Paul Component tells us it takes a ton of customer emails before they resurrect an old, out-of-production component from the archives. That’s apparently been going on for a while, but they also have their own adaptive use reasons for machining out a new life for their two-in-one Duplex brake lever. The Duplex is back and ready to once again pull two brakes with one lever…
Paul Duplex double brake lever: 2 brakes, 1 lever
Originally developed for bicycle polo riders to be able to operate two brakes with a single lever, the Duplex brake lever found a second life with cyclists who due to physical limitations couldn’t operate two independent brake levers. (For those who have never played bike polo, the ludicrous and incredibly fun sport involves one hand always off the bar holding your mallet. Being able to use both brakes with a single lever meant you could ride faster, since you could stop faster – before crashing!)
The Duplex also found a number of alternate installations on bikes like tandems & cargo bikes that use more than two brakes to bring their heavy load to a safe stop. And with the levers out of production, those existing levers became highly sought after. Thus, their ingenious use & reuse beyond Paul’s original intent is ultimately what brought back the Duplex.
Duplex – tech details
The Paul Duplex is a single CNC-machined 6061 aluminum brake lever to operate two mechanical cable actuated brakes at once. Each 94g lever can be setup in either Short or Long pull settings by shifting the lever pivot to work with anything from road caliper brakes to MTB V-brakes.
A single Duplex lever is sold direct from Paul for $152 in black, silver, blue or purple ano, or for $164 in high polished silver, all made in-house in “sunny Chico, California” and in stock now.
