Earliest aero levers?

[ededwards]

Memory may be betraying me (again) but I seem to remember Dia Compe aero levers in about 1984 - does that sound right?

 

[shawnb]

1983 Shimano 600ax on the Raleigh Road ace

 

[shawnb]

Actually.....1982. Here's a page from the Shimano ax catalogue from that year.

 

[Old Ned]

The first ones I saw were actually modified Campag ones which had been drilled up from the bottom with a small drill to clear the cable and then opened up with a larger one to create a stop for the outer cable. I went home and did mine. Worked perfectly. Hinault and Fignon did this in early 80's TdF.

 

[Citoyen du monde]

I believe the first production brake levers set up for internal cable routing were made by Modolo. In their own history, they state 1980 as when they first produced them. They also state 1980 as the year that the Kronos speed modulators were introduced. I know that when I first got a pair of Kronos levers in Europe in 1982, they were still unavailable in most of North America.

http://www.modolo.com/history.html

 

[nammonk]

I like what you did there re the Kronos

 

[dutchie]

I do have a pair of Shimano 600 AX, but the covers aren't so good anymore. Come and get them (in Holland) for just a bargain, 5 euro

 

[fiks]

Pics of Hinault, in the 1981 Tour with modified levers:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/Hinault.jpg

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/Hinault01.jpg

Note he had the undrilled Nuovo levers with what appears to be black hoods.


Edit; I think 1 pic is from 1981 and the other is 1982 as the race numbers are different.

 

[Elev12k]

The 1981 Koga-Miyata FullPro-L had the full Dura-Ace AX group including the aero-levers. I would think Shimano introduced them already late 1980 than.

I have a PEKA, circa 1981/82, with modified Nuovo Record levers. I have been told that the builder (Peter Serier) wrote off 3 bars before he were happy with the result. Cables run internally through the bars too.

 

[Elev12k]

The PEKA of the previous post >>