SRAM S-990 Aero Brake Lever

SRAM S-990 Aero Brake Lever Info

The SRAM S-990 Aero Brake Lever’s coolest feature is one you have to experience to believe.

Yes, it’s designed to plug into the end of a bullhorn or base bar, those forward-pointing handlebars designed for triathlons or time trials. Yes, it has an expander plug. Yes, the plug has a hole in the middle to thread a brake cable. Yes, the lever blade is carbon. Yes, there’s a return spring. Yes, it’s crazy light at 112g.

All of that is pretty standard for SRAM. What stands out is a nifty adjusting feature. With a tiny 2mm hex key, you can loosen the lever body base and spin the lever clockwise or counterclockwise around the handlebar. It will look weird. And it isn’t for custom-setting the lever position, though you can use it for that.

The reason is to adjust the brake cable length. Think of it as a barrel adjuster, just that the barrel is also the fulcrum for the lever blade.

The reason is simple. Due to increasing integration of brake calipers on aero bikes, the adjusting barrel, which typically sits atop one of the caliper arms, is often either impossible to reach or hard to reach. Here, you can adjust it at the lever, which is much easier to find.

While SRAM did design the lever to work best with their own brakes in the Red, Force, Rival, and Apex lines, there’s no reason this lever won’t work with brakes from other manufacturers.

The SRAM S-990 Aero Brake Lever is small, fast, light, and uniquely adjustable. Perfect for all aero bikes, especially those with hidden brakes.