Originally Posted by
eibeinaka
What you are talking about are called inline levers, or sometimes cross levers.
Also called interrupters or interrupt levers.
They used to be standard equipment on the old Raleighs and Schwinn Varsitites. They were called by some "suicide levers" because they did not really generate much braking power which is not a good thing.
That is incorrect. The old "suicide" brake levers were a completely different design than the current inline brake levers.
Originally Posted by
prisoner6
I have noticed on many touring and other road bikes that they will sometimes come with an additional set of brake levers on the flats of the bars, not just the brakes on the drops.
Are these a good or bad idea? Do they compromise the brakes at all? I do a lot of just cruising on my bike with my girlfriend, and find myself using the flats to just be more relaxed. I was wondering how easily these brake levers could be added to my bike.
Thanks.
They are a good idea if you do a fair amount of riding in traffic. They do have a very small effect on braking performance, but it is negligible. I have them on two of my bikes. I wouldn't ride on drop bars in the city without them. They are just safer to have than not.