Installing brake lever hoods

[firenze055]

HELP
I am overhauling a 25 year old Scapin. By far the hardest, most frustrating part of the process has been installing new brake lever hoods. I cannot figure this out and I have already put a tear in one of the new hoods. I can't believe this is so frickin' hard.
I have removed the brake lever and cable from the handlebar.
I have released the cable from the calipers and from the brake lever so all I am working with is the lever and the hood (one of those common Cane Creek replacement hoods).
I am trying to slip the hood up the lever (held in) then up and over the handlebar mount. It just won't go no matter how much I muscle it. I've tried soap, talc, whatever to lubricate it. It will not go without what would seem like extreme force and tools to expand the hood larger and that does not seem like it should be necessary.
Can anybody please explain this or point me to something on the web which clearly explains this process. I have googled extensively and come up with nothing useful.
Thank you in advance for sparing me my sanity.

[DaveM]

Only advice I can give is:
- depending on the shape of the lever, some hoods are easier to put on from the 'front' meaning you slide it up the lever portion where your fingers go first, and some go on easier form the 'back', where they clamp to the bars.
- if you're going from the front, I'd leave the levers clamped to your handle bar to make them easier to hold
- on some levers, you can remove the 'lever' part from the body/clamp part. That might make it easier
- soak the hood in hot water. This "may" soften up the rubber a little. Don't go too hot though.

[KDC1956]

Best way to replace the hoods are to take off the brake levers off the bike then they go on real easy then all you have to do is put them back on and line it up. I forget where I read this at they even show a pic on how to do it do a search on how to do this I know I saw it some place. But the way I am telling you will get the job done. I need a bigger work shop man I love working on bicycle sure helps time go by quick.

[laumi]

I had the same problem and destroyed one of my hoods. I was not able to take off the brake lever because they seem to be riveted in. I have dia-compe and the only hood that seemed to be available was dia-comp 287 aero hoods. I was able to get the second hood on successfully. Here's what I did.

I put the hood in boiling water to soften it up. I'm not sure if I needed to do this but it seemed to help. I will review the need to do this when I replace the hood I messed up. On the first hood, I destroyed it because I tried to stretch it out and pull it on. What I should have done was to fold/roll it against itself so it was in half, slide it up the lever portion, then stretch it over the rest of the brake. Even though it was doubled up, it was easier to stretch over the brake because it was only half as wide, subjecting the rubber to less overall stretch.

Hope this helps somebody else. Appreciate the original post as I searched the internet and couldn't find anything.