Originally Posted by
kross57
Thanks Miele. Yes, I can see where reliance on those safety levers could be very bad. And I'm currently working on a bike with brifters, so I understand the convenience. It's all good.
I'm glad you're aware of the possible safety issue with those auxiliary brake levers you have. When I worked at bicycle shops and we saw a bicycle come in with that style if auxiliary brake lever we pointed out the safety concerns and recommended that those levers be removed. There were some auxiliary brake levers made that actually went into the main brake lever instead of between the lever and the brake body like yours do. They were also thinker in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane and those two differences made that other style of auxiliary lever a lot more positive and safer in a panic stop situation.
I think that when you put the Brifters on your bike that you'll REALLY enjoy it. Not only are Brifters more convenient to use but you'll probably find that you shift more often and that makes riding a lot more efficient and thus less tiring over long distances.
Cheers