Di2 levers with Formula RX hydro brake setup

[motorapido]

I got the idea for this setup after seeing the Formula RR1 brakes in a Colnago, and wondered if a home brew version could be made.
Managed to pick up a set of RX brakes and Ultegra Di2 levers for half price and started to plan.

the first mods to thee master cylinder where to open the clamp out to fit the larger diameter road bars, without weakening them.
i made a jig to hold them so the clamp was held at 23.8mm and the only metal removed was from the sides of the clamp area.
the clamp parts where then shaped to fit the bar curve better, then any gaps filled with a metal loaded epoxy and longer bolts used to secure them on the bars.
So stage one was done a set of master cylinders solidly clamped to the bars and with the lever in the right orientation.

The only problem was the levers are all wrong and the hose comes out in completely the wrong direction, back to scouring the web for ideas.
Then i realised, the callipers have a banjo fitting, ideal for routing the hose. Some half price Goodridge 6mm thread banjos and the plan was back on track.
Removed the Formula hoses, to find they use an odd pitch thread which would test my turning skills to make up some adaptors to go from the M8 to M6 threads of the port in the master cylinder and accept the banjo bolt. I also had to skim the top of the master cylinders hose port to get the hose and banjo closer to the master cylinder body.

Modding the Di2 levers by comparison was easy, there is a nice cut away section in the lever which was perfect to accept a machined up block which replicated the pivot of the Formula brake lever,and was at the correct spacing to use the existing pivot on the Di2 levers for a new threaded barrel to give reach adjust for the lever and activate the master cylinder piston.

re filled and bled the brakes and i had a skeletal looking road Di2 hydro brake setup.

Next job was to cover them in a decent looking shroud after all the work to get the mechanics of it right.

after a few ideas and trials i went for the solution on the photos, its not 100% perfect but its not bad for a first go i think. i cut the fronts of the Di2 lever body and bonded to a structure made of laminated layers of 5mm foam model board, with a side cutout to take the Di2 electronics, exactly as the Shimano levers so the wires are not modified at all. This does leave a slight bulge as the electronics is pressed up against the master cylinder and sticks out slightly, but this actually acts as a natural thumb rest when gripping the hoods. These foam covers where shaped to replicate the Shimano lever bodies although they are slightly longer due to the shape of the Formula master cylinder underneath.

The whole lot is then covered in 4 layers of hand laid carbon fibre with a wet lay resin and compressed on to give a solid outer shell, i also extended the carbon in a 6 layer buildup to cover the tops of the bars, To give a smooth transition and allow a large area to bond with double sided tape to help transmit the load and weight of impacts away from the bolts securing the master cylinders.

Was it worth all the effort, i think so, the setup is probably still lighter than the Shimano r785 setup cost me all in about £230 and is a one off which i enjoyed doing. all the parts are readily available and spares if needed are not that difficult to make.

here are a couple of photos, The next job is a custom Di2 Ultegra rear mech with a clutch on the cage, just waiting for my RP parts to turn up and i will post it up.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/ ... fclmzo.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/ ... qfvxfu.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/ ... j3xo6j.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/ ... uzy3rq.jpg

[JackWalk]

Wow. I am thoroughly impressed

[eliflap-scalpel]

how the clamps of the mtb brakes hold the road handlebar ?

[motorapido]

The clamps are bored out to the correct size to suit the road bars, and then shaped to fit the curve of the bar,
to ensure they don't get too thin, metal loaded epoxy was applied to take up some of the gap and the clamps tightened to get a perfect fit to the curve of the bar.
This also required the use of 2mm longer bolts to ensure there is enough thread engagement in the master cylinder body.


http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/ ... fclmzo.jpg

[eliflap-scalpel]

thanks ... i saw a similar set up in the colnago disc bike used in the "road party 2" by Martin Ashton few years ago

( hope mtb brakes fitted on a road handlebar )

need a new set of RR1 formula disc set ?

i currently have one installed on my bike, new one is getting dust in garage

[feto]

odd pitch thread which would test my turning skills to make up some adaptors to go from the M8 to M6 threads

motorapido I really need a set of those thread adapters for a similar mod i'm working on. Do you know a place that can make them, or would you be willing to turn out a couple more?

[Lelandjt]

I get the "how" but not the "why". I own bikes with Formula and Shimano brakes and the Shimanos are more trouble free.

[motorapido]

feto, since i did this mod, i've spent more time working on Formula brakes, the port in the master cylinder is M8 x 0.75p, you can now get kits of hose end fittings with the correct thread, although depending on what your mods are you may still want to shorten the port on the master cylinder.

Superstar components are one supplier there kit 2 is M8 x 0.75 banjo bolt.
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/libr ... osefit.pdf
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/h ... -alloy.htm

As for the why, because i could, and it was a damn sight cheaper and lighter than the Shimano setup. I have Shimano, Avid and Formula disc brakes and personally have had more issues with Shimano brakes than Formula, so its really just preference and at the time the Formula brakes where more suitable for the mod than any other manufacturer i could find, other than possibly Tektro Aurigas

[feto]

motorapido, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I've been looking at various motortbike banjos to see if I could bodge something as the Goodridge MTB stuff is no use, never thought to check out Superstar's offerings though!

I'll post a pic of the bike on here once it's done

[motorapido]

No probs, wish i'd found the Superstar stuff before i spent time making the adaptors,

Interested to see you finished bike and what your plans for it are.

[feto]

Took me a while, but here is mine:

First up I picked up a pair of 2010 RX brake sets dirt cheap on CRC (like £19.99 a pop) and got busy taking them apart.


Next, I modified the levers to fit the larger diameter of road bars. I used a Dremel with the sandpaper-bit, very carefully taking off 1mm of material. I also added some score marks to help the clamp have more bite.


Test fitting, making sure all is good before getting on with the messy process of custom hoses & bleeding.


I didn't take pics of the next few steps as my hands were covered in DOT5 :/. But here is the finished product


I also modified a SRAM R2C TT 11 speed gear lever to make it work with the setup.


And now, the whole thing!


I've ridden it well over the past 2 months and love it. It's my do everything adventure bike - open road, urban nightmares, stairs, grass, XC trails.