Thanks for the positive comments and feedback on everyone's experiences.
Those who like to play literary critic are also amusing to hear from so thanks for the tips.

Of course the Fairwheel shootouts are out of this world and I give them huge props.
These Friday tests will be less quantitative and technical...Hand-built wheels are up next week for example.

Anyways...
I do dig the Planet-X stuff, but it's just a bit generic for my liking though certainly packed with value.
And AX is really beautiful stuff, but I've found them slightly difficult to deal with on the dealer service side of things.
I do agree with noting the Revel / Bontrager miss...those are actually killer brakes and they deserve mention.

Oh, and as for brands we rep...we deal with almost all of the brands listed, including Revl actually.
Planet-X is consumer direct, of course.

-Cip

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Alchemy - Baum - Cyfac - I.F. - Parlee - Passoni - Scapin - Storck
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+1

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"I could have done this job myself in five minutes, but as things turned out I had to spend two days trying to find out why it had taken someone else three weeks to do it wrong."

The PlanetX ones are being talked up a lot, wondering how they would compare against Far&Near.

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Bikes: Raceur, Beateur

And KCNC C6 & C7 for that matter as I'm on the hunt for a light weight alloy stopper that won't cost me an arm and a leg

I have both Planet-X and KCNC. The Planet X win hands down.

Agree with the above post.
Between F & N and Planet-X, I think the latter are not quite finished as nicely.
But it's close.

_________________
Blacksmith Cycle - bespoke bicycles - info@blacksmithcycle.com
Alchemy - Baum - Cyfac - I.F. - Parlee - Passoni - Scapin - Storck
Website: http://www.blacksmithcycle.com

[quote="Privateer]I have both Planet-X and KCNC. The Planet X win hands down.[/quote]

In what way stopping power, modulation, looks? Very interested to hear.

me too as i am putting a ridley helium together as a climbing machine and something light yet functional will give me peace of mind on those relly tecnichal descents.

Fairwheel has a trademark on the term 'shootout'. Did not know that.

I could swear I have seen that term used in other product comparisons, even ones outside of the cycling world (gasp).

Thank you for your time and effort Cippo.

Any comparisons/experiences/opinions(from experience) are of value here on WW .



P.S. It is interesting to hear your thoughts on AX and there CS, as a dealer. Wow, they just don't have things figures out here in N. America, do they. Will they ever? (don't mean to be OT, just thinking out-loud)

Shenanigans

Thanks for your thoughts on the brakes, CippoForLife.
If I knew your shop carried THM products I would have ordered the Fibulas from you - damn.
Anyway, a couple of comments on the THM Fibula brakes.

You mention that the front and rear calipers are uniquely different in design.
The most current iteration of the brakes has essentially the same design front and rear. The levers on the rear are bit shorter compared to the front. The picture on your website shows the older style rear caliper.

I'm running the Fibulas with Dura Ace 7900 brake levers on carbon rims. Braking power is slightly decreased (more so in the rear) compared to the DA 7900 calipers, but I expected that because the Fibulas are optimized for a different pull ratio. Modulation is on par with Shimano. Lever feel is crisp.
Almost half the weight of Dura Ace calipers. The pair came in at 142 grams with all hardware, except for brake pads.

Perfect centering of the caliper is a bit of a pain (I've been spoiled with the centering set screw on Campy and Shimano brakes). Once you center the calipers there seems to be some small amount of off-centering creep during usage. It irks the OCD in me, but in reality, it doesn't affect the performance of the brakes.

Yokozuna housings won't work with the adjuster barrels - way too tight a fit. I switched back to the Shimano cable housing.

Some nit-picky stuff:
Brake pad holders and barrel adjusters are silver. I prefer them in black, so I had those parts anodized.

The clear coat finish on these $1000 brakes is sub-par. Dust, pin holes and orange peel effect. For this amount of money I expect a better finish, like their Clavicula crankset, which is nice and smooth.
See the upper part of the caliper in the picture below:


The large recessed hole in front of the brake bolt is a big dirt collector, especially in wet weather riding. I'm not kidding. It was full of dirt and sand after a wet ride. Worse in the rear than the front caliper.
This picture shows the hole AFTER I cleaned it out. It's like a gaping, open mouth.


All in all, a very functional, light weight brakeset, with a few niggling issues.
The Fibulas are staying on the bike - but I'm not getting rid of the Dura Ace calipers just yet...

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yeah... off topic, but the it doesn't appear they have that trademark - at least according to the US patent and trademark office. Maybe they've applied... but...

back to topic...

I have been more than happy with my F&N's I picked up for their value. They aren't as bling as others, but they work damned well and are really quite light. I think the only thing that might get them off the parlee is a set of TRP's (or of course if someone wants to donate some gravitas to the cause).

Great idea with these shootouts™ Mike! Can't wait to read more.

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