Not looking for expensive options myself, but someone reading this thread in the future may be, and for them the Cane Creek dummy hood may be a good option. As I noted earlier in the thread, I find that the Cane Creek (made by Tektro) levers don't offer as positive/secure of a grip for torquing out-of-the-saddle with hands on the brake hoods, as do the Shimano levers. But I find the Tektro levers a bit more comfortable, though. I have really big hands so your mileage may vary on this issue.

I want to keep the lever functional even if I don't run a rear brake, in case I use the lever on a normal bike eventually, or want to add a rear brake, so no JB Weld for me. But that would be a good option for some.

Finally, I probably wouldn't be doing much backpedal-braking anyway, so a rear brake won't feel weird to me on that count. But for people who like backpedaling it's an issue to consider.