Upgrading brakes on budget

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eyedrop
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2016 5:33 am
Location: Prescott, AZ

by eyedrop

Im running Ultegra 6800 brakes right now. They work great, but are a little on the chunky side for a weight weenie.

Are there any reasonably priced brakes out there with a similar cost to Shimano but a much lighter weight? Im not interested in the $1400 THM Fibula brakeset..... Looking for best weight savings per dollar in road rim brakes....

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

People seem to like KCNC brakes as a budget weight weenie option but they are still 2X the price of Ultegra. I don't think you'll find any weight weenie options at that price. Check ebay for used offerings. You could probably score some Zero Gravity brakes for around $150 there.

by Weenie


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Marin
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by Marin

Fouriers July

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Asteroid
Posts: 222
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:43 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California

by Asteroid

Others may hold the same opinion as me: stick with brakes that work well versus compromising stopping performance to save a few grams. Those 6800's stop with the best of them.
I rode a friend's bike outfitted with Cane Creek EE brakes for a few blocks. These work nearly as well as my DA9000's. Cost $400 more, however, to save a couple ounces. Unsure if I'm ready to go there just yet. :)
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bilwit
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Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Used DA9000 brakes are relatively cheap, you can get them for 200USD or less on ebay. I got a new/unused pair of direct mounts for 170USD shipped. 6800->9000 is only a saving of ~45g though. SRAM Red brakes can be had for the same price as DA9000 and will save you ~85g which is certainly a better $/g saving, but the braking performance will be lacking in comparison.

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mpulsiv
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by mpulsiv

AJS914 wrote:People seem to like KCNC brakes as a budget weight weenie option but they are still 2X the price of Ultegra. I don't think you'll find any weight weenie options at that price. Check ebay for used offerings. You could probably score some Zero Gravity brakes for around $150 there.


KCNC brakes are weak when it comes to performance viewtopic.php?t=125349
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MisterMuncher
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:15 am

by MisterMuncher

A few saved searches on eBay may come up trumps for you, but it's all about luck. Recently got a pair of TRP 979EQ brakes for less than 50 quid. They were missing shoes and cable adjusters, nothing a call to the distributor couldn't fix. With pads installed and all, they're 10g heavier for the pair than one 6800 caliper.

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themidge
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by themidge

I got my Ciamillo Negative G brakes (169g without brake pads and holders) for £120 on ebay, but it's a bit hit and miss waiting for the combination of cheap and good condition.

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Ringo
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Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:06 am

by Ringo

@themidge
I was looking those Ciamillo brakes, but I read too many bad reviews..
What’s your opinion on them?
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Ringo
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by Ringo

@themidge
I was looking those Ciamillo brakes, but I read too many bad reviews..
What’s your opinion on them?
XXTi
C60

2lo8
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2016 10:32 am

by 2lo8

Even BR-9100's aren't that light. You buy the synchron-style Shimano dual pivots for the performance. DA is just about on par with Rival/Apex brakes in terms of weight, which stop like you would expect a non-WW dual pivot to.
[14lb(6.35kg) of no carbon fiber]
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waltthizzney
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Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:35 pm

by waltthizzney

cheaping out on brakes is never a good idea

2lo8
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by 2lo8

waltthizzney wrote:
Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:59 pm
cheaping out on brakes is never a good idea
Cheap is fine for calipers, maybe not for pads. I have some Promax brakes that are even lower end that Tektro and they're work well enough. Tektros work fine too. It's $$$ WW stuff like my KCNC brakes that have issues.
[14lb(6.35kg) of no carbon fiber]
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Your one-stop source for information and reviews on cheap eBay bike junk.

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themidge
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by themidge

Ringo wrote:
Thu Apr 12, 2018 1:10 pm
@themidge
I was looking those Ciamillo brakes, but I read too many bad reviews..
What’s your opinion on them?
I haven't ridden them yet, but most of the bad reviews seem to come from incorrect set-up. According to one of the videos on youtube about how to install them (and @Campagowlo) the calipers are quite sensitive to the cables being too long or too short and pushing or pulling the calipers off centre. Linked cable housing should help with that.
They sure are light, so I hope I can get them working :D .

stevec1975
Posts: 552
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:37 pm
Location: London

by stevec1975

Planet X CNC brakes are just over 200g with pads, handily I have a pair for sale in the for sale section!

by Weenie


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