EE Brake calipers my best option?

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TurboTommy
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by TurboTommy

Hi guys, apologies to those who are bored of 'which kit should I get threads', but I always come here to defer to those with far greater knowledge than me. I'm also aware the term 'best' is subjective

Ive had etap for approx 4 months which is great but compared to dura ace the red calipers feel like a bit of a backward step. They just don't feel as responsive to me. I think I want to try EE calipers but I don't know anyone who has them or a uk stockist where I can try them out so I'm after some opinions. The weight is appealing as is the generally very good comments they receive here and other places. I'm just wondering if anyone is running them with sram shifters who can give me some feed back, or if I should also be considering other options in the same ballpark (trp, ciamillo, others?) . Weight is always a factor but I'm 85kg so performance more so. For what it's worth they'll be going onto a 61' s-works tarmac running predominantly zipp 303's but also fulcrum racing zeros.

Very grateful for any advice

kode54
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by kode54

no issues with EE brakes. i have them on all my bikes now. Cane Creek bought them recently, and from my understanding...Craig still works at EE, but for Cane Creek now. i ordered a few parts from Cane Creek and that went well.

as far as performance, i can't tell you about the weight factor since i'm a bit lighter...but pads and wheel choices factor pretty big with braking. you should put it out there...what wheels you plan to use with your set up...i.e., if you plan to go with carbon wheels or not. i like the brakes and have a few iterations of them...from an older set to a newer one. they all perform as they should and where i notice the major differences is with the wheels brake surface and the pads. otherwise, they are lighter and work as well as Dura Ace IMHO.

edit...i did notice you did say what wheels you plan to use. the Zipp carbon pads are good...and Swiss Stop black prince are excellent.
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Gearjunkie
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by Gearjunkie

Can't comment on a comparison with Dura Ace - never tried them, but...

I'm using the latest EE brakes with Sram 10 speed levers and Campag Bora 35's.

Braking is very good.

I agree that so much depends on how well a pad works with the brake surface. I have found the Reynolds blue pads to work very well on most carbon wheels (quiet, good power and modulation, long lasting, good in the wet and cheap!) though I am using Campag red with the Bora's which seem to have a little more bite than the Reynolds although definitely nosier especially until each new set of pads beds in.

Also very important to use the correct combination of spacers with the EE brakes - wrong combo and you can have drastically less braking power.

Good luck!

NiFTY
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by NiFTY

EE are great. I echo the comments of pad and rim choice. I use campag red on all my wheels now. (It is the only campag stuff I use)
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Is best.
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sugarkane
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by sugarkane

With eTap i recommend the jagwire link housing as it firms up the lever feel a lot don't use the cables though they are rubbish

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

use EE brakes on both my 14' Madone and Parlee Z5sli... DuraAce might be a tad more powerful especially the direct mounts.. but EE's are just a shade behind them. I mostly use Enve wheels with the new brake tracks.
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rowdysluggins
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by rowdysluggins

Okay, so I had to laugh a little bit about the question and responses, and here's why. When people review DA brakes, no one brings up brake pad, rim, or cable choice. That's because they are the gold standard for braking performance. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't use DA brakes on any of my mainly DA equipped bikes, because I'm at least a semi-weight weenie, and I'd rather sacrifice some braking performance for weight savings. Also because I have more problems going than stopping. So your choice has to be weighted with the decision trade-off triangle of Weight, Performance, Cost. You will have to take the feedback and decide for yourself as to where you fit. I would never buy DA brakes, because they are too heavy, but I would never buy EE brakes either, because they are too expensive.

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corky
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by corky

EE brakes have always performed as well as my Campagnolo diff super records....I have the original versions too. Setting up EE's are always a little trial and error and cleaning them can be a pain but for weight/performance they meet my needs with aplomb.....

Oh and I live in the U.K. ......

Sourcing them....UBYK did do them prior to Cane Creeks involvement, Fairwheel bikes in the US will ship them and they are very good at customer service.

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sugarkane
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by sugarkane

rowdysluggins wrote:Okay, so I had to laugh a little bit about the question and responses, and here's why. When people review DA brakes, no one brings up brake pad, rim, or cable choice. That's because they are the gold standard for braking performance. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't use DA brakes on any of my mainly DA equipped bikes, because I'm at least a semi-weight weenie, and I'd rather sacrifice some braking performance for weight savings. Also because I have more problems going than stopping. So your choice has to be weighted with the decision trade-off triangle of Weight, Performance, Cost. You will have to take the feedback and decide for yourself as to where you fit. I would never buy DA brakes, because they are too heavy, but I would never buy EE brakes either, because they are too expensive.



well if you don't mind the $$$ you don't have to sacrifice performance.. of the weight weenie brakes the EEs perform head and shoulders above other 'weight weenie' brakes... none of the other options are comparable to Da or campag brakes... and brakes are one place that 'performance sacrifices' are not the wisest move..... :noidea:

TurboTommy
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by TurboTommy

Thanks for all your responses, very grateful and I'll take it all on board.

I'm pleased ee brakes get such good reviews as it confirms the reading I've done. I'd already sort of put them down as 'best in class' but I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking a different brand which was superior / comparable. I have taken braking, weight, cost, as well as looks to be honest, into consideration and I'm now happy to pull the trigger! I also understand they are a little fiddly to clean but I'm ok with that.

Thanks again guys

deltree
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by deltree

corky wrote:Sourcing them....UBYK did do them prior to Cane Creeks involvement, Fairwheel bikes in the US will ship them and they are very good at customer service.


Ubyk still have them, not sure if they'll be restocking once they're sold out. Buying from Fairwheel would be subject to import and VAT fees. Any shop able to order from Extra UK should be able to get hold of them. Think they had an ETA of the start of December but it may have slipped. RRP is £640 for the pair but warranty and returns would be easier.

TurboTommy
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by TurboTommy

I've just ordered a set through starbike for €620 :beerchug:

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