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Machine Tech Zeroflex QL

MSRP $ 55.00
Weight
# of Reviews 21
Average Rating 3.81/5
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Description:Machine Tech Zeroflex QL



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    Submitted by Rob a Cross Country Rider from South Orange County, CA
    Date Reviewed: November 21, 2001
    Favorite Trail:If it's dirt, it's good
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $65.00
    Purchased At:Bike Source, Irvine
    Strengths:Light weight, awesome looks, great modulation
    Weaknesses:haven't found one yet.
    Similar Products Used:Avid, Shimano, Dia Compe
    Bike Setup:Santa Cruz Superlight, XTR, Race Face, Kore, Spinergy Spox, Manitou X-Vert Air
    Bottom Line:More updates. These levers have now found their way on a fourth frame (see reviews below). Had to take the SC to the bike shop the other day and the mechanic was pretty excited about the levers. He thought they were classic and that I shouldn't use any other levers. Anyways, they still work great. If you can still find a pair, it would be worth purchasing.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Rob a Weekend Warrior from Orange County
    Date Reviewed: January 25, 2000
    Favorite Trail:all of them
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Bottom Line:This is an update to my 4/98 post. I have now used these levers for 2.5 years on three separate bikes. I have not experienced a single problem yet. If you can still find them, BUY THEM!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by James a Cross-Country Rider from New York
    Date Reviewed: June 26, 1999
    Favorite Trail:
    xc trail
    Duration Product Used:
    3 months
    Strengths:
    Very Light Weight
    Weaknesses:
    Absolutely nothing
    Similar Products Used:
    xt levers
    Bike Setup:
    Klein Attitude Race
    Bottom Line:Performance: Excellent (You can't go wrong with this beauties)
    Looks:it's a head turner
    Price:never mine coz. it's worth a thousand buck
    Get it today befor it's all sold out
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Jamie a Cross-Country Rider from Boston
    Date Reviewed: April 25, 1999
    Duration Product Used:
    2 Years
    Strengths:
    relatively inexpensive, great feel, good looks
    Weaknesses:
    some poor design features: barrel slots too large, adjustment locknuts do not function, cut-out potentially dangerous, and silly sized clamp bolt
    Similar Products Used:
    XT Cantis, XT XTR LX D/C Vs, Hayes Hydraulic Disc, Magura Racelines
    Bike Setup:
    Was on my hardtail (ti frame Judy SL, MT&RF&XT parts) now that I have just one it is on my BMX - DK Legend
    Bottom Line:While being an excellent felling lever they have major problems. In my 2+ years of use I have experienced EVERY one of the faults that the others have experienced. First off the slots for the barrel end are too large, no cable made on earth fits properly. Second I ha one of my levers springs get screwed up, fortunetly XT brakes have strong springs so it really didn't matter. And once I DID get a finger stuck in the cut-out, just dumb luck but still no good. I also bent my left lever on my knee when doing a little DH action at Mt. Snow which hurt real f*cking bad! So I stuck the remaing one on my BMX where it is functioning as good as it can. I would recommend XTR as being a better choice though as they are far stronger and fell even better which I didn't think was possible.
    Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by BIKE FREAK a racer from Montreal,QC,CAN
    Date Reviewed: February 23, 1999
    Bottom Line:

    Very cool product...
    I raced them for a full season with zero problem and zeroflex!!!( the 4mm clamping bolt is too tiny though) I let them go when I sold the bike... with regret!!! Those who had problem with breakage probably bought early production units (????)
    Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by neil a racer from NC
    Date Reviewed: December 8, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    i like these a lot. not as good as XTR, but hell, i got them from Bikeworld for $19. cant beat that. they are light. dont flex. look cool. ive put about 600 miles on then and no problems. i can see how the cable snatch can be a hazard. to avoid problems DONT use shifter cables for brake cables! also set the lever up before the brake so you can rotate the cable in the housing so it dosnt twist in the lever. like i said, no problems so far... 5 flamers
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by schiz a weekend warrior from b'ham, alabam
    Date Reviewed: October 8, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    I liked these levers, also, until they broke!!!! Be careful. If the brake cable end becomes twisted in the lever, then all the force applied to the lever will rest upon a tiny sliver of aluminum that will break. Guaranteed. This is a serious design flaw with these levers. These levers will join the crappy Machine Tech LP brakes (that I long ago replaced due to crappy design)in the crappy high-end junk parts retirement shoe box.
    Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by JoBu a cross-country rider from FL
    Date Reviewed: September 30, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    I first saw these brake levers when I bought my girlfriend a 96 Klein Attitude. After taking a short ride on her bike, I was in love. I quickly ordered a set for my ride and have been stoked ever since. They have a great feel to them, their modulation feels as good as my old XTR's, plus with their billet look, they are one of the best-lookin' levers out there. My advice as always is ride before you buy, but once you've spent a few minutes on them, I'm sure you'll have a set on your ride. 5 flaming Mr. Hanky's. Heidee-Ho
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Julian Wilson a racer from Manhattan,Kansas
    Date Reviewed: September 10, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    These levers are very cool! You have to be kind of stupid to put your finger in the cut out, it does take some effort. If you have any problem with these levers in the long run shims work great. I had no problem keeping my fingers out of the cut outs, but I can also resist drinking bright colored fluids from underneath the kitchen sink, that might have something to do with it.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Spanky a cross-country rider from east coast
    Date Reviewed: June 24, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    OK, it's been almost 2 years now, and here is an update. The levers still look good. the design is simple. they havn't fallen apart yet. However, the return spring is really weak. there are three settings for return spring tension via 3 holes in the brake lever body. the spring is so delicate, weak, and light that it does not stay in the hole. I'm not sure if it pops out of the hole due to too much room or play in the body in conjunction with the weakness of the spring. I have to rely on the tension in my brakes to return the lever fully to it's position. I have not contacted Machine Tech yet, but plan on calling them this week for some input. My rating has gone down.
    Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by carlo obillos a cross-country rider from toronto
    Date Reviewed: May 26, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    i found these levers for thirty bucks canadian (about 2.50 american, so i bought them. i thought i would compare them to my precision billets, and if i didn't like them, i could sell them easy. i'm selling them. in comparison, the pivot is stickier, there is more play in the lever, and they are slightly heavier. they do pull more cable than the precisions, though, and therefore feel firmer. i really don't care about the too-big cable holes, but i do like the adjustability, looks (it would take an effort for me to catch a finger in the cutout) and the quiet way they sit in my toolbox.
    Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by bisikl a weekend warrior from N.C.
    Date Reviewed: May 16, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    They worked O.K. for a while,but they fell apart on me while flying down a fire road.They gave no indication that the bolt assy. had came loose.When I realized they had came apart, it was too late to recover the lost parts.They're performance was good until this happened.I'm sticking with Shimano!
    Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by BRAIN a weekend warrior from TN
    Date Reviewed: May 6, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    MACHINE TECH BRAKE LEVERS ARE VERY NICE LOOKING LIGHTWEIGHT AND WELL MADE. MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT HOLES IN THE BRAKE LEVER BLADES ARE TO LARGE NO MATTER WHAT BRAND OF CABLE YOU TRY. THIS DOES NOT EFFECT PERFORMANCE BUT THIS FLAW SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BY MACHINE TECH BEFORE PRODUCTION.
    Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Rob a weekend warrior from Aliso Viejo
    Date Reviewed: April 30, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    I've been running these levers with Avid 20 brakes for about a year now. These
    levers are awesome. They are very light and engage very smoothly. Although the
    levers can be pulled with two fingers, one finger is all that is needed. This
    lever is also excellent for the price. You can't go wrong.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Zack Minick a racer from u.s.a.
    Date Reviewed: April 2, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    I have had these levers for a good 6 months and I love them!! They look great ( due to the expert machineing), work fantastic, have all the options, are light, and are priced less than most other comperable levers. The blade is big enough to fit 2 1/2 fingers (none of that 1 finger crap) and is quite comfortable. I have heard stories of people getting their digits cought in the cut-out, but I have never experienced this myself.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Gabe a weekend warrior from Boyertown, PA
    Date Reviewed: February 10, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    These levers look great, are low weight, and just feel good on your
    fingertips (I've used Shimano's Dia-Compes, Reals, and Avids before).
    I'm using them with Avid SD V-brakes for about a year and I haven't had
    a problem. I read an earlier review that said they may break around the
    hole for the cable and I must admit it looks like it could (kinda hard to
    explain unless you see the lever) but I think you're using less force with
    a longer brake arm (longer arm is a bigger lever) so I wouldn't worry
    about it. The cable end sits in a little twisted but it doesn't affect
    anything. If I had to buy levers again I'd check out the new Grip Shifts
    because they're light and low $$$; but if there was ANYTHING I didn't
    like I'd be right back to the machine techs. They just feel good.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by spanky a racer from east coast
    Date Reviewed: February 7, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    the zeroflex levers look awesome, and they work -unlike others (kooka).
    the levers fit nicely under one or two fingers, but are long enough for three.
    the workmanship is flawless and the tolerance between parts is very close.
    i use them with avid 2.0 and the set up is simple, powerful, and low maintenance.
    get them if you can find them. they work-no gimmicks.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Gen Quale a weekend warrior from Mukilteo, WA
    Date Reviewed: February 7, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    While always looking for cool and sometimes inpractical upgrades for my
    bike, I came across these levers. I fell in love with them because of
    there looks and options. Unfortunately, I do find some flaws. As stated
    by another critic, the pockets for the cable ends seem to big. I
    don't like the fact you have to leave the lever pivot bolt somewhat loose
    for the lever to move freely. And it feels to me that the lever is too
    close to the bar. They work good and look awesome but I think I enjoyed
    my cheap Tektro levers just as much.
    Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Paul Hiles a weekend warrior from Cardiff, Wales
    Date Reviewed: January 8, 1998
    Bottom Line:

    From when you take these gorgeous looking levers out of the box, to your
    first experience of their fab stopping power, these levers are to die for!
    For use with V-brakes, the Machine Techs are competetively priced against
    XT levers, and beat the competition hands down. For the price, these levers
    are unbeatable.
    Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Robbie a cross-country rider from Portland OR
    Date Reviewed: May 3, 1997
    Bottom Line:

    I had a pair of the zeroflex levers for a short while--a very short while. They actually broke before I got them out of the garage. The levers are lighter than most anything else in their price range (approx. $70) and they have a pretty unique design. They allow you to adjust modulation by placing the cable stop in one of three recessed pockets. It's a pretty cool idea, except that it requires leaving one half of the stress bearing part of the lever unsupported. They also cut the recessed areas too large so that the stopper has too much play. The combination of these two aspects of their design allows the stopper to shift so that the weak part of the lever is supporting most of the stress. I was pretty disappointed when they broke because they seem like a really simple, light, moderately priced way to go. I'm glad it happened while the bike was in the stand, though, and not while I was halfway down a long steep hill or commuting in traffic. I went ahead and shelled out the extra bucks for a pair of Avids and have been quite pleased.
    Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by DL a cross-country rider from Anchorage, Ak.
    Date Reviewed: January 24, 1997
    Bottom Line:

    These levers are sharp looking and look to be well made. The 3 slots for cable attachment do make a difference in the brake feel at the lever. I'm using mine with my cants, Pauls Stoplites. They work very well with these brakes. The levers are very comfortable and work well with my Sachs twisters. I give them 4 stars for now, 5 if they prove to be as durable as they are good looking.
    Overall Rating:4






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