Review Proflo lever vs Shimano Deore XT 8100 brake lever

[LRB]

Product Image:

Product name: Proflo lever vs Shimano Deore XT 8100 brake lever
Price paid: 105 us for proflo lever
Score (out of 10): 10

Review: I have the Shimano 8120 calipers and xt 8100 brake lever factory installed on my Bulls AM 4. I have had the bike since March and have had to replace the left brake lever 3 times due to breaking or bending. Twice on crashes and once when I just lost my balance and bailed. I bought the Proflo because of reviews and the fact it flex’s backwards, a definite asset I believe. They were super easy to install and feel great. I only have one ride on them but they felt sturdy.
I feel the Shimano brake lever has a design flaw, it is very narrow through the body and bends extremely easy. If you look at the picture you can see the bend from my last bailout.
The Proflo per lever is around $50 US lever (you can only buy them as a pair). They were out of the black so I ordered the oil slick, they look pretty sharp. The Shimano lever (8100) is $25 if you can find them, otherwise you have to order the full lever at $55. Nice to have a spare but it adds up.
The 8120 brake sets are great, I replaced the stock pads with the MTX gold pads and they work stunningly well. 4000’ of vertical today with some heavy braking and there was no fade.
1000 miles later……
still working great, had one good crash where the levers went back, worked as noted above. Finish still looks great, gets More comments then the bike. Very solid feel.

 

[Rosemount]

Loosen the clamps on the brake levers so they can move with a decent amount of force .[ more than normal use ]
Hopefully when they hit the ground they just twist around on the bars and you twist them back . Old Moto trick .

 

[RickBullotta]

Loosen the clamps on the brake levers so they can move with a decent amount of force .[ more than normal use ]
Hopefully when they hit the ground they just twist around on the bars and you twist them back . Old Moto trick .

This.

Saves a lot of parts. Takes 15 seconds and a 4mm or a T25 to get 'em straight again.

 

[MartinD.]

Good post. I went through the same thing, bending my XT 8100 lever after a stall/bailout and went with the Pro 100 from the US. They feel more solid and at $100 a pair are really quite a bargain compared to the cheap-feeling original blades. As said, they take a minute or three to install and I'm very pleased with them.

 

[LRB]

Loosen the clamps on the brake levers so they can move with a decent amount of force .[ more than normal use ]
Hopefully when they hit the ground they just twist around on the bars and you twist them back . Old Moto trick .

I guess I should have posted this after the first broken lever, your tip would have saved me $100. ?