Suicide levers - leave or remove them?
 

I see quite a few bikes posted in here that have been restored or repaired and put into daily use that still have the suicide style brake levers ("break" might be appropriate here ;) ). I read one comment from someone who called them turkey legs or something like that.

A Raleigh Marathon I picked up recently and tuned to ridable condition I've taken the levers off of it and plan to either chop down or find shorter pivot bolts.

Is there a reason people are leaving these auxiliary brake levers on their bikes? To make it period correct? They actually use them? I know they kind of work and are convenient, but I have a tendancy to remove them.

Opinions? Comments? Or should I just go to lunch and not think about this stuff too much********** :o

Leave them if you want it to look stock. Remove them if you're tempted to use them!

I had a clunker 10 speed I used for awhile. I used the suicide levers somewhat and didn't have any problems with them. They don't really brake all that well, but I didn't use them in any hard braking situations anyway. Usually I used them on my short runs to the store and back-- a couple of blocks of flat terrain at low speed. For actual riding I used the regular levers though. Come to think of it that bike also had stem shifters which I used too-- had no problem with them either.

You certainly can use them, but I wouldn't rely on them if you're doing any hard riding or moving at any sort of decent speed.

I remove the levers and the dork disks on all bikes I flip on Craigslist. It makes them lighter and I think they look better.

Most of the better vintage bikes don't come with these beasts but when you do land one laden with the trappings of the day, I count them as the first thing to remove, right along with the reflector baggage, common on mid-level 80s bikes. I had an old Fuji that I gave to my nephew that looked like a whole different machine once all the suicide levers, reflectors galore, and Pie Plate Mama went to the wayside. It's almost cathartic to go through this ritual, virtually freeing the bike of the detritus bringing it down. Ditto for the kickstand that many shops added to these 12 speeds of the day. It's amazing what it does to the aesthetics, not to mention weight (and the mental weight is even more...heh). Suddenly, you notice the frame and the lines of the bike, in full simplicity without all the gimcrackery hanging at every corner. Of course, others disagree. That's part of what makes the fixed gear movement so compelling, despite the hipster quotient. A bike in it's simplest form can be a beautiful thing to behold, too.

I think I'll leave them off and find a spare set of bolts to trim down. I'll throw the arms into a bag with the longer bolts in case I ever decide to sell/flip the bike(s) and the buyer wants them.

I think if I, or anyone I'm fixing a bike up for, really wants topbar brake levers then I'll just install a set of those in-between lever setups. In fact I think I'll pick up a set tonight to play with.

That's probably why I put more miles on the Fillmore than all my other bikes combined. Pure simplicity.

Thanks for the thoughts, I like your thinking.

My understanding was that the first safety extensions were originally patented by Dia-Compe in the very early 1960s. Around 1963 Weinmann formed a reciprocal manufacturing agreement by which both companies would share designs. This was mainly so Weinmann could also make the safety levers on their brakes, so they were considered a very important marketing gimmick at the time - and they proved to be VERY commonly used. Later, Mafac even designed levers with their own style of safety extensions which could be factory fitted to their standard levers (with no major modifications) and these actually had the advantage of not interfering with their typical "half-hoods" on their lever tops.

They could serve a useful purpose when riding in the city and at slower speeds when you are holding the tops of the handlebar and sitting in a more upright position. This was why they were extremely common on most Schwinn and other US made bikes of every price range. They were intended to make a typical American purchaser who was not accustomed to riding bikes with drop bars feel more secure riding a road bike. I believe they were not common at all on European sold bikes - although Mafac "Guidonnet" (top-of-bar-only) levers were always very popular in France.

They are probably not at all necessary for most adult riders. I suspect they fell out of favor as brake levers became more comfortable in contour for riding and more effective for braking with hands resting atop the hoods. However, you now find secondary "interrupter" levers are often mounted near the center of drop bars - especially on modern Cyclocross bikes. These serve much the same purpose, but are more effective. And, most importantly, they do not have the stigma of conventional safety extensions - which came to indicate a lower quality bike and/or a novice bicyclist.

They were always the first things which anyone I knew would remove from any bike they purchased back in the 1970s, when they were most popular. :rolleyes:

I don't have a problem with suicide brake levers. They work well for me.

I like stem shifters, dork discs and reflectors too.

Vintage baseball cards poked in your spokes?

Haha, I actually hear that though, that stuff gave me decent service in the city for my clunker grocery runs. My jeans, stayed clean, the cuffs free of the chain and I got to sit upright a little bit for the slow run over to the store. I will say I did remove the wheel reflectors though- I never liked having stuff mounted in my spokes.

My only complaint is that the location of the stem shifters always made me a bit uneasy (and afraid of going forward in an accident), especially when pointed at me... if you know what I mean.

As much as they are subject to roadie snobbery, they were somewhat helpful for low level stuff.

If I feel the need to use brakes on the flats on a vintage rider, I would install interrupter levers without a second thought.

Only machine in my collection with the turkey wings still intact is my '71 Schwinn Continental which is rarely ridden, if at all.

-Kurt

Got 'em, use 'em.

Wouldn't miss them if they were gone but I don't feel like pulling them off.

I ran into the side of a car that pulled in front of me because of suicide levers. Took them off that night. They are pretty scary in a panic situation.

+1 in taking them off. I almost got doored, and they came off right away.
Maybe the levers can be adjusted, but my stopping power seems more precise without them since you go right to the source. Could be bunk - but I somehow feel better in control without them.

I kept the original screws on. Eventhough they stick out a little, it doesn't affect the weinmann lever. Maybe try it out - you can always put them back on.

If you really like them, you can also hang stuff on them -> x-mas bulbs, socks, whatever.

[QUOTE=phillyrider;7212133If you really like them, you can also hang stuff on them -> x-mas bulbs, socks, whatever.[/QUOTE]

I thought about hanging a small hammock between them and using it as a pseudo handlebar bag or a place to carry a banana or a bagel. Hmmm, got some thinkin' to do about that idea now ;)

Bagels... that's brilliant. To hell with safety and parked cars, I'm putting mine back on.

Properly setup, they work fine, but that is a pretty big qualifier. Their performance degrades quicker with pad wear than does that of the main levers, since they don't have as much travel range, so poor performance can sort of sneak up on a rider over time. That being said, a bike with a well adjusted pair is fun for just casually cruising around.

+1, except for the dork discs. A sure-fire way to be sure your brakes are set up correctly is to tune them, replace pads, etc. until you can use the turkey wings to stop an old 12 speed. Mine work fine.

Mine work great. I have skidded to a stop in emergency mode many a time. True your wheels and adjust your brakes if you want to use them.

I thought 12 speeds were the new ones with those new-fangled 6 cog freewheels. Youngsters. Sheesh! ;)

I just ordered a pair of interrupter levers for my daughter's Peugeot. She rarely rides the drops and those old Mafac levers weren't designed to work from the tops. I have some old Tektro aero levers I found at a swap. It's worth it. I have a lot of money invested in those teeth!

I'm adding elk hide covers to the bars at the same time. She's jealous of mine.

Just take them off. That's what we did in the 70's. :)