Secondary Top Levers on Road Bike

[Tom B]

Mrs Tom B has recently bought herself her first road bike with drop bars.

It is a Trek Lexa as specced here

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-lexa-2015-womens-road-bike-EV212884

*she would find it important that I tell you hers is purple not mint!


Anyways shes been using it a few times on the turbo without issue, however yesterday we took it out on the road and its all a bit new for her, she's more used to riding MTBs (on the road) or hybrids with wide flat bars. So getting her balance, feeling comfortable with it on the thinner tyres, learning a new way of shifting gears, a new way of holding the bars and a new way of braking is a bit much. So much so her confidence in stopping and descending any hill pretty much evaporated.

She has quite small hands and found the brakes a bit too much of a stretch and only able to reach beyond the pivot point and thus only able to put pressure on the brakes with the tips of two fingers.

I was initially thinking if smaller levers/hoods are available, but then i though about fitting addition levers like you see on CX bikes. I have done a little bit of reading an the jury seems to be out on how effective they are, surely if they are pulling on the same cable and brakes as the other brakes they'll be just as effective?

Is the negativity down to snobbery and hangovers from the old fashioned suicide levers?
How easy are they to fit and are the levers special levers?

Whilst the purists might be against them they will make a big difference to her confidence, and probably be quite handy around town.

 

[jefmcg]

Interrupter levers. The jury isn't out. They work.

Easy to fit, you add them to handlebars and feed the cable through them.

 

[raleighnut]

Easy to fit and just as effective, I use them as the only brake levers on my TT bike.

 

[Dogtrousers]

@vickster us our resident expert on hand size and braking.

An easier to fit and cheaper option (not ruling out cross-top levers, mind) is shims that go into the brake lever mechanism and adjust the neutral position of the levers. Never used them, only read about them.

 

[vickster]

I can't see how that would help with the bulky shape of Shimano hoods, it's that bit affecting the reach that really doesn't suit me...SRAM much sleeker

I can attest that crosslevers with V brakes really do work as @jefmcg can confirm following my emergency stop last weekend!!

 

[smutchin]

I was initially thinking if smaller levers/hoods are available, but then i though about fitting addition levers like you see on CX bikes. I have done a little bit of reading an the jury seems to be out on how effective they are, surely if they are pulling on the same cable and brakes as the other brakes they'll be just as effective?

Yep. You shouldn't use them with V-brakes but they'll be fine with cantilever or standard dual-pivot rim brakes.

I have them on my CX bike and love them. I suspect the main reason you don't see them on CX bikes so much nowadays is that a lot of CX bikes have hydraulic disc brakes. They're nothing like the old suicide levers that were on the first road bike I ever used (my dad's early 70s vintage BSA).

 

[smutchin]

I can attest that crosslevers with V brakes really do work

Ah! That's contrary to what I've read but I won't argue against your experience.

 

[jefmcg]

V brakes

I'm pretty sure you have dual pivot brakes.

But yes, the did the job.

 

[vickster]

I'm pretty sure you have dual pivot brakes.

But yes, the did the job.

Ah maybe I meant rim brakes, don't know the lingo

 

[vickster]

Ah! That's contrary to what I've read but I won't argue against your experience.

Yep, I rarely use the brifters on the Genesis...ok I'm not sure I'd rely on them at 30mph in the wet, but I'll never be in that situation so that doesn't matter to me

 

[smutchin]

Yep, I rarely use the brifters on the Genesis...ok I'm not sure I'd rely on them at 30mph in the wet, but I'll never be in that situation so that doesn't matter to me

I meant it's contrary to what I've read about them working with V-brakes, but we seem to have cleared up that misunderstanding.

I have them on my CX bike (which has cantilever brakes) and they definitely work fine on that.

 

[jefmcg]

Came standard on my giant, which has the same style of brakes as the lexa (dual pivot)

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Agree with the above sentiment. I had them as standard on my CX & retro fitted a set to my roadie and found them entirely capable and I was happy and confident in using them in all conditions.

One minor point, make sure you buy the right levers for Mrs's bike bar diameter. *don't ask me me how I know you can get this simple thing wrong *

 

[vickster]

Or get the LBS to do...

 

[srw]

This sounds a familiar story....

Mrs W's Specialized Dolce came with the extra levers, and because of issues reaching the main brake levers (small hands) she used them exclusively, and spent most of her time riding on the tops. Eventually we realised the issue wasn't with the brakes but with the bike - the cockpit was just too long for her. She's not tall (about 7 inches shorter than me) but has long legs (about an inch shorter than mine), so her upper half is distinctly petite. Even with a very short stem braking using the normal levers was effectively impossible.

I'll warn you now - the end result was a brand-new custom titanium bike, with full Ultegra, and a reach a full 10cm less than the reach on the Dolce. Which is a perfect size for her, and on which she very happily uses the normal levers for braking, even down some of the very steep twisty roads we have here in the Chilterns.