George, I've fitted them onto a few different bikes and they do work fine... BUT... First of all, one disadvantage is they are simply not very attractive, and maybe it's just me, but I think they can look odd unless you're careful where you place them. If they are on traditional cable-out-the-top brake levers you don't want to mount them so they'll be stuck dangling too high on the cables. If used with aero levers you have to watch out for just where you mount them where the cables exit the bars since they tend to "demand" an unnaturally long straight section where the cable otherwise would often curve gently toward the frame. With the (required) plastic inserts on each side they measure 2-1/4 " which increases to 2-3/4" long when turned all the way out, and realistically you'll need to replace a straight section of cable housing at least 3-1/2 to 4" long. If mounted where these will touch the frame, the aluminum barrel may Knock loudly against the frame unless you space it away with a couple rather beefy rubber cable "donuts" at either side. Mafac's original levers always had adjusters built into the lever hoods (and Universal always had them built onto the lever bodies themselves) so, if we're switching over to different or more modern levers, were just stuck... unless you convert your front and rear cable hangers to ones with integrated barrel adjusters - which not a bad idea. Not as simple or clean as Mafac's original hangers, but perhaps a reasonable practical alternative. I happen to love Mafac calipers (and the levers as well), but I do use the calipers with other levers as well, so there is often a challenge to ones imagination and sometimes a compromise to aesthetics involved. On the bright side, at least with Mafac DF calipers there is really no need for Quick Release fittings on the hangers.
Cheers! Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, NM, USA <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.