Submitted by
Steve Dundee
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000
Strengths: Weight, comfort, adjustability
Weaknesses: Quite a bit of play has developed and where I cycle is quite flat so I hardly use the things. The bushings pop up slightly from the lever body but can be pushed back in.
Bottom Line:
These levers have a good feel and work well but the play they developed is annoying and is getting worse. Prefer Avid and Shimano.
Strengths: low weight very comfortable shape and size adjustability
Weaknesses: flimsy poor bearings don't fit well on thicker bars
Bottom Line:
These lever are pretty good if you have very thin bars. Otherwise you're a bit stitched because you won't be able to tighten up the bolts enough. This means that the (very comfy) lever blade flaps about all over the place and is really annoying. Sometimes the barrel adjuster vibrates and alters it's position on bumpy bits of dh or whatever, so watch out for that.If you do have thin bars they're top though because they feel really nice. They require a hammer and chisel top get them onto a pair of azonic bars otherwise though. I also got them dead cheap (£15) so the value is good but £80 sterling is far too much.
Similar Products Used: dx, magura lever dia compes
Bike Setup: azonic ds1, pace rc37, hopes roox
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Iron Mountain
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2000
Strengths: VERY Light, very cool looking, and easily rebuildable.
Weaknesses: Overall, this product is very weak. I crashed ONCE and the lever bent at a 90 degree angle! It can be bent back, but it's a little surreal to see your lever at that angle.
Bottom Line:
While these levers are very cool, the strength is somewhat lacking. For no confusion, they are rigid, but they bend a little to easy.
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Baltimore, Maryland
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2000
Bottom Line:
**Update on the review below**
I'd like to make a correction about what I previously stated. The '99 levers that I recently purchased have a forged lever blade which is bead blasted for a non-slip grip. I was informed of this by a Jeff Menown from Real Design's tech support. He also informed me that the lack of slots on the clamps occurs only on the original equipment model. This model also comes equiped with steel clamp bolts instead of the aluminum bolts on the after market model. As I see it, this only makes the X-lever more durable, because I did happen to break a bolt on my after market model.
So all of this only means that I should be perfectly satisfied with the performance and longevity of these new levers. Long live Real Designs and Jeff Menown for a quick response to my uncertainties!
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Baltimore, Maryland
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2000
Strengths: Beautiful craftmanship, great adjustability, completely serviceable, and stiff as iron (crashed on them more than a few times)
Weaknesses: Absolutely none!
Bottom Line:
I've tried a number of different levers on other peoples bikes, but none came as close to the X-levers' stiffness. **BE WARNED**: I recently purchased a second pair which were made in '99----the lever blades appear to be of a cheaper quality....probably cast aluminum:( My previous pair have CNC'd blades which are very durable. I'll let you know about the second pair when I get some use on them. Also, the clamp on the new levers don't have that cool open slot like my first pair.
If you like these levers and are depressed about the cheapness of the new ones, give Real Designs an e-mail at tech@real-design.com.
OH! Did I mention that these levers are infinitely adjustable and serviceable.
Bike Setup: It has great adjustability for using cantilevers or v-brakes. It has the best clamp design ever: uses a chainring bolt(very nifty-easy replacement).
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bomber
a Racer
from Singapore (but come from Sweden)
Date Reviewed: December 11, 1999
Strengths: Looks, reach, build quality, looks, its light, looks ,cnc machined clamp and did i mention looks?
Weaknesses: None yet......
Bottom Line:
This is a GREAT lever. It has everything that need and want from a lever, its lightweight, strong, it looks cool, its well made and it works well. I recommend this lever to any1 who wants a great trouble- free brake (that looks good too!). Seeyall, bomber.
Submitted by
dave s
a Downhiller
from houston texas
Date Reviewed: November 4, 1999
Strengths: weight looks strength
Weaknesses: nothing to complain about yet
Bottom Line:
i have used these levers for over a year without any problems. they are so much better than the xt levers they replaced. they have better reach than the shimanos i had been using.
Bike Setup: cannondale caad3 w/fatty sl caramba cranks white hub/ syncros rims xtr derailleurs kore stem/bar/seatpost specialized team ed. tires
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bikematt
a Cross-Country Rider
from California
Date Reviewed: August 9, 1999
Strengths: light, cool looks, versatile, compatible with all cable brakes
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
I really have enjoyed these levers, I run a mix of v-brakes and cantilevers on my bike (personal secret) and like the fact that these levers are strong responsive, and work with both types of brakes. They look really cool to. I looked at similar levers but like these for there weight, recommended strentgh and versatility. I would reccomend these to anyone.
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wesbury
Date Reviewed: August 6, 1999
Strengths: Light, Strong, simple, versatile, did I mention LIGHT, and Strong !
Weaknesses: well, they're not free, but otherwise have no significant faults
Bottom Line:
Buy these if you want excellent lightweight flex-free levers. They function perfectly, and are pretty to boot. ( perfect finsish by the way, with good lever grip even wet due to the matte finish ) Great design - replace the clamp bolt with an alloy chainring bolt for extra weight savings ) left / right interchangeable, so a set of spares goes a long way (though you probably won't need them )
Strengths: This lever has a nice shape without any sharp edges. For the weight, the lever itself is very stiff. Also, the lever is well suited to fit around Grip Shifters.
Weaknesses: I don't think the lever was finished as well as it could of been. Also, I did notice some play out of the box that I assume will only get worse.
Bottom Line:
This is a decent brake lever, but for the price ($75) I think that the tolerances on the pivot could be better and the ano could be improved.
Similar Products Used: Avid 2.0 SL and Grafton Levers
Bike Setup: Dean FS with a Manitou Carbon SX fork. XTR V-brakes
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DJD
a cross-country rider
from SF Bay Area
Date Reviewed: March 10, 1999
Bottom Line:
I liked their canti product, and I like the X Lever also. But be careful, if you tighten the handlebar clamp too much, it impedes the cable movement (it squeezes the cable path so it is too narrow to allow smooth movement). If your brakes seem to be sticking, then try loosening the clamp.
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from Connecticut
Date Reviewed: January 26, 1999
Bottom Line:
These are GREAT levers !! No slop (is it fair to compare to the clapped out XT levers they replaced ?!) The pivots are designed and built much better than XT EXCELLENT pull with my Avid SD 2.0 V brakes - at least as good as the XT set (and they work great with '98 XT arms as well) lighter than almost any V-levers (except Kooka Rachas!) - left/right interchangeable - I love that they used chainring bolts for clamp bolts - excellent feel - the only thing I've tried that I like as much are ESP 9.0 levers. Get them at UniversalCycles for $56 I don't think Keven Macgowan (below) reviewed RealX-levers - they definitely are V levers!!!!
Submitted by
Keven Macgowan
a weekend warrior
from Rancho Palos Verdes
Date Reviewed: January 20, 1999
Bottom Line:
I have to say Im not impressed with these levers. I have owned them for 2 years, and they have developed lots of play. The bike store I bought them from claimed they could be used for V-brakes. Not so, they do not have the pulling range. They look really trick, and are light weight, but cost to much($75) and dont work with V's. I bought a pair of Shimano XT levers for my V's for only $39 and only added about 30gms to my bike. The Shimanos have no play, and tons of stopping pull/leverage. Unless you love your cantis, dont buy these levers. Two stars for looks, and cant performance.
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