Interupter brake levers

[mikeymo]

Riding with hands by the stem is pretty unstable anywhere brakes are needed.

Yes, that's the conclusion I'm coming to.

Sorry, I forgot there are grammarians in "these fora".

"Yes, that is the conclusion to which I am coming".

[Brucey]

Forgot about the water ingress. .

pfft. It rains in this country.... and the interrupters are often the first place the cable lube gets washed out because it leaves the cable more or less exposed to the elements.

...Presumably then adding interrupter levers is easier than removing them, in terms of the brake cables?

well sort of. If you want to fit them I think you need to untape a section of the handlebars and make good again afterwards. Simply because the levers bring the cables forwards slightly, and don't allow a rearwards/downwards bend in quite the same place, you may find that you do need to fit longer cables in order to fit the levers. I'd describe the usual cable routing from a RH lever to a typical DP front caliper (with the cable mount on the RH side) via an interrupter lever as 'a bit crap'. Certainly it is a lot more crap than usual.

The idea that using the brakes when the hands are closer together is a bad thing has some logic when riding offroad or on other bumpy surfaces, but otherwise is pretty much hogwash. Because you are sat up more it is arguably a better position to deal with the traffic in, because you will both see and be seen rather better.

cheers

[mikeymo]

The idea that using the brakes when the hands are closer together is a bad thing has some logic when riding offroad or on other bumpy surfaces, but otherwise is pretty much hogwash. Because you are sat up more it is arguably a better position to deal with the traffic in, because you will both see and be seen rather better.

cheers

It might well be "hogwash". But I don't feel as in control riding on the tops. So I do it on quiet roads, or bike tracks, or anywhere I don't think I'll have to brake suddenly or take avoiding action. I may be mistaken in that "feeling", but whether I am or not, it means I'm usually riding on the tops when I'm not likely to need the brakes in a real hurry.

I take your point about visibility and being visible. Though I don't ride in dense traffic that much, to be honest. But I do ride on the tops to look over hedges and suchlike.

[reohn2]

I've been using crosstop/interupter levers for over ten years.I find them great,used from the tops with index fingers(so hands further apart) descending steep technical offroad stuff where I'm off the back of the saddle keeping the weight rearward,or on rough gravel forest roads riding on the tops using both wrists and elbows as shock absorbers
They are as effective if not better than the Tektro RL340's with BB7 discs with 160mm rotors,similarly so with Ultegra 9sp STI's with 203mm rotors on the tandem when we had it.
I've never experienced any evidence of water ingress in the cables in wet weather or washing the bike.

[ANTONISH]

I fitted them to my partner's bike when we did the Pyrenees raid in 2007.
She really liked them and that ride certainly tested the brakes.
I had to fit them to her other bikes - there have been no problems with them and her work bike was left outside her work in all weathers.

[profpointy]

I have them on my tourer and they are excellent. Also good off road as I'd usually rather have my hands on the flat bit of the bar rather than on the drops if descending a bumpy track. My hands aren't right by the stem but in a "reasonable" position comparable to shortish flat bars. Not too much of a faff to fit.

[jb]

Horses for coarses, I had some suicide levers fitted on my first bike and if set up properly were great for controlling descents. You just learnt never to use them if you wanted to actually stop.

Not saying they were a great design, they were not very rigid; when my next bike didn't have them I didn't miss them.

[PH]

Horses for coarses, I had some suicide levers fitted on my first bike and if set up properly were great for controlling descents. You just learnt never to use them if you wanted to actually stop.

Yes but you need to compare apples with apples
The old style suicide levers and interrupter levers are very different designs, although they have similarities in purpose.

[jb]

Horses for coarses, I had some suicide levers fitted on my first bike and if set up properly were great for controlling descents. You just learnt never to use them if you wanted to actually stop.

Yes but you need to compare apples with apples
The old style suicide levers and interrupter levers are very different designs, although they have similarities in purpose.

Oh yes I realize that, I was just saying that having access to the brakes from the bar top has its uses, especially for touring.

[PH]

Oh yes I realize that, I was just saying that having access to the brakes from the bar top has its uses, especially for touring.

OK, it's just that the statement about suicide levers being no good if you want to stop is misleading without the explanation that they're not the same thing as being discussed in this thread. My experience and that of others I know who've used the interupter levers is that they are at least as good as the main levers and in some instances better.

[willcee]

Interesting comments, I fitted them on any tourer or winter bike that I built in the last 12/15 years, 95 % of my time when riding was on the tops and I usually put one on the right for the front brake. The last one had only a rear left side fitted .I never had any issues with cable fraying but then I examine my machines regularly, rarely do they suffer wet conditions or get put away wet..now I'm on discs and I wish something similar would be made for hydro systems.. One thing I discovered was the use of Nokon cabling definitely benefical in any tricky bends around the bars..so they work and work well but need careful setting up.. will

[a.twiddler]

They get a recommendation from me. I did a drop bar conversion to a flat bar hybrid about 12 years ago and found them straightforward to fit with 3TTT Randonneur bars. They gave the ability to gently brake with thumbs or a finger with hands on the sides as well as full on braking on the flats or drops.
No issues with cable fraying or water ingress. I've had them ready fitted on my last two drop handlebar bikes and it feels strange to ride a bike without them now. I would certainly fit them retrospectively if I bought a bike with all the other attributes that I like, if it didn't have them already.

[greyingbeard]

Different brakes require different amounts of cable pull for them to work properly

How much cable to cross top brakes pull ? and what is their optimum brake capiler/canti/etc

[Brucey]

Different brakes require different amounts of cable pull for them to work properly

How much cable to cross top brakes pull ? and what is their optimum brake capiler/canti/etc

they are mostly for caliper brakes (eg older DPs). It used to be that you could get a model suitable for V brakes, but this doesn't seem to be available any more.

cheers

[PeterBL]

they are mostly for caliper brakes (eg older DPs). It used to be that you could get a model suitable for V brakes, but this doesn't seem to be available any more.

cheers

Indeed Tektro seems to have stopped producing their RL740 with longer cable pull. These can be adjusted and should work with V-brakes, but are not cheap: https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/component ... oss-lever/