[Closed] Cyclocross brakes and levers

No.

Although some will say Yes.

but will I miss out if I don't bother with the extra brake levers?

No, you will have a better bike. Cross top levers are a daft idea.

mine work well but I only use them occasionally and only because they're there. i could easily live without them.

accept the fact that riding brakeless on the tops is all part of the CX experience

Saves me a couple of quid then. 🙂

My cross bike came with them; I took them off about a month ago...

top-levers are very handy for cruising along the seafront with an post-ride hot-chocolate in one hand while the other hand covers the top-brake in case an errant dog/child/frisbee cuts across you path, that's about the only good use i could find for them

Useful if you're only 10. Like those dreadful 'dual control' levers we used to have.

I must be 10 and cruise the seafront as I actually put them on and love them 😀 That said my cx bike is used as a general purpose tool.

My cx bike is a general purpose tool, only had it a week, and those extra brake levers are going! Who ever feels the need to brake whilst on the tops??!!!

Looks like i'm the only one who actually uses the brakes on the flats then - find it easier to go for them when i'm riding (my x-bike is my comuting bike) than the brakes on the drops..
The again, i've never had a proper road bike, so that's probably not helping...

I'll have a quick survey at Basingstoke today and see what the numbers of yes and no are. I've got a fairly good idea what it'll be already.

another 10yr old poof here.

First road stylee bike i've ever had and it came with them.

Neat design and can't be fussed to take them off. come in handy every now and again when being lazy or someone cuts me up.

oh dear i'm not a proper man. 🙁

they are not bad for things like three peaks 🙂

mine are still on too!

I like the option of riding on the flats but still having good stopping power. Some of the tracks i explore in the lakes look ok to start with but then have dodgy unexpected rock sections in and i like to be able to stop quickly whatever position my hands are in. I use them less if the terrain is smoother and flatter like if i'm just riding on the fireroad tracks.

Maybe they're like bar ends or lycra on an MTB... unfashionable but still very functional 🙂

For proper CX racing then they're unnecessary.
For everything else - cruising along enjoying the view, Three Peaks, round-town riding, they're ace.

My CX bike was built specifically for the Three Peaks, it has the cross top levers and they're very good.

[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=ykpxcx&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]

and a shot of the bike out doing what it does best (phone camera, sorry about the quality)
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=ywjuu1&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]

They should never be seen on proper road bikes though, that's a major fashion faux pas! 😉

"change my calipers for cantis" question no one has asked is how TF are you going to do that then? Or am I missing something?

[i]"change my calipers for cantis" question no one has asked is how TF are you going to do that then? Or am I missing something? [/i]

I think he means he's using most of the parts off his road bike but can't use the calipers and will have to buy a set of cantis to fit the CX. Hence the question about the bar top levers - if he's recabling all the brakes, is it worthwhile sticking a set of bar top levers in there as well.

At least, that's how I understood it...

Crazy- legs. Ta! Doh. Thought he was using his current frame

Nope. New frame, forks and brakes. Everything else stays. I'm planning on continuing to use it as a road bike and just swap the tyres for cross racing.

Thanks for your input everyone. Sounds like I could live without them.