Shimano brake hoods

[Sloop]

Hi,
I've recently rebuilt a 9 speed road bike fitting compact chain rings and in doing so noticed the brake hoods, over time and through use have become worn to the point they are now perished and split.
As the bike is approx 15 or so years old manufacture of these hoods has been superseded by new models and do not fit this pair of levers. The series number is 5500 so I am posting this in the hope that someone may have a set or know of somewhere I can buy a set as the alternative I guess is to upgrade to a more recent model of shifters. I'd prefer not to do this but it may be the only solution that gets me back onto this bike.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou

[Duck!]

Have a dig around on eBay & the like, occasionally you can pick up discontinued stuff that's no longer available from the manufacturer.

Just to be slightly confusing though, there are three versions of 5500-series shifters & hoods; ST-5500 is the early non-Flight Deck computer compatible version, ST-5500C is the early Flight Deck version, with both computer button nodes in the right hood, and ST-5510, a late-model update which has one Flight Deck button node in each hood. If you're not worried about the Flight Deck buttons, 5500C & 5510 hoods are interchangeable. 5500 are probably OK, but I'm not 100% sure; the shifter head may be slightly shorter.

Look also for 6500-series Ultegra hoods, they are actually the same parts as 5500 series. Also look for 4400-series Tiagra hoods. Although also a superceded model, they hung around longer than 5500/6500 so might be slightly easier to find. While not identical, they're close enough in shape to fit.

[Sloop]

Thanks very much for your assistance I shall check out those other options. Cheers

[mrvlhs]

Hi, I have a pair of hoods for Shimano 55xx/65xx Flight Deck (the ones with just one button). Let me know if you're interested. The number of buttons only matters if you're going to use the Flight Deck cyclocomputer, otherwise you're good to go, fit is perfect and brakes and shifting work the same

[Sloop]

Thanks but i think i tracked down a replacement pair from "Collectable Relics" on eBay. Havent fitted them yet but they look like they'll be ok.

[bocian85]

mrvlhs : do you still have the hoods ? I've been trying to find you on google for some contact, and even on this forum I cannot send you a private message directly. I need these hoods you have.