I just went to look at my Dia-Compe levers on my bullhorn. There is no bend at all in the cable. The cable end sits in a recess and there is a slot for the cable so it goes straight out the back. Last week Performance had these levers on sale for $14.95 in black, which I prefer. I run both front and rear brakes. I don't use them much, but I have used both enough times that I would never consider not having them.