# Removing new style rubber hoods



## amicus

The new design seems very difficult to remove. Trying to decide whether to try pulling them from the handlebar forward toward the brake lever or to trying to pull them back from the lever toward the handlebar. 

They're really tight and am concerned about ripping them. Maybe there's some video out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## orange_julius

amicus said:


> The new design seems very difficult to remove. Trying to decide whether to try pulling them from the handlebar forward toward the brake lever or to trying to pull them back from the lever toward the handlebar.
> 
> They're really tight and am concerned about ripping them. Maybe there's some video out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


I just removed one to replace the blacks with whites, so what fortunate timing!

I assume you are replacing them, too. Notice that the new style hoods have 5 anchor points. What I did was to pull all these anchor points off first, and then pull the hoods off from the back towards the brake levers. It was a bit tight, but not too hard.


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## graeme1

Here's a campy video
CAMPAGNOLO - Ergopower


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## amicus

orange_julius said:


> I just removed one to replace the blacks with whites, so what fortunate timing!
> 
> I assume you are replacing them, too. Notice that the new style hoods have 5 anchor points. What I did was to pull all these anchor points off first, and then pull the hoods off from the back towards the brake levers. It was a bit tight, but not too hard.


The ones I'm replacing are on a pair of 2012 Centaur levers. Is there a difference in design between the 10 & 11 hoods that makes a difference in removing and installing the hoods any different?


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## kbwh

The Power Shift hoods (Veloce, Centaur, Athena) have smaller cutouts for thumb shifter movement than the Ultra Shift ones (Chorus, Record, SR), but that should not make them harder to replace.

3rd gen ergohoods require more force to replace than 2nd and 1st gen did, but you should not be able to tear them.


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## Golfguy

I've done it a couple of times and it is pretty difficult. The hoods stretch further than you think they should be able to without tearing. They're very resilient. Take your time and work them on like it shows on the video. I had to use a screwdriver to pry them on as well. Don't think you can do it with just your hands.


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## amicus

Golfguy said:


> I've done it a couple of times and it is pretty difficult. The hoods stretch further than you think they should be able to without tearing. They're very resilient. Take your time and work them on like it shows on the video. I had to use a screwdriver to pry them on as well. Don't think you can do it with just your hands.


Does that refer to removal as well?


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## Golfguy

No, I was able to remove them by hand only. Still difficult, but I didn't need a screwdriver to take them off. I had to work it back and forth from top to bottom several times to get it to clear the top of the lever. A screwdriver would perhaps make it easier to get them off, though.


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## jpdigital

I've replaced mine a couple times now. I've found that setting the hoods in warm/hot water for a little while makes them a bit more pliable.


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## orange_julius

jpdigital said:


> I've replaced mine a couple times now. I've found that setting the hoods in warm/hot water for a little while makes them a bit more pliable.


And conversely, for removal, some reported that blowing hot hair onto the rubber hoods help make them more pliable.


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## zmudshark




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## orange_julius

Yes, exactly the link posted 3 days ago and covers installation, not removal...


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## zmudshark

I just reversed the steps for removal, worked just fine


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## scblack

Golfguy said:


> I've done it a couple of times and it is pretty difficult. The hoods stretch further than you think they should be able to without tearing. They're very resilient. Take your time and work them on like it shows on the video. I had to use a screwdriver to pry them on as well. Don't think you can do it with just your hands.


I have replaced my hoods on Centaur levers twice now. By hand only. I would not like to use a screwdriver - that gives the chance to accidentally poke a hole through the rubber.

It is hard work though, that I have to admit.

I unhooked the anchor points, and wedged the base of the hood close in near the brake lever. If you wedge the hood in there it reduces the stretch required by about a centimetre, making the process slightly easier and less likely to rip the hood.

Getting them off is easy - hey, if you are replacing the hoods maybe even just cut them off with scissors. But I did not, pried them off and kept them as a spare.

To get on, just wedge the hood the correct way around into the base of the brake lever and stretch the first edge of the hood over the top of the lever. Then use fingers to gradually inch the hood over the bulge. This is the hard part. Once over, its not the hardest thing to stretch the hood into position correctly.

Can be done by hand! 


**EDIT** - I did the removal and fitting with the levers still in position on the handlebar. So the hoods were removed over the brake lever, not towards the handlebar.


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## C-40

*lubricate...*

Use rubbing alcohol as a lubricant. If makes the job much easier, but you need to work fast, since the alcohol evaporates quickly.


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## amicus

orange_julius said:


> Yes, exactly the link posted 3 days ago and covers installation, not removal...


That particular video shows installing ergo 11 hoods which on first viewing seem to be more pliant than the 10 version. Did anyone else notice that?


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## rm -rf

An update to this old thread.
I just removed my Athena 11 hood.

Some hints to get Campagnolo 11 hoods off the shifter:

*Pull off toward the front, over the levers. Yes, it will stretch enough, and won't rip. (It sure doesn't seem possible when you first start!)

* leave the shifter on the bars. You'll need the leverage.

* make sure the small knobs on the underside of the hood are out of the holes in the body, especially the bottom part, right near the long shift lever base.

*start turning the hood inside out from the back. Pull it over the thumb lever.

*now, I used a hair dryer to warm it all up. I think it helped.

*Use a thin screwdriver blade or a dull table knife to get under the leading edge at the front knob so you can grab the hood edge. Get a grip there with your fingers, and pull the knob cover forward, off the body. 

(I also tried a long screwdriver between the hood and body, like the install video shows. It didn't help at all to remove the hood.)

* I used a few drops of rubbing alcohol under the knob cover, I think it helped. Just a couple of drops.

*now you can work the whole thing off the front, pulling both on the knob cover and on the folded over back part. Move it forward a little at a time. It gets easier toward the end.



The attached photo shows the hood almost off. You can see the fold is pulled up to the front knob and it's almost off now. The knob cover, at the bottom of the photo, is empty, pulled clear of the body.


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