Reddit reviews SRAM S500 Aluminum Brake Lever Set (Black)
We found 2 Reddit comments about SRAM S500 Aluminum Brake Lever Set (Black). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Aluminum lever bodyIncludes both right and left brake lever
We found 2 Reddit comments about SRAM S500 Aluminum Brake Lever Set (Black). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
SRAM S500s are a little more expensive, but a great choice for those who prefer the feel of SRAM hoods.
Sure you can.
If you opt for the older non "aero" brake levers, so they're called, you will only have to undo the bar tape from the bottom to the lever mounts. There's likely a bolt, 5mm, that you access from the front of the lever. You may need to push the cable out of the way to access it.
If you're going down this road, I recommend undoing all the bar tape and going for the so-called aero brake levers, which often feature levers that "blade" outward, so that you can more easily access them from the sides of the drops, but more importantly, are generally much larger and vastly more comfortable to hold. The cables are routed internally, under the bar tape, rather than on the outside.
Here are some models:
TRP and Tektro make many other varieties to fit your brake cable pull needs, etc.
EDIT: some more things I thought of, plus added (non-affiliate) links above.
You can replace with non-aero brake levers (so called, because the cable is routed externally), or just replace the hood (grippy part). It will cost you the least effort.
The aero brake levers do have other advantages I forgot to mention:
I do hate the fact that the fixing bolt (5 mm hex) is obscured by the brake cable in many brake levers. This is a nuisance if you ever want to just fine-adjust the position of the brake levers, or after a crash & they got bent.
Shimano & SRAM fixed this by relocating the bolt outside. I'm not sure if this is the case with the SRAM S500 levers, but I suspect it would be.
Furthermore, if you come across dysfunctional brifters (shift + brake combos, AKA STI), you can trivially substitute them in & just use the brake function, which should never have issues. I've done this a few times & occasionally your LBSes will discard these brifters, leaving you with a free pair of brake levers. Sometimes they are much nicer than dedicated brake levers.
Here is a short review of the TRP RRL levers. The user does a comparison with the non-aero variety you have, & explains the use of the shim which gives a more modern (IMO significantly more comfortable) flat transition from bar to hood.