Puig 4.0 Short Levers

Puig 4.0 short levers are 129 mm long, around three centimetres less than a stock lever, and are designed for braking and pulling the clutch with two fingers while the rest of your hand keeps hold of the grip. They give the bars a track-bike look and, as they stick out less, are better tucked away if the bike goes down.

Two-finger braking

With modern disc brakes, two fingers are enough for hard braking, and keeping your index and middle fingers on the lever leaves your ring and little fingers holding the grip and the throttle. It is the usual technique in sports riding and on track. The adjustment you will notice most is the dial: set it so that, with the lever pulled all the way in, it does not trap the fingers left on the grip.

On the clutch side, think twice

The shorter a lever is, the less it multiplies the force of your hand. With a hydraulic or assisted clutch you will hardly notice, but on bikes with a heavy cable clutch, or in stop-start city traffic, a short lever on the left can become tiring. As each side is sold separately, you can fit the short lever on the brake only and choose another shape for the clutch, or order the pair if your clutch is light.

Short is not the same as folding

Sticking out less makes it less likely to touch the ground, but a short lever is a rigid part: if the impact comes, it does not give. If you want a similar length plus the folding action, the 4.0 folding-extendable lever fully retracted measures 133 mm, just four more, and can be lengthened whenever it suits you. The short lever, in return, is more compact and has no joints to keep an eye on.

Colours, part number and fitting

They are machined from aluminium and anodised in nine shades, from black and titanium to lilac, with the adjuster dial in whichever colour you prefer. Part numbers are 4130 for the brake and 4230 for the clutch. They fit with the same adapter as every other Puig lever, the one for your bike, which you will find among the Puig adapters. If you ride on track, complete the brake side with a Puig lever protector, and to see the other shapes and the 3.0 generation, head to Puig levers.