True to our revolutionary design practices, we have updated the look and feel of the popular Love Lever.
First, we changed the geometry, resulting in more power.
Next, the perch clamp screw was enlarged and lengthened. It is now impossible to strip the perch threads; the head of the screw will break off first. Still, remember not to tighten the lever so much that it won't move in a crash.
Last, we groovied up the barrel adjust, for a more comfortable feeling on the fingers when making adjustments.
The New Formula Love Lever is still simple, light, durable, comfortable and handsome.
'V' brake compatible lever. Available in 2 sizes: compact (1.5 finger length) for single speed, BMX and Shimano shifters; deuce and a half (2.5 finger length) for twist shifters and larger hands Available in anodized clear and black.
Submitted by
Brian B.
a Cross Country Rider
from Oro Valley, AZ Date Reviewed: March 21, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Reasonably light weight, great look, very durable.
Weaknesses:
Feel.
Similar Products Used:
Avid Speed Dial, Cane Creek Direct Curve, etc.
Bike Setup:
Airborne Softtail
Bottom Line:
These brake levers look great and are light enough. They are also very durable. I purchased the compact levers, not the 2.5s, and they still work fine with gripshift. I am using them with Avid BB7s (because I hate hydros) and they work well. With the Avid Speed Dials you certainly have way more power, but I also feel like I have less modulation with the Paul levers. I don't know if it is because the Pauls don't have a return spring, but when I pull on the lever I can stop more evenly, although a little but slower. I like them and feel like the levers will last forever. Also, I had none of the installation problems mentioned by others with carbon handlebars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from NEOhio Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Tsali
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
They are pretty stout looking and fit my large hands pretty well.
Weaknesses:
The machining is pretty crude and you may want to take all the threaded bits and pivots out and grease them up before using them so they don't gaul on you
Similar Products Used:
Suntour XC Pro and XC Comp, XT, XTR, Real, Grafton
Bike Setup:
McMahon (Litespeed?) Ti with an mix of NOS retro and current Sachs, SRAM, Paul, Raceface, Hope, etc
Bottom Line:
These aren't too bad I guess. They are kind of a holdover from the CNC days of the mid 90's, but the finish isn't so nice. I think they do this on purpose for some reason, but it almost looks like there are chatter marks from the cutter on some parts of the mount. Odd. And all of the threaded parts seem really rough. Overall they work well, but they kind of look like poo. Kind of pricey for that kind of finish work
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Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA Date Reviewed: August 5, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Direct from Paul
Strengths:
Simple, solid, relible. Good stopping power. Nice clean look. Silent, no rattling like some Avids.
Weaknesses:
Lever reach is a bit too far out even with lever throw screw adjusted in quite far. Also, because the perch is so long, it gives a bit of flex when squeezing the lever. Shorten the perch Paul and take care of both problems! A split clamp would be nice.
Similar Products Used:
Avid Ultimates. Very nice as well but don't have the nice clean look of Pauls. Avid have a better reach.
Bike Setup:
Running them on a rigid SS.
Bottom Line:
If I had to choose between Pauls or the Avid Ultimates I'd pick the Pauls for their beautiful simple look and reliability, but for ergonomics I'd go with the Avid Ultimates.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from mobile, alabama, USA Date Reviewed: January 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:
every one i ride!
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Great Looking, LIGHT, comfortable lever, very durable. work great! nice modulation, works awesome with my avid SD ti brakes
Weaknesses:
If i absolutely had to complain about something it would have to be that these levers don't have a return spring, which in fact did bother me a little before i installed them. However after riding these levers for such a long time and absolutely LOVING them i'd have to think that a return spring is just a GIMMIC.
Similar Products Used:
Avid, shimano lx/xt/xtr, kooka, Altek
Bike Setup:
97-98 Kona titanium Hei Hei with sid race, titec ti seatpost, wtb saddle, CODA magic motorcycle cranks, frog ti pedals, xtr front der, sram X0 gripshifters and rear der, sram chain and cassette, 2006 mavic crossmax sl ssc, ritchey wcs stem, king headset, Maxm MX-1 handlebars....bad ass rig! light as crap!
Bottom Line:
If youre looking for lightweight xc brakelevers, look no further! These levers perform flawlessly through a veriety of conditions. The paul levers are made with flawless craftmanship. Also to the people who are complaining about the levers scratching their handlebars....are you going to look at the damn bike or are you going to ride it? if you actually ride the bike you should care if it scratches your bars, cause if you ACTUALLY ride you bile will get scratched and chipped. oh and , do you have the carbon bars because they are lightweight and strong or do you have them on your bike because you shop at ambercrombie and fitch and you have to stay up with all the latest trends?
Anyways, i know these levers are a little pricy, but they are just about the lightest on the market, they are strong, they work and they are made right here in the USA. I give these bad boys 5 chilis all the way around! Happy Trainl!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig T
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: March 31, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Trails in Pt Mugu and Chesboro
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$95.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Light, strong. Offer good braking power and leverage. Look nice. Different.
Weaknesses:
Haven't really found one yet. I did notice that my carbon bar was getting slightly scratched as I was slipping it over the bar, but I didn't think anything of it. Others here have said that could be a problem. Perhaps, but from what I've found out, it will take more than just barely scratching the surface for failure to occur.
Similar Products Used:
Used the old Love levers prior to these. Before that, Shimano and Avid.
Bike Setup:
Ibis Silk Ti. Crossmax SL, Fox F80 RLT, Race Face Next w/ American Classic BB, Egg Beater Triple Ti pedals, King headset, SRAM X.0 shifters and rear derail, XTR front derail, Paul Motolight brakes, etc (fully loaded)
Bottom Line:
They work really well. Light, good feel. I'm not wanting in braking power at all (and I weight 190). Not sure how well they'd work if I didn't have the Motolight brakes, though (becaue the levers don't have a return spring). But, w/ the return spring in the brakes themselves, I get a nice, snappy feeling. Crisp. I know that disk brakes have their place (downhill, freeride, wet conditions), but I don't think their is a light weight (i.e. Magura Marta, XTR) disk brake set up that can match the power of really good V brakes/ levers.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam W
a Weekend Warrior
from Central Maryland Date Reviewed: March 30, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Schaeffer Farms
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Silver ano, sick light, great feel, smooth and powerful
Weaknesses:
maybe it's just me, but they look sorta flexy after the redesign, with the hollow pivot - one can easily see the entire body going back and forth during heavy braking
Similar Products Used:
Avid & XT
Bike Setup:
Bianchi Grizzly, full XT, z.2... thomson stuff, CKing, MaxM bar & Oury grips round out the cockpit
Bottom Line:
Gorgeous levers. I'll admit, I chose them solely because they were a) light and b) silver. Why does nobody else make a high-quality silver lever or caliper? It's like either Paul or Tektro, there's no in between... okay, done with my mini-rant. They are as crisp as XT with the slightly wider finger footprint on the lever of Avid. Very minimalist; in this day of hydro disc brakes on full-on XC bikes, I feel good riding these, knowing I'm getting most of the performance at under half the weight. Oh, and they're made by a small-time independent dude. Word up. -1 flaming road pizza for value because they're expensive and flex a bit. Full-on 5 chilis overall, becuase they do everything I ask of them.
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Submitted by
Rob T
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose,CA Date Reviewed: March 18, 2003
Favorite Trail:
any<3ft. wide and or rocky,rooty&rutted
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$78.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Nicely machined,They apply the brskes very good
Weaknesses:
They are not deburred!!I'm not the 1st one to complain of this!You could damage your NICE$$$$ carbon bars with these.I wonder if it ever occurred to Paul that this could lead to bars breaking and accidents.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano,Avid,Sram
Bike Setup:
Turner 02 Its a nice bike!
Bottom Line:
I'm a machinist.I deburr everything I make.Why can't Paul do it too?These were back ordered for over a month.I would have waited an extra day or two to get deburred levers!I should have checked,I was in a hurry put on my new Monkeylites and scratched them!I think my bars will be ok,the scratch isn't too deep,although there is no excuse for uncomplete work.The levers do work good.The larger bar clamp bolt is a welcome improvement.I have the original V-brake levers and they're still going strong.I guess Paul doesn't look at reviews of his products.I haven't been able to contact him.Must be too busy deburring!Maybe I'll think twice about buying these levers next time,I almost got the Avid Supremes this time but thought I'd stick with what had worked well in the past for me.They work fine but I can't give a good grade due to incomplete work.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bob bob
a Cross Country Rider
from southside Date Reviewed: June 18, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
lightweight and sweet looking.
Weaknesses:
none
Bottom Line:
these brake levers are really strong. they feel really smooth if you have your brakes setup correctly. lots of braking leverage.
this is to the guy that had problems with the edges on the clamp. i think you just got bad one from the factory. all the people i talked to have never had that problem. i also have them on my carbon h-bars and no scratches. it works great without the return spring. retracts very smoothly. u probably just dont have your brakes adjusted correctly. put in teflon cables, tighten the brake springs, and you will feel and difference.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Jq
a
from Los Angeles Date Reviewed: May 8, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Bottom Line:
OK, I took these on an epic ride with plenty of ST, DH that got plenty of brake usage. There is no issue with the lever speed- the rear is slower than the front (from the longer cable) but I did not miss the return spring at all. Plenty of leverage and control-more than the Avids or XTR. They look like they were designed for Gripshift and fit perfectly with my Shortys. They also have a great, minimal chi-chi look to them. Lightest, coolest and functional. I got the duece and half (longer lever) and love it. I will give it 5 turds to even out my last review- these are 4 turd levers. They would be 5 if they were finished better or at least warned me that they would scratch the bars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Jq
a Racer
from Los Angeles, Ca Date Reviewed: May 8, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Strengths:
Ultra-lightweight, nice machining
Weaknesses:
Not finished very well. The edges of the handlebar mount are all really sharp, not finished off.
Similar Products Used:
Avid Black Ops, avid digit 7, XTR
Bike Setup:
Avid Ti brakes
Bottom Line:
These are really nice looking levers but the knurled adjuster is a little cheesy because it is a bit roughly molded and cut.
The bar mount must be sanded out smooth. I have a carbon fiber bar and it scored the surface when I slid the lever on. Yeah, I was pissed. 10 minutes with some sandpaper smoothed it out (why did I have to do it instead of Paul?). It is so sharp that it will score/scratch aluminum bars too. Considering these kind of levers will only be mounted on lightweight alloy or carbon bars, you would think Paul would do a better job with that. I didn't know it did not come with a return spring (too heavy I guess) and it is slower and does not fully retract imediately so it seems sloppy. Maybe my brakes are setup wrong but I dont think so. I will reserve judgement until I can put in some miles and fine tune it. Maybe a bit too weight-weenie. They certainly look trick, i hope they perform. I will add an update later. Can't give more than 3 turds because they scored my bars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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