My Specialized Singlecross came with V-Brakes. Which are great, but it also came with bar top/cross/ine line levers. Which pull the right amount of cable for calipers or cantilevers, aka short pull brakes. They kind of felt like squeezing a mushy sponge.
The internet told me I could get a set of Tektro RL741’s for long pull brakes. But no one seems to sell them. The Paul Component Engineering Cross Lever is both linear and short pull compatible. Plus the Paul’s levers fit with my new commitment to only going with nice stuff on the single speed commuter.
They come set up for short pull brakes. You need to move the pivot to the higher hole for it to pull the right amount of cable for V-brakes.
Here is where I will side track, the pivot bolt is fixed on with a c-clip.
That is a tiny c-clip. In fact my c-clip pliers would not fit.
The dremel had to make its appearance.
I sharped the tips and it fit the c-clip.
How do the levers work? Great! It really is nice to have brakes that work when you pull the lever. Solid construction gives them a real positive feel.
When you get on a downhill that is a little rougher than you would have planned they are great to have. I know you say real races don’t use them, but hey Katie Compton does, and she’s more bad ass than you or me.
The only downside is the price, at $100 ($80, on sale at Speedgoat.com) that is pretty expensive. Especially considering the TRP Carbon Cross lever is $50.
But with the ability to switch back and forth between short and long pull and the super high quality build, I am sure these will last a really long time and move from bike to bike. So if you want to run V-Brakes and cross top levers, get these Pauls.
Damn! Awesome shot of the Compt!!!