Brake levers for riser bars?
 

Hey folks, quick question...

Just received a brand new Windsor Clockwork and I love it! It's my first SS and it's great fun to ride. I ordered some Dimension risers:
Attachment 226592

and I'm wondering if I need to buy new brake levers for them?

The stock levers look like this:
Attachment 226591

If so, what kind of brake levers should I look for to fit the risers? Thanks so much for your help. These forums have been extremely helpful in getting me started.

Cyclocross levers, or interrupter levers, will work. They can be used without the drop bar levers.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/BR7312.jpg

scroll down a bit
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brake-levers-drop.html


or use regular levers for mtb. bars.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/brakes-tech77.jpg

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brake-levers-up.html

The interrupter levers are not a large, I like the looks of them better, too.

Assuming you have regular road brakes, you need standard pull levers. Most Mt. bike levers are long pull for v-brakes and will not work correctly with road brakes. Be sure to get levers specific to short pull brakes. Some levers are compatible with both systems, depending on where you attach the cable on the lever...like these.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...49&category=10

I also like cross levers much better. You'll need one with a 24mm clamp - like this - and will need to shim it to fit.

Your local shop will have a bunch of hard rubber shims that commonly come with reflectors that you can cut to fit and will work perfectly.

Also, any BMX lever will work without a shim.

i hate to contradict scrod but...

while cross-top levers are ok for riser or flat bars, bmx/mtb-type levers just seem so much more...right

make sure to, as Chad1376 advised, look for short-pull

Thanks for the quick replies. Scrod, are these the same levers that you cited? I have a PayPal acct so ebay is easier for me.

So these BMX levers would work just as well? It makes no difference to me, other than being cheaper...

They're the same. If you only need one, I'm pretty sure BikeIsland accepts PayPal.

And yeah, those BMX levers would work too.

I just got a set of the Tektro FL750 Levers from Harris Cyclery for $30. For the money, very good levers IMO.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...st43/brl41.jpg

You can ghetto on road bike levers, just to let you know. But the two-finger brakes look much cleaner on risers, especially more so if you plan to cut.

PS: By the way, the ghetto method might require shims / will be unreliable. It is an option but don't expect it to be 100% efficient nor mount it and expect to use it in emergencies.

With a dual pivot brake caliper, you want to use something like the shimano bl-r550. Its a flat bar brake lever for road brakes. Regular mountain levers have a different pull ratio and wont feel good.

http://store.biketouringnews.com/shi...ake-lever-set/