Brake levers

[ozboz]

Hiya , I was in a Vintage bike shop in N London , on a CB road bike there was some type of brake lever which could be operated from on top of the bars and somehow connected to the normal brake levers , it was a fairly old bike so a bit different to the modern bar levers Ive seen on new bikes , I should have quizzed the shop person at the time , what are thes old style levers called ?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Suicide levers.

They were useless, hence the name.

 

[ozboz]

No good then , oh well , I'll take your word on them, may look at more recent ones , cheers

 

[midlife]

GT levers as they were called in the brochure... Pull up hard and go in the back of the car stopped in traffic.

Hated them as I had to set them up in the shop!

Shaun

 

[vickster]

Modern cross levers work well on my road bike, feel much safer braking in traffic

 

[Dogtrousers]

Everything you ever wanted to know about Suicide levers
http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/5267/why-dont-brakes-come-with-safety-levers-any-more

 

[mjr]

Mine worked OK but I've seen more than one set bent from emergency braking, hence the name as next time you try to brake, the bent lever basically doesn't. Interrupters are better in most ways.

 

[Smurfy]

Hiya , I was in a Vintage bike shop in N London , on a CB road bike there was some type of brake lever which could be operated from on top of the bars and somehow connected to the normal brake levers , it was a fairly old bike so a bit different to the modern bar levers Ive seen on new bikes , I should have quizzed the shop person at the time , what are thes old style levers called ?

Ignore all the talk about Suicide Levers. What you want are known as Crosstop Brake Levers.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cane-creek-crosstop-brake-levers/

Other makes are available, blah, blah, blah ...........

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Suicide levers.

View attachment 117112

They were useless, hence the name.

Yes I remember them, I would take them off if I could.

 

[mjr]

Yes I remember them, I would take them off if I could.

That might be a bad move. My suicide levers caused me to almost crash... six years after I gave the bike away! That was when I got my next road bike, which doesn't have them so nothing happened when I reached for them as I rolled up to my hedge at the end of a ride....

 

[Deleted member 1258]

That might be a bad move. My suicide levers caused me to almost crash... six years after I gave the bike away! That was when I got my next road bike, which doesn't have them so nothing happened when I reached for them as I rolled up to my hedge at the end of a ride....

I took the suicide levers off a couple of bikes without problems, also locally there used to be a bike shop we went too and he sold outer brake cable by the yard, and he had a roll that was meant to be used on mopeds, fitting that brought about an improvement in braking.