What do you do when you've got a CNC machine and a lathe in your home? You make replacement brake levers of course. That's what Tyler Jarosz, founder of Twenty6 in Montana, US, has done anyway.

The Dualie levers are CNC'ed from 6061 T6 aluminium and are available to fit Avid, Hayes and Shimano brakes. You might be wondering what the point of replacement brake levers might be, other than if you bend one in a crash, but there's numerous reasons.

One can be a difference in braking feel, and here Twenty6 claim the levers fine-tune the feeling with increased modulation. Upon fitting to a set of Shimano discs, we were hard pushed to detect a major difference in the feel, perhaps a smigden firmer, but you need to be really concentrating to notice a difference. They do shave a bit of weight, though we're talking grams here - a pair weighs in at 46g.

The biggest difference is the shape of the lever, which is much more profiled than a standard item, with two definite hooks for two- and one-finger braking. This made for more comfortable lever feel, with your finger more hooked up in those seat-of-the-pants moments. The lever sitting closer to the handlebar was also a bonus, but we have to say that we preferred the shape of the Straitline levers that we tested recently.

But perhaps the biggest reason for replacement brake levers is one of aesthetics. With the range of anodised colours extending from black, blue, red through to more challenging pink, orange, yellow, purple and green, there's something for everyone.

Ups and downs

Range of colours, look better than standard brake levers, easy to install

Pink, purple and yellow colours? What were they thinking...

Verdict

Some might question the value of these replacement brake levers, but for some it might be the last step to a totally customised bike setup. They're exceptionally well machined, with embossed logos and a satisfying lever feel.

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