Suicide levers?

Hard to answer that one. I guess the levers fell into question because they offer somewhat less braking power than the main levers. So when the average novice cyclist let his brakes get out of adjustment and had little normal braking power, then the suicide levers gave practically none.

Personally, I have used them in the past but not in years. I may have to again for physical reasons as my current ailments have rendered my hand strength at way less than before and I'm also into modifying most of my bikes to give me a more upright position.

That said, if you can find the Shimano version of these levers, they have a much more positive attachment and are more robust overall. I will most likely put these on my wife's road bike that is in the works.

If you have the original Lambert levers, I believe (but haven't tried yet) they can be modified to the Weinmann or Dia Compe suicide levers by changing out the pivot pin.

So I guess I'm in a different class in the poll: didn't like 'em in the past, good for some IF brakes are in proper adjustment, and perhaps great for me going forward.

Best,
John "wheelson"

I use them as much as the main levers if not more.
My preferred hand positions are on the hoods and tops, so with older levers being difficult to access unless you are down near the drops I end up using the suicide levers. Ideally I should fit some aero levers so I can brake from the hoods.

With some fine adjustments and regular maintenance they can be quite effective. The wheels have to be true so the brake blocks are only a few mm away from the rim and blocks in good condition.

I can’t remember which brands I have now but they’re fitted on three of my Viscounts and they are not the same.

I'm pretty much of Brian's way of thinking - I would normally remove the suicide levers or replace the brake levers entirely.  However, I do have a pair of first gen Dura Ace brake levers, including the suicide ones, which go with a set of first gen DA centre pull brakes.  These are lined up for my Viscount Corsair Mixte bike when I convert it back to drop bars - it currently has straights.  The bike originally had Tourney levers with suicide bits.

But.  These DA ones are, in my opinion, a cut above most s/lever brakes in that the s/levers directly pull on the cables.  In most s/lever types the s/levers themselves act on the main levers in a fairly loose and random manner, which causes them to feel - and be - spongy.  In  the DA brakes the s/levers are primary and the ordinary levers work on them.  Hope this photo helps to show that.


suicide lever by ShouldbeCusquenobutF**krwontletmeintomyproperaccou, on Flickr

Out of interest, can anyone recommend some levers that allow riding on the hoods and wouldn’t look out of place on a 70’s Viscount? By that I mean fitted higher up the curve on the handlebars without the levers looking wrong.

John, what brand of cross bar levers are you using? Can you provide a link to more info about them. I am aware of how they work and have seen some information but nothing very specific.

I like mine.
They work fine, and are Shimano.
I have recently fitted modern front brake pads, the Clarke ones with the three different compounds. They are longer than original, meant for mountain bikes, and don't look period, but they are silent, silky smooth, stop well, an actually look kinda cool!
I would also add that some of my rides average 20mph, so I'm not dawdling!

I just put a set of the cross bar brake levers on my Cannondale “gravel” bike, drop bars with 3 by 8 speed STI shifters. Since the STI’s combine the brake and shifting on the same lever, I think the cross bars are going to be helpful to my aging arthritic body. Less reach and no false shifting for “casual” braking from a more upright position. 😐
Best,
John “wheelson”

When I was a kid they were known in Aus as 'lazy brakes' and they instantly made your bike look mid-range. As soon as I could I cut them off so I was not so tempted to ride on the tops like a dork, but reach for the hoods like the pros one occasionally saw on the telly. This was in the era of Phil Anderson (early to mid 80s). Kind of paired in my mind with steel rims, spoke protectors and foam handlebar covers. b

The suicide brake levers were perhaps rightly named as they definitely downgraded braking power especially for the average rider who wasn’t on top of maintenance, to put it lightly. As far as the suicide shifters, Schwinn also used them but earlier than my 1966 entry as bike mechanic. The sign of a low tier bike was the stem shifter.
Best,
John “wheelson”

I have a Dura-Ace set of suicide lever brakes, which Shimano made for a short time in the early 70s. They are different from most of their type in that the suicide levers are the primary brake mechanism, acting directly on the cable with the nipple housed within the in-board bit of the lever. It is the 'racing' brake levers that work indirectly, by acting on the suicide lever. For most sets of suicide lever brakes the situation is opposite to that, with normal racing brake leverss on which the suicide levers act. For some brands, this results in a very sketchy action, with lots of backlash and flex.

I don't usually like suicide levers, for the reasons previously mentioned, but I am planning to put them on my Viscount mixte when I convert that back to drop bars from straights. It already has Dura Ace centre-pull brakes fitted (again only made for a short while in the early 70s).