Originally Posted by atbman
they were known as suicide levers because you took your life in your hands if you relied on them to sope you in an emergency.
The new "Through levers" as used on 'cross bikes are, however, very efficient
They suck because unless your brake pads are super tight to a perfectly true wheel, you don't have the leverage to squeeze for dear life... the way most of those brakes need to be pulled to stop.