I've had these levers for one and a half seasons now, so I'll provide an update:
Overall experience with levers has been good, certainly makes riding much more enjoyable than stock, because of 1) the ability to adjust to your preference, and 2) I MUCH prefer shorty on both sides.
As for the fading, it is quick. Within a week in the sun (I commute on my bike and leave it outside at work), my black levers started turning brownish. After a month, both levers were completely (though evenly) light bronze colored. I actually think it looks good, but don't expect them to stay black!
As for quality, I've always thought the adjuster felt a bit muddy, lacking feedback for each individual click. This didn't bother me until around August of this past year. As I pulled in the clutch lever, it slipped 1 notch. I reset the adjuster to my preferred position, and kept riding. About two weeks later, it slipped again.. And after a few more weeks, I began having to push the adjuster back to its position every time I got on the bike. Keep in mind, the adjuster is slipping to a lower number, meaning it is lowering the engagement point, mid-pull. So, the clutch re-engages a tiny bit and is pretty unnerving, especially if you're used to just tugging on the lever with two fingers for quick shifts.
Upon inspection, the ridges on the adjustment wheel of the lever have been wearing down.
As far as I can see, it's an exact replica of the pazzo design.. but perhaps the materials aren't as durable.
All in all, these are cheap levers and worth the money. I think I'll stick with the brake lever, because there is no wearing evident at the moment. I'll be replacing the clutch side with a pazzo/crg/asv.
Hope this helps someone out.. and if you own these levers, please take a look at your adjustment wheels and make sure the notches are still defined!
Dave
