard and they are seriously uncomfy but as I need to remove grips to remove levers and shifters, I'm too lazy to do it.

Inboard is definitely far comfier and nicer - think my hands don't feel so squashed trying to brake 1 finger on end of lever and reach for the shifter as the shifter and end of lever are in the right places.

You need to ditch the windows if you have them. Shimano and SRAM shifters have a bolt to allow you to change the position of the shifter in relation to the clamp to compensate for inboard or outboard mounting

brakes inboard.

shifters jammed against them and moved to the inner position on the clamp to get them away from the grip as much as poss.

captainmainwaring where is that ive not noticed it ever and it would be handy

I've just changed mine around to be brakes inboard, makes it so much easier to brake with my index fingers and still be able to shift without the need to move my hands on the grips.

Shimano and SRAM shifters have a bolt to allow you to change the position of the shifter in relation to the clamp to compensate for inboard or outboard mounting

I was just thinking this might be possible!

I have a pair of SRAM X7s
[b]How..?[/b]

(Not so sure I want to start undoing possible bolts on the shifters without knowing which ones first!)

Inboard, and levers a fair bit in too. Inch or so more than druidh's pic. And levers wound right in, so they bite real close to the bar. But this comes from the DH bike setup, where I want to avoid arm pump.

stem, shifters, brakes, massive gap, grips.

so's i can get my pointy finger right in the hook of the brake lever.

i've got long thumbs so i can still reach the shifters which would be too far in for less-evolved people.