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Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from South Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | If it's dirt, it's good | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Source, Irvine | | Strengths: | Light weight, awesome looks, great modulation | | Weaknesses: | haven't found one yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid, Shimano, Dia Compe | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, XTR, Race Face, Kore, Spinergy Spox, Manitou X-Vert Air | | Bottom Line: | More updates. These levers have now found their way on a fourth frame (see reviews below). Had to take the SC to the bike shop the other day and the mechanic was pretty excited about the levers. He thought they were classic and that I shouldn't use any other levers. Anyways, they still work great. If you can still find a pair, it would be worth purchasing. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | This is an update to my 4/98 post. I have now used these levers for 2.5 years on three separate bikes. I have not experienced a single problem yet. If you can still find them, BUY THEM! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross-Country Rider
from New York
Date Reviewed: June 26, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
xc trail | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Very Light Weight | | Weaknesses: |
Absolutely nothing | | Similar Products Used: |
xt levers | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Attitude Race | | Bottom Line: | Performance: Excellent (You can't go wrong with this beauties)
Looks:it's a head turner
Price:never mine coz. it's worth a thousand buck
Get it today befor it's all sold out | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boston
Date Reviewed: April 25, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
relatively inexpensive, great feel, good looks | | Weaknesses: |
some poor design features: barrel slots too large, adjustment locknuts do not function, cut-out potentially dangerous, and silly sized clamp bolt | | Similar Products Used: |
XT Cantis, XT XTR LX D/C Vs, Hayes Hydraulic Disc, Magura Racelines | | Bike Setup: |
Was on my hardtail (ti frame Judy SL, MT&RF&XT parts) now that I have just one it is on my BMX - DK Legend | | Bottom Line: | While being an excellent felling lever they have major problems. In my 2+ years of use I have experienced EVERY one of the faults that the others have experienced. First off the slots for the barrel end are too large, no cable made on earth fits properly. Second I ha one of my levers springs get screwed up, fortunetly XT brakes have strong springs so it really didn't matter. And once I DID get a finger stuck in the cut-out, just dumb luck but still no good. I also bent my left lever on my knee when doing a little DH action at Mt. Snow which hurt real f*cking bad! So I stuck the remaing one on my BMX where it is functioning as good as it can. I would recommend XTR as being a better choice though as they are far stronger and fell even better which I didn't think was possible. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BIKE FREAK
a racer
from Montreal,QC,CAN
Date Reviewed: February 23, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Very cool product...
I raced them for a full season with zero problem and zeroflex!!!( the 4mm clamping bolt is too tiny though) I let them go when I sold the bike... with regret!!! Those who had problem with breakage probably bought early production units (????) | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
neil
a racer
from NC
Date Reviewed: December 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
i like these a lot. not as good as XTR, but hell, i got them from Bikeworld for $19. cant beat that. they are light. dont flex. look cool. ive put about 600 miles on then and no problems. i can see how the cable snatch can be a hazard. to avoid problems DONT use shifter cables for brake cables! also set the lever up before the brake so you can rotate the cable in the housing so it dosnt twist in the lever. like i said, no problems so far... 5 flamers | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
schiz
a weekend warrior
from b'ham, alabam
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I liked these levers, also, until they broke!!!! Be careful. If the brake cable end becomes twisted in the lever, then all the force applied to the lever will rest upon a tiny sliver of aluminum that will break. Guaranteed. This is a serious design flaw with these levers. These levers will join the crappy Machine Tech LP brakes (that I long ago replaced due to crappy design)in the crappy high-end junk parts retirement shoe box. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JoBu
a cross-country rider
from FL
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I first saw these brake levers when I bought my girlfriend a 96 Klein Attitude. After taking a short ride on her bike, I was in love. I quickly ordered a set for my ride and have been stoked ever since. They have a great feel to them, their modulation feels as good as my old XTR's, plus with their billet look, they are one of the best-lookin' levers out there. My advice as always is ride before you buy, but once you've spent a few minutes on them, I'm sure you'll have a set on your ride. 5 flaming Mr. Hanky's. Heidee-Ho | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Julian Wilson
a racer
from Manhattan,Kansas
Date Reviewed: September 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These levers are very cool! You have to be kind of stupid to put your finger in the cut out, it does take some effort. If you have any problem with these levers in the long run shims work great. I had no problem keeping my fingers out of the cut outs, but I can also resist drinking bright colored fluids from underneath the kitchen sink, that might have something to do with it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Spanky
a cross-country rider
from east coast
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
OK, it's been almost 2 years now, and here is an update. The levers still look good. the design is simple. they havn't fallen apart yet. However, the return spring is really weak. there are three settings for return spring tension via 3 holes in the brake lever body. the spring is so delicate, weak, and light that it does not stay in the hole. I'm not sure if it pops out of the hole due to too much room or play in the body in conjunction with the weakness of the spring. I have to rely on the tension in my brakes to return the lever fully to it's position. I have not contacted Machine Tech yet, but plan on calling them this week for some input. My rating has gone down. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
carlo obillos
a cross-country rider
from toronto
Date Reviewed: May 26, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
i found these levers for thirty bucks canadian (about 2.50 american, so i bought them. i thought i would compare them to my precision billets, and if i didn't like them, i could sell them easy. i'm selling them. in comparison, the pivot is stickier, there is more play in the lever, and they are slightly heavier. they do pull more cable than the precisions, though, and therefore feel firmer. i really don't care about the too-big cable holes, but i do like the adjustability, looks (it would take an effort for me to catch a finger in the cutout) and the quiet way they sit in my toolbox. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bisikl
a weekend warrior
from N.C.
Date Reviewed: May 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
They worked O.K. for a while,but they fell apart on me while flying down a fire road.They gave no indication that the bolt assy. had came loose.When I realized they had came apart, it was too late to recover the lost parts.They're performance was good until this happened.I'm sticking with Shimano! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BRAIN
a weekend warrior
from TN
Date Reviewed: May 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
MACHINE TECH BRAKE LEVERS ARE VERY NICE LOOKING LIGHTWEIGHT AND WELL MADE. MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT HOLES IN THE BRAKE LEVER BLADES ARE TO LARGE NO MATTER WHAT BRAND OF CABLE YOU TRY. THIS DOES NOT EFFECT PERFORMANCE BUT THIS FLAW SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BY MACHINE TECH BEFORE PRODUCTION. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a weekend warrior
from Aliso Viejo
Date Reviewed: April 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been running these levers with Avid 20 brakes for about a year now. These
levers are awesome. They are very light and engage very smoothly. Although the
levers can be pulled with two fingers, one finger is all that is needed. This
lever is also excellent for the price. You can't go wrong. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zack Minick
a racer
from u.s.a.
Date Reviewed: April 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had these levers for a good 6 months and I love them!! They look great ( due to the expert machineing), work fantastic, have all the options, are light, and are priced less than most other comperable levers. The blade is big enough to fit 2 1/2 fingers (none of that 1 finger crap) and is quite comfortable. I have heard stories of people getting their digits cought in the cut-out, but I have never experienced this myself. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gabe
a weekend warrior
from Boyertown, PA
Date Reviewed: February 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These levers look great, are low weight, and just feel good on your
fingertips (I've used Shimano's Dia-Compes, Reals, and Avids before).
I'm using them with Avid SD V-brakes for about a year and I haven't had
a problem. I read an earlier review that said they may break around the
hole for the cable and I must admit it looks like it could (kinda hard to
explain unless you see the lever) but I think you're using less force with
a longer brake arm (longer arm is a bigger lever) so I wouldn't worry
about it. The cable end sits in a little twisted but it doesn't affect
anything. If I had to buy levers again I'd check out the new Grip Shifts
because they're light and low $$$; but if there was ANYTHING I didn't
like I'd be right back to the machine techs. They just feel good. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
spanky
a racer
from east coast
Date Reviewed: February 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
the zeroflex levers look awesome, and they work -unlike others (kooka).
the levers fit nicely under one or two fingers, but are long enough for three.
the workmanship is flawless and the tolerance between parts is very close.
i use them with avid 2.0 and the set up is simple, powerful, and low maintenance.
get them if you can find them. they work-no gimmicks. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gen Quale
a weekend warrior
from Mukilteo, WA
Date Reviewed: February 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
While always looking for cool and sometimes inpractical upgrades for my
bike, I came across these levers. I fell in love with them because of
there looks and options. Unfortunately, I do find some flaws. As stated
by another critic, the pockets for the cable ends seem to big. I
don't like the fact you have to leave the lever pivot bolt somewhat loose
for the lever to move freely. And it feels to me that the lever is too
close to the bar. They work good and look awesome but I think I enjoyed
my cheap Tektro levers just as much. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Hiles
a weekend warrior
from Cardiff, Wales
Date Reviewed: January 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
From when you take these gorgeous looking levers out of the box, to your
first experience of their fab stopping power, these levers are to die for!
For use with V-brakes, the Machine Techs are competetively priced against
XT levers, and beat the competition hands down. For the price, these levers
are unbeatable. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robbie
a cross-country rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: May 3, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I had a pair of the zeroflex levers for a short while--a very short while. They actually broke before I got them out of the garage. The levers are lighter than most anything else in their price range (approx. $70) and they have a pretty unique design. They allow you to adjust modulation by placing the cable stop in one of three recessed pockets. It's a pretty cool idea, except that it requires leaving one half of the stress bearing part of the lever unsupported. They also cut the recessed areas too large so that the stopper has too much play. The combination of these two aspects of their design allows the stopper to shift so that the weak part of the lever is supporting most of the stress. I was pretty disappointed when they broke because they seem like a really simple, light, moderately priced way to go. I'm glad it happened while the bike was in the stand, though, and not while I was halfway down a long steep hill or commuting in traffic. I went ahead and shelled out the extra bucks for a pair of Avids and have been quite pleased. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DL
a cross-country rider
from Anchorage, Ak.
Date Reviewed: January 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These levers are sharp looking and look to be well made. The 3 slots for cable attachment do make a difference in the brake feel at the lever. I'm using mine with my cants, Pauls Stoplites. They work very well with these brakes. The levers are very comfortable and work well with my Sachs twisters. I give them 4 stars for now, 5 if they prove to be as durable as they are good looking. | | Overall Rating: |
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