Road bike brake lever Black Friday on sale

Lever-shifter, lever alone or part: what can you find here?

Most references are lever-shifters, which combine the brake and gear shifting on the same lever: Shimano from 105 to Dura-Ace, Sram Apex, Rival and Red, Microshift and Sunrace in Shimano compatible versions. Single brake levers serve bikes without a shifter at the handlebars, like the TRP Hylex hydraulic or time trial levers from Campagnolo. Main lever assemblies from Shimano, for ST-6800, ST-R9100 or ST-R9150, can repair a damaged lever. The MTB levers present, Sram G2, Code or Maven, are not compatible with a road handlebar.

Points to check on your transmission

• Number of speeds: a lever-shifter controls a specific number of cogs, 9 for the Sunrace R91, 11 for the 105 R7020 and Ultegra R8020, 12 for the Dura-Ace Di2 R9270.
• Number of chainrings: double or triple, the left shifter must match your crankset, as specified by the Microshift and Sunrace R81 levers.
• Stated compatibility: the Microshift levers claim to be compatible with Shimano, but one of them excludes the Tiagra 4700. Read this note before ordering.
• The brake: a rim brake lever pulls a cable, a hydraulic lever pushes fluid to its caliper; the two cannot be swapped.
• Electronics: a Di2 or AXS lever only controls the derailleurs of its own system.

Levers on sale: check the exact reference

Road levers are usually sold individually. With Shimano, the right lever controls the rear derailleur and the left controls the front derailleur; with Sram AXS, both levers share the rear derailleur and simultaneous pressure changes the chainring. Then check the version: a Shimano reference ending in 25, ST-R7025 or ST-R8025, brings the lever closer to the handlebars by 4 mm for smaller hands. Finally, look at the contents: a kit combines lever, hose and caliper, while a lever body arrives bare. Once these three points are aligned, compare the crossed-out price and the displayed price of the same reference: the discount on a left lever doesn't inform you about the right one.

Useful pages about levers

Outside of promotions, the entire offering can be found in the road brake levers. During Black Friday, a hydraulic lever pairs well with a road disc brake, and a cable lever benefits from new cables and housings. The practical levers and those for MTB have their own pages, and the clearance takes over outside of the promotion.

Brands of levers in the selection

Shimano covers the road from 105 to Dura-Ace Di2 R9270, where the levers wirelessly control the rear derailleur, and sells the parts of its levers separately.

Sram equips its road AXS, Apex, Rival and Red groups with cable-free shifters: only the brake hose comes from the lever.

TRP sells its Hylex hydraulic levers individually, intended for road handlebars without a gear shifter, on a single-speed bike.

Microshift, the first Taiwanese derailleur manufacturer, offers road lever-shifters in aluminium, with double or triple chainrings.

Sunrace, another Taiwanese transmission specialist, offers its R91 controls in 9 speeds and R81 in double or triple chainrings.

Campagnolo, the brand from Vicenza, supplies the time trial brake levers for its Super Record EPS electronic group.

Frequently asked questions

What is referred to as the lever of a road bike?

It’s the body of the lever-shifter, fixed to the handlebars, where the hands usually rest. It houses the gear mechanism and, in hydraulic systems, the master cylinder.

How do you adjust the angle of the levers?

Loosen the lever collar, accessible by lifting the cap, then position the lever so that the wrists remain in line with the forearms, hands resting. Align both sides, tighten to the specified torque, and then redo the handlebar tape.

Can a Sram lever be paired with a Shimano derailleur?

Generally no: the pull ratios differ mechanically, and each electronic system has its own protocol. The Microshift or Sunrace levers stated to be compatible with Shimano are exceptions.

Do discounts on road levers continue after Friday of Black Friday?

Yes. The promotion gets its name from a Friday, the day after the American Thanksgiving, and Vélo-Store maintains its Black Friday discounts on levers and their spare parts throughout November. Just note the reference of your shifter: a single lever is enough if it keeps the same number of speeds and the same brake.

Can a bent lever after a fall be repaired?

A bent blade or a torn cap can often be replaced by spare parts of the same reference. However, a split body or a gear mechanism that no longer indexes requires a new lever.