Looking at reverbs, I will be matching it to some shimano saint brakes, firstly am I right in thinking that a right hand lever is actually the favoured option for fitting under the brake lever on the left, and does anyone make a nice “matchmaker” clamp for this setup?

Yes

No

💡 Mate it to your brake lever, so the harder you brake, the more it drops!!!

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/reverb-lever-shimano-brakes-kack

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shimano-i-spec-shifters-more-space-for-a-reverb-button

Trying to work out if the problem solvers would work or if that would just mess it up.

http://problemsolversbike.com/products/mismatch_adapters

I will be running 1×11 so no gear lever on the left.

Its only a problem if you are running brakes and shifters. As you are running a 1×11 drive train you should be fine mounting the reverb lever on the left side under the bars.

I know, but I am just being fussy, I am building a dream bike and looking to make it as perfect as possible.

Even then it depends on the brakes- Basically, the Reverb lever is designed to work with a matchmaker on a SRAM brake, which means the lever mount really wants to go exactly where most brakes go. And it’s fairly bulky and picky about angle so it doesn’t play too well with some brakes.

I can’t get the remote exactly where i want it with any non-avid brake, but I can get it close enough. It’s kind of a pain tbh. If you look at, say, KS, they didn’t shoot for neat perfection like Rockshox but it’s a more flexible lever option, whereas the Reverb lever basically has one perfect location but often can’t go there.

KS went for an option that’s shit everywhere, awful thing.

Doesn’t help that Sram made the reverb the ‘master clamp’ for want of a better expression, with the brake and shifter as attachments. If the reverb was designed as an attachment then it might have been easier for a neat third-party item to mate a reverb to an i-spec brake for example.

honourablegeorge – Member

KS went for an option that’s shit everywhere, awful thing.

I’d pay good money to put something exactly like a KS lever on my Reverb tbh.

KS went for an option that’s shit everywhere, awful thing.

Really? I love the KS remote, it just sits at the end of grip replaces the lock on collar exactly where I want it.

I’m running an RH lever on the left, 1×10 and with SLX brakes. I agree that it never quite goes in precisely the right place – but I found that more of an issue when setting the bars up than actually riding. Really don’t notice it in practice, it’s the sort of thing you adapt to subconsciously.

I’m probably just grateful that my panicky jabbing makes the saddle drop at all 😀

Would swap the gash reverb lever any day for the Lev one if I could.