Suicide bars are not suicide bars?

[plantluvver]

When trying out a new bike yesterday, I noticed brake levers along the top bar of a drop handle bar. This made me suspicious, because I know that suicide bars are dangerous. LBS said these are not suicide bars, because they have a separate cable, and are much shorter, than the old suicide bars, which were a curved bar that extended from the brake at the bend of the handlebar, to parallel the top bar.

What do you gals think? On my current bike, I avoid positioning my hands across the top bar, due to fear of relying on the suicide bars, so I tend to only hold the brake hoods.

Mary

[SadieKate]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...suicide+levers

Do you mean suicide brake levers?

Don't confuse suicide levers with today's interrupter levers. Different mechanical design. Popular with cyclocrossers.

They do place your hands closer to the center which is inherently less stable steering but the levers themselves are a different animal than days gone by.

[kelownagirl]

I am considering getting those levers on my new bike. I miss them even though I haven't ridden my old 10 speed for 25 years. My hands naturally go there to brake although I'm sure I'll get used to moving to the hoods pretty soon. Thank for clarifying that they are safer now. My LBS guy also said they were much better made now that the old days, although they were discouraging me from getting them installed. I think they are just road bike purists who don't like messing with the intent of the bike...

[plantluvver]

I don't know where I got the word "bars" from, but yes. So the new ones are safe? But not "professsional?"(as I picked up in the other post?

I really miss using the position on the upper bar of my drops, but I used to use ONLY those while a teenager. And I am scared to put my hands anywhere near them, cuz I will use them if they are there. I probably should just saw them off?

BTW, I want a kickstand on my bike. I don't care how "dorky" it is. However, I would like one that supports the bike stabily. I had lots of trouble with packing my groceries onto the Schwinn, The lean became too much, and the bike would topple. I suppose touring bikes must use something... One place I lock up at, there is nothing to lock up to, except a log "bumper" to stop cars from going over the edge, and into the river. There are places down on the dock, but I think it is rude to park ny bike down there, and take up space on the dock.

Mary

[Kalidurga]

What do you gals think? On my current bike, I avoid positioning my hands across the top bar, due to fear of relying on the suicide bars, so I tend to only hold the brake hoods.

BTW, I want a kickstand on my bike. I don't care how "dorky" it is.

I have both!

My cyclocross bike came with "suicide" brake levers and I don't find that I rely on them any more than the other brake levers. The surface I'm riding on tends to influence my hand position on the bars, and I use whichever brake lever happens to be at hand (no pun intended). I haven't had any control issues yet. They have the same stopping power as the other levers and I haven't noticed any steering problems when I use the flats.

And, I had the LBS install a kickstand when I bought the bike. I said the exact same thing, too: I don't care how dorky it is. I hate to lean my bike on anything that might scratch it or to just drop it on its side. If I leave it standing upright on its own when I stop for a break, then I can stand back and admire it more easily

[Quillfred]

Add another vote for the top brakes.

I find if anything, they add safety and convenience, especially on my commute when I have to make frequent stops.

I used to ride 10 speeds in high school in the mid 1970s. I was a total ditz when it came to bike maintenance and never once lubed a chain let alone much else unless the poor bike didn't work right.

I've atoned since.

Quillfred - kind to bikes

[DebW]

I really miss using the position on the upper bar of my drops, but I used to use ONLY those while a teenager. And I am scared to put my hands anywhere near them, cuz I will use them if they are there. I probably should just saw them off?

BTW, I want a kickstand on my bike. I don't care how "dorky" it is. However, I would like one that supports the bike stabily.
Mary

The old safety/suicide lever can be removed by unscrewing the large screw (star washer underneath it) that connects it to the side of the normal brake lever. This will leave a 1/2 inch post sticking out from the side of the lever. The post is not a functional problem, but will make it hard to use the top of the lever (but the levers have no rubber hoods anyway). When the safety levers were installed, a similar shorter post was removed from that spot. [I installed hundreds of those ### things back in the 70s - you couldn't talk people out of them.] If you remove them, you will probably need to tighten the brakes, since they kept the brake lever open by 1/4 inch all the time.

If you go with a kickstand on your bike, note that the length of the kickstand will change the lean and stability of the bike. The better alloy ones are cut to length with a hacksaw, so make sure it gets cut to fit your bike properly. Everybody wanted kickstands in the 70s too.

[plantluvver]

QUOTE:

"Everybody wanted kickstands in the 70s too."

Are you saying I'm OLD? ( No, I guess you're saying WE'RE old! But I am still a dork! I've grown used to the idea that I will never be slick, and ride a rocket.

Just Kidding.

But I am wondering what tourers do. (Tourists? Tourerers? ) What is the proper English, seems like tourist is right, but don't they deserve their own word? Bad enough we share "cyclist" with motorcyclists, but to share a noun with some fat geezers sitting on an air-conditioned bus, doing 17 cities in three days.

Back to my question. My kickstand is inadequate when I am creatively bungieing (Well, it's a verb now ), say, a 25 lb. frozen turkey and its accessories on my rack. (I gotta get panniers!) Tourists must use something to hold up their loaded bikes at times, I would think.

I guess I will need to find the Tourer porn website with all the pics of loaded bikes. Don't know if I bookmarked it.

Mary