Razor Rock Stiffy Lever Blades
Cam McRae

I'm picky about braking. I don't worry much about shifting and my bike is often as dirty as Tie Domi, but I put some serious effort into having my stopping system function perfectly. Hayes has been just the ticket and I have used Purples, Comps, mechanicals and the good old Mags and I have always been very pleased with their performance. The one complaint I had was the levers.


The gold standard among Hayes Replacement levers
Before I went hydro I had been using XTR cantilevers on my commuter. These were the best levers I had put my fingers on. They had a nice flat blade and a good hook at the end for one fingering. I found theHayes levers to be too narrow and not flat enough on the surface of the blade where your finger(s) make contact. I always set my levers up so that when my hands are on the end of my bars, exploiting the entire width, I have to reach a little to get my finger on the hook of the blade. This keeps me from squishing my other fingers under the lever and it seems to maximize leverage. For this set-up a generous hook is ideal and confidence inspiring and I didn't find the Hayes to have enough hook. Perhaps the biggest complaint about Hayes levers for the kind of riding we do is that they aren't very tough. I bent several of them and broke one. It is difficult to get them back to their original shape and expensive to replace them. My final beef is that if you are the type of rider who likes your lever close to the bar this can only be achieved by compromising brake power. When you thread the lever further onto the push-rod you sacrifice leverage and experience a noticeable loss of power. Having your levers further from the bar increases hand fatigue, so either way you are hooped.

When Kelly Walters, the former Razor Rock rep in the area, showed me his Stiffys I had to have a pair. The install was straightforward and the instructions were clear and in a short time I had new levers. The overall length of the blades is about a quarter of an inch less than what they replace but the profile is very similar. The shape difference lies in the width of the contact area. This part of the blade is also slightly knurled to add some friction for your gloves.


The Razor Rock Stiffy lever.
Another thing you notice about the Razors is that they have a second reach adjustment that operates independently from the push-rod. Because of this you can move your levers as close to the bar as you like without sacrificing any power.

Right away I liked the Stiffys' feel and adjustability and over time I came to trust them more. Kelly had his levers set so they engaged very close to the bar and gradually my levers have made the same migration as I become more comfortable with that position. I only use one finger on the levers except in rare cases where my hands get fatigued (the monster in Kaslo!) and I always have more than enough power. Because the levers engage so close to the bar I also have a much more confident grip on my bars and this seems to contribute dramatically to a reduction in hand fatigue.
"Your One Finger Friend"
Before you think this is all sunshine I do have a few gripes. Because of the extra mechanism in the Razor Rock lever it can malfunction. The lever is actually two pieces and if there is an impact that causes the gap between these parts to close the bushing that links the lever to the push-rod can bind causing a reduction in feel and power. This has happened to me twice and while the problem was tough to diagnose it was easy to fix with a little prying. My other complaint is the lack of hook on the end of the lever. The original lever has less hook than I like and these have substantially less again. The only levers I have seen which have a generous curve are made by Gravity Racing Components and I'm actually testing a pair of those right now. Lastly I would like to see the back of these levers machined smooth instead of hollowed out in the middle. I set my levers so my fingers can't really get caught behind the blade but many folks like theirs further outboard making this a possibility. If the levers are smooth the chance of injury is reduced.

Despite my peeves my fingers have never slipped off my RRs and I have never been injured by the back of the lever. This is an excellent product I have recommended to many riders and not one of them has regretted switching over. You can now pick them up in blue and red as well as black. I have used them on Purple Hayes and Mags and they worked great on both.

If your local dealer doesn't stock them, Stiffys can be ordered directly from the Razor Rock web site and they'll ding you for a reasonable US$69. Canadian dealer inquiries can be directed to Chris, who is also the Canadian Dirt Works rep. The Canadian retail is $129.95

Function: 4.5
Finish: 4.0
Price: 3.5
Overall: 4.0
Pros: Cons:
- Adjustable
- Great feel
- Less hand fatigue
- Very strong		 - Small lever hook
- Can bind after impact

Essential trivia
We in Canada pronounce lever like beaver unlike our Southern neighbours who rhyme it with clever - a little cross-border trivia for you. E-mail me and tell me the pronunciation in other English-speaking lands.

Story and photos
Cam McRae