Suicide bars are not suicide bars?

[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

[plantluvver]

"Suicide brake levers are the ones on old ten speeds with drop handle bars. The standard brake handle is located at the bend in the bar, while the "suicide lever" comes under and parallels the top bar. If they were straightened out, they would be about 8" long. These are what I have. Should I just file off those levers? As a teen, these were all I used. In fact, I did not want a bike without them, because I didn't think I could get to the standard brake lever in timeto stop.

The other levers are short, about 4" long, the entire lever is located at the horizontal bar, and functions by a separate cable. These are safe? Are they common? I would really hate to rely on them, and then later, have to get used to them being gone. I might react automatically in a situation and NO BRAKE!

Mary

[eofelis]

Are you talking about cyclocross brake levers?

The brake cable runs through the 'cross levers to the brake. It is not a separate cable.

I had some put on my touring bike. I liked them so much I had them put on my road bike too. They work great. I really like them on long descents, when it's hard to hold onto the regular brake levers for a long time. I use them sometimes for just riding around town too.

Sure, they look super-phreddish, but I feel they enhance my comfort and safety on the bike.

[plantluvver]

I remember him saying that there were separate cables. Honestly, I just wanted to leave the store, and was distracted. ( I had somewhere to go, and I did not want to be looking at bikes just then.

Now that I've got one bike fixed, and feel like I can fix the other myself, I can relax. I don't need to rush out and buy a bike. I'll keep my eyes open for the next beauty though. I was just frantic over not having a bike for my commute that night, and thoroughly fed up with the inconvenience of hauling around bikes on the bus, and not getting them rideable, for various reasons.

But now the bike godess is smilng upon me, because I dedicated the afternoon to my Schwinn Traveller.

Mary