Cane Creek CrossTop Alloy Brake Levers

Running one as a front e brake on my fixed. I like how minimal it is. Feels plenty strong and stops hard. The small amount of play isn't an issue.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: July 21, 2012
Reviewed by: Adam B., Indiana

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Perfect for everyone!

I recently put these on 26.0mm bars on my Single Speed rebuild. I chose these since I wanted to keep the lines clean and it's where my hands are the most. Lever action is solid, although there is a TINY bit of slop at the pivot point, but it shouldn't be an issue. Also gives a good "feel" of the brakes and how they are contacting the wheel. A word of advice, if you're planning to use this as the primary brake lever, use a pear/mushroom shaped end. It will fit better, look neater, and won't have a large barrel end sticking out.

Pros: - Solid feel and movement
- Good for primary levers also
- Hinged clamp makes it easy to install on any bar (wrapped or not)
- Looks cool (subjective... :D)

Cons: - Pivot point seems a bit sloppy, but not a big deal.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: May 25, 2012
Reviewed by: Kevin, Illinois

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

These are awesome, the ring clamp opens so you don't have to remove everything on your bars, they are strong, not cheaply made, and look good.

Pros: Inexpensive. Quality.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 26, 2011
Reviewed by: eric b., Oregon

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Simple, strong, and responsive. No wiggle or give like other cross levers.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 10, 2011
Reviewed by: Greg, NYC

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Love these levers!

I have used these levers as stand-alones and as interceptors and both formats have worked extremely well. The hinge is handy and seems sturdy; it's never given me any strife. Great levers, highly recommended. PS- definitely choose these everytime over the crappy Promax ones. There's no contest; these are far superior.

Pros: everything

Cons: one

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: July 28, 2011
Reviewed by: Garren E., Oregon

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Bought these to use on as the lever for the front brake on my fixed gear bike, and I only have one real complaint: this model has no spring to return the lever, which means the system has to rely on the spring in the Tektro front brake I have, which isn't that strong. This makes sense though, because these levers are meant to be run in-line with drop levers that always have return springs, thus making it redundant to have a spring in the flat-bar mounted lever. Having not used them in a proper cyclocross-style setup, I can't comment on how well they work as in-line levers, but they certainly work as a standalone option for someone who wants a minimalist lever that's still safe. For the price, there aren't many complaints.

Pros: Quality, price, versatility.

Cons: No return spring.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: July 15, 2011
Reviewed by: Wade S., Washington

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Cane Creek Chicken Stix

Work as well as any other model/brand (TRP, Salsa).

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: July 10, 2011
Reviewed by: Mike, California

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

It annoys me to ride without crosstop levers, and these are simple and curved nicely to fit your hand. They feel slightly cheap compared to more expensive crosstop levers but they do the job well. Price is very reasonable too.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: March 29, 2011
Reviewed by: Kenneth, California

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Good quality with nice features

I use these on my Surly Long Haul Trucker which I occasionally tour off road with. It allows me to safely brake while going down steep rocky fire roads. I got the 24mm bar clamp model so I could mount them wide apart on my drop bars for this purpose. I find them useful when riding in the city too. The construction quality is great and they have a nice ergonomic feel. I also like that it has barrel adjusters as I have cantilever brakes and aero levers. The barrel adjusters are angled slightly toward the bars which makes for nice cable routing with my aero brake levers.

Pros: 24mm bar clamp for wide mounting, quality, ergonomics, angled barrel adjusters

Cons: None

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: March 17, 2011
Reviewed by: Michael S., California

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

I bought these for my girlfriend as she has trouble putting a good amount of pressure on her drop levers. She has really small hands. I used these set up as inline levers and they allow her good stopping power.

Pros: quality lever, always an option for people with small hands.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: January 02, 2011
Reviewed by: Phil G., New York

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

looks better on the bike than in the picture. Great set of brake leavers. May not be as comfortable for people with small hands.

Pros: look good

Cons: none

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: December 10, 2010
Reviewed by: Curtis c.

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Lack of spring, not a plus

These are pretty decent levels, but a little flimsy. I guess maybe flimsy is the wrong word. The construction and materials seem good enough, but the lever lacks a spring to bounce back into the open position. Instead they rely on the spring of the drop levers. Not ideal in my opinion. They do the job, but tend to stick a bit.

Pros: price

Cons: lack of spring

Would Buy Again: No
Would Recommend: No

Reviewed on: November 04, 2010
Reviewed by: dzimney, Portland, OR

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

I purchased the 31.8 version of these levers. They clamped right on to my OS aluminum road bars. I was surprised at how comfortable I found the lever given their price. The lever has a nice curved shape with a smooth surface, where other levers I've used have a flat face and rough surface.

They come with barrel adjusters, which was a nice cost-saving item given my use with cantilever brakes and sti shifters. I used cable ferrules at both sides of this lever which seemed to be much smoother than without.

Over all, I'm very impressed with these levers given the price of the pair.

Pros: -Well priced
-Nice grip surface
-Barrel Adjusters

Cons: -None

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: November 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Mat W, California

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Single order (Qty 1) includes BOTH L and R levers so don't do what I did

It was not clear in the web description that a single order includes BOTH levers (L and R). No complaint here just that I ended up with 4 levers instead of two. Just need to send one set back is all.

May mount set on downtube to use with my feet. That'll give me some street cred!

Pros: Nice quality and note adjusting nut is at a slight angle which the online photo doesn't show. Graphics are a little different than photo but quality is very nice.

Cons: None that I can see

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 26, 2010
Reviewed by: John I., Minnesota

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Great for CX

These are must for your CX rig

Pros: simple to install

Cons: none

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 20, 2010
Reviewed by: James R., North Carolina

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Used as primary brake levers on a fixed gear road bike. No complaints really the typical CC brand standard so nothing was unexpected.

Pros: Good quality, adjustable pull

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 11, 2010
Reviewed by: Richard B., New York

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Sweet bar top brake levers

I run the 24.0 diameter ones and they are sweet! I love how they fit on the bar itself instead of the bulge. This allows for a wider stance while using them, for more stability. The hinged clamps also make them super easy to install. A really nice design overall.

Pros: Design allows for wider position on bars.
Hinged clamps.
Works great!

Cons: None.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 05, 2010
Reviewed by: Noel B., Oregon

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

These are great. I'm using them on dirt drop bars, and I find I use them way more than I use the drop levers. An unexpected benefit is that they make it easy to adjust the brake line tension, even while riding.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 26, 2010
Reviewed by: Jeff O., Oregon

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate

Cross top levers were easy to install and work very nicely. I actually prefer using these to my brifters when in tight traffic or climbing hills as I get more pull on them at the same time sit higher so I can see better.

Pros: Easy install. Very handy in traffic during commute

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 15, 2010
Reviewed by: Daniel P., Washington

Was this review Helpful?  Yes  No    Report as Inappropriate