Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
I have a few issues with the top mounted secondary brake levers. None are about stopping the bike. The rider's hands will be closer to the stem/rotational center offering less steering control than if the hands were on the primary brake levers. When riding with hands on the drop bar's tops (where those secondary levers are) their elbows are far more likely to be locked out and not flexing with road irregularities. With the hands and arms so close together one's breathing is limited.
If a rider is only comfy with their hands on the drop bar's tops than I agree that they better have stoppers where their hands are. But I've found that this position usually indicates the rider is fitted on the bike poorly and the rider is doing whatever they can to get comfy.
I have a brake lever on one of my bikes that goes against what you describe, yet agrees with it too - it's an old Weinmann flat bar lever mounted against the stem on the left with the blade extending to the right, connected to the front brake. This allows me to brake with my right hand while turning my body to the left, so I can observe and indicate to turn left across traffic. The position right against the stem means that weight transfer from braking or bumps has minimal effect on steering. This bike has a long top tube, which suited me well when I built it but I'm not so flexible now. The modification makes for safer riding in traffic, otherwise there may be situations where I need to pull in and stop. I don't really use that bike at the moment, I have a couple of road bikes with conventional geometry that suit me better, but I hope I might regain some of the core strength I have lost through lack of mileage, life having got in the way of cycling.