crock

My bike drop bar road bike uses cantilever brakes and bar end shifters. I am now forced to replace the brake levers. The choices are Tecktro, Cane Creek, Shimano Tiagra, Dura Ace, and Campy Record. My question is, are the most expensive Dura Ace or Record levers have any real performance or durability improvements? I have kept this bike for 20 years as a daily rider, so the extra cost is negligible over the long haul if there is some distinct benefit. However loading a bike with worthless bling is just more of a thief magnet that I don't need.

AEO

IMO canti brakes work better with campy style quick releases that are built into the lever.
so tektro/cane creek (cane creek is the same thing as tektro except it has textured hoods) or campy

otherwise they're not that different.

Metzinger

I've studied this brake lever cost/benefit thing for a while now.
The benefit of brake levers is that they help you stop.
The cost is that they make you look as though you are afraid of things.

cs1

I second the Tektro/CC levers.

Chris_W

I'm using a Cane Creek SCR-5C lever. Here is the review I submitted to the online store where I purchased them:

I previously owned a pair of Dia Compe brake levers like these, but never liked the shape of the hood or lever on those. So, I thought I'd try these ones from Cane Creek, and they've turned out to be awesome. I only use one of these levers - I have an Ultegra 6600 right-hand STI brifter, and then I have one of these on the left-hand side coupled with a down-tube shifter for the front derailleur (old-school Lance Armstrong style to minimize weight, plus it gives me continuous control over the FD). The shape of the brake lever of the Cane Creek feels excellent when used from the hoods or from the drops - the shape is ideal for my fingers, and is even nicer than the Ultegra brifter. The hood of the Cane Creek is wide and large - very slightly larger than the Ultegra 6600 brifter, and I'm pretty happy with the comfort when grabbing the hoods - way more so than I was with the Dia Compe's, which were too small and hard. This is the "compact" model (SCR-5C), meaning that there is a shorter reach between the lever and the drops (the standard version is the SCR-5, which share the same hoods and lever shape). The reach is ideal for me (I have medium-sized hands), although I wouldn't call it short, it is more like medium.

thechamp

the cane creek / tektros are way more comfortable in my hand than shimano brake-only levers in my opinion. the quick release is nice. I'd be surprised if they didn't last a very long time. Don't know campy but I cant see how they be worth the premium.

supcom

The Shimano Tiagra brake levers are very good and are as good as the Dura Ace ones for a lot less money.

The Tektro/Cane Creek levers are the same except for the hoods, as mentioned earlier. These are also very good levers. I think they are more comfortable than the Shimanos as they have a wider base. The built in quick release is very nice for cantis.

I own both brands and it really comes down to personal preference.

jccaclimber

As far as road bikes are concerned, the smoothest brake levers I have ever felt were the Dura Ace non STI brake levers. However, the hoods on those were a bit too narrow for me, and they don't stop me any better or worse than the much much cheaper Tektro levers. If you want to stop well put the money into good brake pads and tires rather than levers. Get the cheapest levers that you find comfortable, which in my case was actually cheaper Shimano levers.

smovlov

+1 on the Tektro/canecreek. I'd go Tektro as they are cheaper. The housing routing is a little funky for the front, going under the tape immediately to the cable stop. There are a couple solutions to this. one is this. The next is to loop the cable over then into the cable stop like this. Or if you have enough room just run the cable straight in.

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