Originally Posted by
Doohickie
So if you have to move the turkey leg 3 times as much, it means you are generating 3 times the braking force for the same applied force as the "real brake lever". By your argument, suicide levers are more effective.
Yes. On the cheap bikes I had I felt like I could almost snap a brake cable with the extension levers. Again, for me the issue was the amount of lever travel required. Imagine if the brake pedal in your car had 3-feet of travel. On my bikes I could pull the extension levers up and beyond the top of the bars which would press the real levers tightly against the bars easily bringing me to a stop but I couldn't keep my hands on the bars while doing it. I think they were a good idea with somewhat poor execution.
Maybe on some bikes the extension levers would strike the bars and not go past hence the suicide nickname?