Testing confusion and the coveted tool: behind the scenes of the UCI’s new brake lever angle checks

The Tour Down Under is the first race where commissaires are testing the angle of brake levers on bikes, entertaining mechanics in the process

The peloton at the Tour Down Under
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The issue of brake lever angles is all the rage. The levers are one of the hot topics the paddock at this year’s Tour Down Under, as UCI commissaires take a close interest in the hoods of the top riders. After the women were their first to have their handlebars examined by last week, the men’s WorldTour peloton are currently enjoying the same rigmarole.

The people in blue shirts inspect bikes with a 3D-printed tool, which clamps onto the hoods and drops of bikes. It allows for up to 10 degrees of inward rotation for the brake levers, and also checks how flared the drops of the handlebar are.

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