Am i having my plonker pulled?! - brakes?

clarkie28

Hello Peeps!

Been on the forum a few times after only just finding out about Bikeradar.com! (and i know nothing about bikes by the way!)

I have a MTB, but i never go off road, and only go out on my bike for 20-30 mile rides on the road. I thought about getting a road bike as i used to have one when i was a kid and i loved it, but i much prefer the upright position of a MTB so ive looked into buying a Hybrid.
When ive asked for advice on the forum, i keep getting advised to get a road bike as i will regret buying a hybrid!
So i popped into a bike shop next to where i work to look at a few road bikes and when i asked the sales person to see a road bike with brake levers that sit under the straight part of the handle bar along with levers on the down turned ends, i was told that they are illegal?! Is this correct? And do you think i would get used to having brakes just on the down turned ends? Thanx for your advice - Clarkie28

Beeblebrox

I highly doubt they are illegal - although some of the very dodgy top handle brakes of yesteryear (they were just levers down onto the proper brakes) are certainly no longer used.

But to answer the more important point, yes you will get used to them; if you have reasonably sized hands then you can operate them from the usual riding position (not leaning right onto the drop bars).
Who wants to use brakes on a road bike anyway? That would only slow you down

ratherbeintobago

Do you mean these: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_i-k.html#interrupter

I'd be surprised if these were illegal given that some cross bikes come with them fitted; probably not expensive to have fitted.

RBIT

Smokin Joe

If a shop told me a load of garbage like that I'd go somewhere they new what they were talking about.

Beeblebrox

I was referring to Extension Levers, incidentally.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_e-f.html#extensionlevers

Smokin Joe

Beeblebrox wrote:

I was referring to Extension Levers, incidentally.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_e-f.html#extensionlevers

They are not illegal, but they are crap.

fuzzynavel

I looked at a 2008 Merida 901 a few weeks back at my local LBS. They had the usual sora brake/shifter combo but they also seemed to have an arrangement that allowed separate small brake levers on the straight section of the handlebar.

DavidTQ

The road bikes of today are a bit more user friendly than the old ones. These days you have great brake access when riding in a more upright position on the hoods. Newer brake \ gear levers are designed for you to lean on the top of them and use the "hood" of the lever as if its a bar end.

Heres a picture I found with google image search of someone "riding on the hoods" on a modern road bike:-



Im assuming the levers you were talking about were these :-



The suicide levers were useless no real braking leverage from them... Where as braking from the hoods on a newer road bike you get plenty of braking power.

judokev

Hello Clarkie,

I bought the giant Fcr2 as I was using a hybrid bike, I like the upright feel and the brakes where my hands are. it is the same bike as the Scr2 only with flat bars instead of drops.

I got different advice from different people some saying go with drops others saying flats are fine, look for my thread on flat bar road bike.

The bike is loads faster than my hybrid and much lighter.

good luck you might still be able to find an 07/08 bargain about?

Kev

STEFANOS4784

quote** The suicide levers were useless no real braking leverage from them... Where as braking from the hoods on a newer road bike you get plenty of braking power.

I heard also that these were banned as there is a higher possibility of them snapping!!!!
So looks like some-one out there is spreading malicious lyes :shock: :?

LorneC

Try and get your hands on a Specialised TriCross (around £700) - they have a separate brake lever on the tops of the bar, as well as the levers on the drops.

jezcc

i didn't buy a felt Z70 because it had those brake levers on the flat bit of the bars

it's common, but a bit pointless, you can use the brakes from the hoods quite easily

david 142

The ones in the photo are indeed what were called suicide levers. They reduced braking efficiency and the available lever travel.
More recently these were developed for the convenience of cyclo cross riders. They are supposed to be OK - if you want them. AFAIK they are entirely legal.

Tony666

jezcc wrote:

i didn't buy a felt Z70 because it had those brake levers on the flat bit of the bars

it's common, but a bit pointless, you can use the brakes from the hoods quite easily

Pity because it's a great bike.

ride_whenever

the levers you want are cyclo-cross levers or interrupters, i have them on my pompino and they're lovely, they can be retro-fitted to any bike with canti or caliper brakes (although they do work but are very spongey with v-brakes) they should cost about 25 quid rrp for the cane creek ones that are very good and not too much for fitting.

I really like them for subtle braking (cos they're really spongey) and for trackstanding at red lights, plus they're good for using in traffic as you are more upright so can see better.

doog442

LorneC wrote:

Try and get your hands on a Specialised TriCross (around £700) - they have a separate brake lever on the tops of the bar, as well as the levers on the drops.

Ive got one and those levers arent very good, actually the brakes on the tricross are terrible....dont inspire me with any confidence at all

jezcc

Tony666 wrote:

Pity because it's a great bike.

I didn't want a triple either and it was a little more than I wanted to spend. But agreed, the bike was nice other than those few things.

Beeblebrox

Smokin Joe wrote:

Beeblebrox wrote:

I was referring to Extension Levers, incidentally.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_e-f.html#extensionlevers

They are not illegal, but they are crap.

No indeed, I didn't think they were illegal.

^Stanley222 is right, really. Give them both a go. Personally I fell in love with drops: let you go faster, have a much wider range of grips and look cooler 8)