Do you have any doubts about the positioning of the levers? Let's get rid of them once and for all! It all starts from the principle that the hand and the wrist must not be forced into unnatural positions. Everything must follow a natural line.
Most of the time, the brake levers are placed as captain and only various passionate and attentive mechanics pay the right attention to this aspect. Considering then that every biker has his own hand size, it is not possible in advance to guess, if not with luck, the correct positioning of the lever.
1. HANDLEBAR LEVER DISTANCE
In MTB you brake with a finger, there are no excuses. Not even the phrase "but I've always braked with 2 fingers" doesn't hold up. You have to place your hand on the knob correctly (with the end flush with the knob and not externally) and extend your index finger in its natural position. In this position we must intercept the brake lever at its end so as to be able to apply more force on it in case of braking. In most cases, there should be light between the grip and the brake lever.
If you brake with 2 fingers, it is often a habit resulting from incorrect lever positioning.
EXCEPTIONS
There are those who brake with their middle finger: there are also those in the world who listen to trap music so anything can be done 🙂 in the case of multi-finger braking, these are vices that often derive from motorcycling pasts or bad habits: if we succeed, let's remove them and we brake with a finger.
PAIN IN THE HANDS ON MTB: WHAT IS IT DUE TO?
2. INCLINATION OF THE LEVER
Another important factor is the inclination of the lever. Standing behind the saddle, the lever is positioned correctly, i.e. with a straight angle of the wrist. Why standing behind the saddle? To simulate the off-the-saddle position: on the other hand, when we brake, it is more probable that we are slightly backwards on the bike. We will hardly make big stops with a set-up beyond the handlebars.
The goal is to be able to brake, in an off-the-saddle position, without having to rotate the wrist. By tilting them in the right way you will avoid having to literally go looking for them in times of need.
3. REACH LEVERAGE (DISTANCE)
Last aspect, less important but not to be underestimated, is the adjustment of the distance of the lever from the handlebar (reach): the contact point in a nutshell. The distance varies from 2 to 4 cm: you have to work within this range so as not to feel the finger too compressed but not too stretched out either. It must be in a natural position.
These settings refer to general basic advice, then based on your experience and driving style, there are small changes.
FURTHER LINKS
I recommend reading the following articles: How to adjust MTB suspension - The 10 mistakes not to be made in MTB -
Here you can find other articles dedicated to maintenance: Heading 365myarrangement
