Evening all,

My singular monstercross has now become a dad bike…and so to make it a bit safer for the little man on the back I thought it might be an idea to have levers a bit easier to reach. Anyone know if they work OK with cable disc brakes?

Of you mean crosstops or the brakes on the tops of the bars then yep, they are fine with cable discs. My mates Boardman came with them on avid bb5s.

Horrible – make the brakes spongy and they’re too close to the stem to allow effective steering control.

Go hydro.

🙂

And in directly opposing view to dove biker they work fine and if Good quality levers fitted correctly there is no reason for them to be spongy.

They work, but they do make the brakes feel rubbish. Can’t you just brake from the hoods?

My bike came with TRP spyres and interrupter brakes.

I took them off, but they’re in a bag somewhere if you really want some.

Holy crap CFH.

This is what I think of as a suicide lever, named as such because they didn’t actually stop you any time soon

I think they were only around for a couple of years- maybe 1987 to 1989, something like that?

Them’s real, Al.

Hope have knocked up a few sets so far. Full hydro crosstops. Apparently, they just work.

great for sat up in traffic, good on long unfamiliar descents

harder to fit now that gear cables run alongside brakes and under tape

as a bonus you get an inline adjuster, as a downside you lose space for lights

as ever with cable disks need quality outers and attention to detail

I also have a 1980 classic sports roadie that has true suicide levers – the ones that extend off the normal lever

haters will hate but very practical

Thanks guys – a nice balance of views! Recognise they won’t be amazing but just helpful for pootling on tow paths (which is pretty much what I’ll be doing) and being able to apply the brakes when a dog, duck or dithering walker stumbles across my path.

Jonnyboi- I’d love them if poss? What size clamp are they?

My wife has them with a hope v-twin set up. Messy routing but it works and she is happy with the performance.

Have them with Hope V twin

I’m not jonk’s wife

I’ve just taken a pair off my cross bike – to give more room for lights, bell etc – they really take up space. Actually it was a local lbs which did the work and when I picked the bike up, I realised that I used them when I lean on the bike, more than riding. I’m keeping them in case I change my mind again.

I didn’t dislike them (apart from the space issue) and they are a world away from the real suicide extension levers of the ’80s. I’m not actually sure I noticed them being any less effective then the ‘proper’ levers. My wife wouldn’t take them off her bike.

Jonnyboi- I’d love them if poss? What size clamp are they?

Looks like they are for 31.8mm bars, they’re missing one barrel adjuster as I took that for a busted mech so you’ll need to get one of those.

Pm me your address if you want them.

Horrible – make the brakes spongy and they’re too close to the stem to allow effective steering control.

I have them on my Boardman, no major issues with control, they’re not spongy as I use them with cable actuated hydraulic calipers. They aren’t “that” close to the stem.