Getting rid of I-spec clamp

[steve_sordy]

I have a Shimano brake lever body BRMT501 attached by an I-spec clamp to an 11-speed XT M8000 shifter body. I don't know which I-spec clamp it is but the bike is a 2019 model, so I expect it will be the latest one.

I can't get the levers far enough apart as the I-spec clamp does not deliver enough angular separation. The LBS told me that he is not allowed to supply the non-Shimano clamp that is required. He did offer to supply a new shifter body made for bar mounting at the bargain price of £50. That was kind of him, except I can get one from CRC for £35!

What I need is a simple bar clamp that I can mount the existing shifter body onto, after I have detached it from the I-spec mount.
If you know where I can get the right clamp, I would be grateful if you'd point me to it.

 

[steve_sordy]

OK, I did the deed. I now have the brake and shifter bodies on separate clamps. The reason for doing this was to get a bigger angular separation between the brake and shifter levers.

Big confession here, but I'm owning up so that you won't make the same mistake!

The lever and shifter bodies foul on each other, so I can't get the angular separation anyway! If I move them far enough away along the bar so they don't foul, then I can't reach the brake lever!

It was a waste of money, time and effort! If I had studied the components in detail, I suspect that I could have made that determination for myself, but I had made this change on other I-spec connected Shimano kit and it had worked very easily. I made the assumption (!) that it would work this time. But the new M8000 kit does not allow this. Bu99er!

 

[ccrdave]

I'm probably misunderstanding you but with the latest I spec2 there is quite a large amount of angular movement between the two components

 

[highpeakrider]

I wanted the same thing to fit Hope brakes, compatibility nightmare, I fitted a Zee changer for about £16 from chain reactions, mines 10 speed

 

[ccrdave]

there is a company called problem solvers that make all sorts of adapters to fit mismatched components, for instance, I have shimano i spec 2 brakes with sram shifter and dropper mounted easily without filling my bars with individual clamps. You get the side to side sram adjustment and the rotational adjustment of the ispec 2

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm probably misunderstanding you but with the latest I spec2 there is quite a large amount of angular movement between the two components

I guess it depends upon what you mean by quite a lot. There is more than enough if you want to use the Shimano shifters with finger and thumb, like Shimano intend. But if you want to use the "thumb only" facility that the Shimano design allows (like SRAM shifters in other words), then there is insufficient angular freedom to do the job. But no big deal, I get along perfectly well with the Shimano set up, but I would have preferred the SRAM set up.

I was a Shimano boy for years and would not have willingly chosen SRAM shifters. Then I bought a bike with SRAM brakes and shifters. I knew what I was doing and I looked forward to experiencing the difference, was keen to add to my store of knowledge. I was a but irritated at first and thought I had made a mistake. It took me a while to get used to it, but once I did, I very much preferred SRAM and converted my other "Shimano bike" from "finger and thumb" to "thumb only" by separating the Shimano brake and shifter bodies. It was easy then, not now.