Dunno about Shimano. But I can't feel the diff between spendy Campy Chorus and the cheapo Cervelo brakes.

I'd guess that the pads make WAY more difference than the calipers.

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

Pivot (dual or single), cable travel, barrel adjuster and return spring are the things I look for.

With tri bikes, most brake levers do not have a return spring, so a hefty spring in the caliper is key, it helps snap the lever back to its non-actuated position so you can quickly re-apply the brakes if needed. It "feels" better too.

Oddly enough, the Dura-Ace and Mavic brakes both get high marks in my book for return springs. Both quite powerful. Some have an adjustment provision or you can bend them outward (which we do on the less expensive brakes) to "supercharge" them.

I am a fan of dual pivots since they hold their center better than single pivots.

And finally, while I don't use it much, it is nice to have a barrel adjuster that actually does work for adjusting cable tension.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I just upgraded my Ultegra calipers with the new Dura Ace 7800 calipers...so far they don't feel half as good as the Ultegras but I think I need to dial them in a bit which I haven't had a chance to do yet. Once they are set up properly the braking power and feel should be far superior than the Ultegra calipers, they are a bit lighter too but not noticeably.

I can feel the diffrence between the older Campy dual pivot and the newer "Diffrential" (single pivot) rear brake. The dual pivot was stronger. I also prefer the spring tension adjustment (shimano have that?) of the Record / Chorus brakes as well as the side to side adjuster deal that is on the Record / Chorus brakes.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I've had alot of the Shimano brake calipers. Single and double pull.....105 to Dura Ace. I've never found any difference unless you change pads. The Corima and Kool Stop pads are better then the Shimano.

BTW - If you would like to stop in the county you are currently riding in, don't use MRC caliipers. God....they don't stop for shit!! I just put a set on my Zipp and I have to anticipate anything and everything just in case I need to stop. There is NO such thing as a "panic stop" with these calipers. You can pull as hard as you wish and it won't throw you over the bars!! I've nearly rolled through 2 red lights with the brakes full on!

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Paul

Good calipers are basically good calipers. The difference between 105, Ultegra, and Dura Ace is negligible. Just look at Cervelo's P3 spec: Full DA except the calipers which are rebranded Tektro's. Get a set of Tektro's really cheap, put some Kool-Stop pads on them, and they'll be better than stock Ultegra's, maybe even Dura Ace (Shimano's pads really aren't that great).

Sir Tom,

What do you think about the zero gravity brakes? I'm thinking of putting them on my Joule.

Dave from VA

I just received my set of the '05 Zero Gravity's. Actually 3g below the advertised weight of 168g per set. Very nice looking, but I've yet to mount them and ride them.

We ordered three pairs. They only shipped one and it was assembled incorrectly. Once they got it sorted out they worked as well as most other calipers but were a good bit lighter.

Pretty nice. As nice as they are, I'd like to get he other two sets we ordered...

I think they are quite nice.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com