Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Will a bmx lever work?

Can I use a bmx brake lever on my bike which has mountain bike riser bars and a road caliper brake? Is the clamp diameter different? Will it pull the correct ammount of cable? I want the fresh colors that only old skool bmx can offer. Specifically,...
http://cgi.ebay.com/One-1-NOS-Diacomp-Dia-comp-MX-two-finger-brake-lever_W0QQitemZ320073018940QQihZ011QQcategoryZ64644QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/oddessy-pink-brake-lever_W0QQitemZ160076549030QQihZ006QQcategoryZ64644QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i'm almost positive that the clamp diameter is smaller on older bmx stuff, but i'll let someone who knows for sure give you a straighter answer.

BMX brake lever will work on an MTB bar no prob

The only time cable pull is an issue is when the brakes need more than the levers can dish out, other way around can make for slightly touchy braking but most people don't consider this a problem. Maybe if you were some roadie trying to be able to micro-feather the brakes it would be one thing, but most of us that use brakes use them for stopping or slowing waaay down pretty fast.

Anyone try an old MTB lever on a cut down road bar? Also when going to a bull horn style setup, should you leave the stem length the same or shorter?

You definetly won't have a problem with the second once, it is a clamp style one. You can fit that on pretty much any bar.

My bike has a MTB lever on a road bullhorn. that thing needed major mods though since the MTB bar is thinner I had to take a round file and go crazy inside that lever but it was worth it since I already had the lever and no $$$ and it's a pretty nice lever to boot

yes

why do all you guys say this is cool maybe its just me but i bought an old school bmx setup thinking it would clamp to some road drop flipand snips i had and it was way too small for the bars.too boot it was (the lever)made of cheap stamped steel that couldnt be filed away to fit.

Most BMX levers come in two clamp sizes: 22.2mm and 25.4mm. Some have shims so they can be used on both.

So you'll find only the 25.4mm version useful if you're running Nitto bars or if your bars get slimmer after the stem clamp area.

Also some BMX levers, like the cheap-o Diacompe MX levers, have clamps that can be easily bent to fit standard road bars.

Its all a bit of a mindfield really. Best thing to do is to measure your bars where you want to run a brake.

If your bars are bigger than 25.4, then you'll need either:
1) A BMX brake with a clamp that works (not always straight-forward)
2) Cycle-cross style interceptor level
3) Or to rethink your brake options and talk to yer local bike shop.

What kind of bars are using btw?

[Edit: yeah, wrote this in a bit of a rush. But just to confirm, the BMX brake levers have two standard clamps sizes. Typically road bars probably have a diameter too wide for these levers. You have to measure your bar diameter at the point you're likely to clamp the brake lever. If you get a match for 22.2 or 25.4 then you're in business. Nitto bars definitely all work, as their like BMX bars, pretty much 25.4 uniformly. Otherwise, follow the list]

Most BMX levers come in two clamp sizes: 22.2mm and 25.4mm. Some have shims so they can be used on both.

So you'll find only the 25.4mm version useful if you're running Nitto bars or if your bars get slimmer after the stem clamp area.

Also some BMX levers, like the cheap-o Diacompe MX levers, have clamps that can be easily bent to fit standard road bars (dia. 26.0mm)

Its all a bit of a mindfield really. Best thing to do is to measure your bars where you want to run a brake.

If your bars are bigger than 25.4, then you'll need either:
1) A BMX brake with a clamp that works (not always straight-forward)
2) Cycle-cross style interceptor level
3) Or to rethink your brake options and talk to yer local bike shop.

What kind of bars are using btw?

Wait, what? 25.4 and 26 are clamp area (i.e. stem) standards, grip area (where the brake goes) is 7/8 for MTB and 15/16 for road. Only in BMX is the clamp area the same as the grip area, usually 7/8 (22.2). I guess there is 1" bmx stuff now, back when I rode BMX we were still using dinosaur guts for tubes so you've got me on that one. BMX brakes will work with any mountain bar and never with road bars without modification, if this magical 1" bmx gear of which you speak is out there you'll need 1/16" of shim. People do shim brakes with tubes, but this kind of scares me as it feels squishy and can slip or slowly cut through. I'm not a big one for f---ing around when it comes to brakes, I had a modded bmx lever completely break off on me once and it sucked.