Top mount brake levers on a road bike, is it marmite ?

sparkman
sparkman Posts: 74
edited July 2010 in Road beginners
Title says it all guys.
The bike shop I am picking up me Giant Defy from have thrown in a pair of top mount brake levers fitted.
The old title was suicide levers, but what comments do you have on these accessories. Are they a waist of time, or do they offer extra brake control or response time if you need to brake in a hurry. :?

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,359
    imho they get in the way

    i got a new bike recently and it had them, it was set up as a cross bike

    they can give extra power vs. sti-ype levers, and may also have built in barrel adjusters so you can tweak brakes on the move

    but i took them off as soon as i could, on a road bike they just get in the way
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    If the bike is the right size and set-up correctly, they're effectively redundant because with your hands on the hoods, you can ride 'heads up' and reach the brakes anyway. I actually don't really know why people put them on cross bikes either.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    sungod wrote:
    imho they get in the way

    i got a new bike recently and it had them, it was set up as a cross bike

    they can give extra power vs. sti-ype levers, and may also have built in barrel adjusters so you can tweak brakes on the move

    but i took them off as soon as i could, on a road bike they just get in the way

    Get in the way of what exactly?

    I have them on my cross bike and, as you'd expect, they're great if you ride on the top a lot and are likely to need to brake in a hurry, eg in traffic they're quite nice.

    Don't confuse them with the old suicide levers, they;re much more powerful.
  • Hals1967
    Hals1967 Posts: 231
    I fitted some to my commuter, to be honest I don't use them much but they're handy in an emergency.

    1967 Engine
  • Matt.K
    Matt.K Posts: 105
    I had then fitted to my Flyer when I bought it.
    It was my first bike with drops so the extra reassurance that they we there if necessary was nice.

    A year later I only tend to use them when in town / traffic when sitting more upright allows me to see more while still being able to react and brake quickly.
    I rarely use them when out in the countryside though as I only ride on the tops when on a straight road with no need to brake or really react to anything quickly.
  • Mister W
    Mister W Posts: 791
    I have one on my fixie as I find my hands bounce off the hoods when going downhill at speed so it's safer to have access to the front brake from the tops. It's also handy when pootling round town. But I wouldn't bother on a road bike as they would just get in the way. The problem you have, if they've already been fitted, is that it's a hassle taking them off. You need to un-thread the cables from them and buy new cable outers.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    its not marmite, some people actually claim to like that stuff.

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