Rim Brake Upgrades

In the video, we discuss the best rim brake upgrades for your road bike. Disc brakes are the default option for road bikes, but if you have a rim brake bike, you’ll be able to get amazing stopping power from some of these calipers.
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Ultegra Brakes: amzn.to/3LxM2TG
Better TRP Brakes with more clearance:amzn.to/3t0y9qF
Sram Brakes: amzn.to/452Slp5

[@xxxserg13]

moved from sora r3000 calipers to 105 series(br-r7000). Earlier with maximum effort on the handles, the front wheel could not be locked. Now the wheel is locked with medium effort on the brake levers. indeed, the twin symmetrical pivot caliper technology provides a very effective increase in stopping power, not to mention excellent modulation.

[@mynameisjanny]

@@mattg8019 I can recommend Shimano Dura-Ace BC-9000

[@kurttusi5454]

How to change the brake shoe?

[@edgarstudillo5649]

I bought the 105's because i had the same problem with the tyre rubbing with the spring, now i can run my 31mm tyres at 90 psi with no problems and the brake feel has become so much better

[@tommilano5431]

Good to know! I was actually thinking of trying 105 calipers on my rim brake bike. I want the option of running 32s with the luxurious feel of shimano brakes. I may give them a shot!

[@carlosvelasco7221]

I think the main problem is the spring and I think that can be changed to ones that are softer to the touch, so I think the 2 variables we have with these brakes are the spring strength and the type of brake shoe compound.

[@tommilano5431]

Thanks for this. I’ve moved to TRP RG957 brakes, these have clearance and are easy to pull.

[@curtisducati]

@@tommilano5431 Looks like rim break bikes will always be made , Manufacturer's see public still want them so they said they will keep doing rim break carbon frames etc !

[@argeelearner3978]

Make Rim Brakes Great Again!! Love rim brakes and ain't going to disk anytime soon

[@mikefoster3901]

Rim brakes rule ❤️ No disk brake and tubeless tyres for me

[@tommilano5431]

Rim brakes are good for their simplicity. Carbon rims in the rain, downhill, and running tires bigger than 28mm is where disc brakes shine. Also tubeless is good for running fast race tires without dealing with punctures. Thanks for watching.

[@cosinus_square]

You can't mix and match calipers, it was possible back in the day when groupsets were not proprietary, but between Shimano and Sram calipers there are different cable pull requirements. Most aftermarket levers 'work' with Shimano, none available that I know off which have the correct cable pull for Sram calipers, other than Sram levers. I've used Sram for over a decade now and they are not harder to pull than Shimano if using the correct levers.

[@Phlizz]

Thanks I‘m building up a old road bike and your video gave me good information! 👍

[@wkwong80]

Great pull force test!

[@tommilano5431]

Thanks! Wish it was more scientific, lol!

[@randallsmith7885]

I run mini-V's on my Wabi Thunder. Love them!

[@tommilano5431]

I’m going to convert my cantis to mini vs on my thunder as well!

[@_Romank]

Sram brakes are designed to work with sram shifters, and pull force would be similar with as with full Shimano set.

[@montrose252]

Long live rim brakes and mechanical shifting!

[@tommilano5431]

I feel you on that. Disc brakes and electric shifting make for a better bike, but there’s nothing like the simplicity of a rim brake mechanical bike!

[@joselynagoncillo8744]

Setting up the brakes would mean the pads are millimeters away from the rim and not centimeters. Pressing or pulling the brake levers would only mean, also, millimeters of travel and not really centimeters. This means very minimal movements or pressure or force on the levers. I would say that the pads are to be the ones to be reviewed, and not really the braking pressure of each brake system. What if the video contained the usage of the same brake calipers with different brake pads? Or, the same brake pads using different braking system or brand? Will we have the same conclusions?

[@mattsmith8160]

I'm more interested in which ones have the easiest maintenance.

[@tommilano5431]

They are all about the same, being caliper /side pull rim brakes. The shimano ultegras probably pick up more dirt since they have an extra pivot point, but this is neglible. I now run TRP RG957. Big clearance like the tektro shown here, but they feel as good as the shimanos.

[@francisjerimiahmanaog8217]

hi! i'm looking for rim brake calipers & the tektro seems like a good choice. do you think it will fit 35mm tires? my frame & fork can support up to 35mm. thanks in advance! pretty sweet video

[@tommilano5431]

You may be able to squeeze 35mm tires under the tektros. I’ve put 32mm on with tektros, and it fit but only had about 1mm of clearance. The problem is the top of the brake caliper. The sides have plenty of clearance. I’ve done a video showing it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmjYnWuFj56BfZI

[@Rocky4719]

My current bike is mostly Claris except for the crank and brake calipers, and I know I should get the ultegra or at least 105, but I really want to keep the groupset the same. Do you think the claris brake calipers would be ok? I current have some basic (no model name) tektro calipers on my bike

[@tommilano5431]

I don’t have any experience with Claris brakes. I’ve heard the 105 level brakes work as good as the ultegra, but may be a bit cheaper. The tektros are pretty decent. You could always try claris if they are cheap enough, or just by one caliper instead of a set for testing.

[@OwenSindler]

Tektro R559s are solid

[@tommilano5431]

I have the TRP RG957, and they are the best rim brakes I’ve tried that also allow for 32mm tires. Thanks for watching.

[@johndef5075]

Shimano makes a nice medium reach brake if you have fitment issues. Black or silver.

[@tommilano5431]

I’ve seen them. I now use TRP RG956, they have huge clearance and feel just as good as the ultegras.

[@varghesejoy1791]

I use an giant SCR1 bike which has tektro tkb 177 as stock which has way less stopping power from hood. Is there anything you can advice me to increase stopping power or i should upgrade it to an 105 or ultegra.

[@tommilano5431]

You can try making the brake levers a different angle for more leverage, and try getting “compression less” cable housing. Other than that, upgrading the calipers will be the best.

[@varghesejoy1791]

@@tommilano5431 thanks a lot sir.🙏

[@danharvey3096]

You didn't have the ones that I just got 2nd hand but nearly brand new today, FSA K-Force, for $100 nzd pair.. Will be a massive upgrade on my Tiagras haha! .. But I had to laugh at the fact that the SRAMs weren't all that great despite the price lol ;) .. I bought a 2nd hand (all my bikes are 2nd hand) YT Tues Downhill MTB, & it had SRAM Code R brakes & I used them for 2 weeks of MTB runs before swapping my brakes off my old MTB, Magura MT5, onto my YT Tues.. The SRAM Codes were RUBBISH in comparison to the Magura MT5.. No stopping power at all despite being 4 piston brakes. Felt like I had to be on them constantly like I was going to run out of pads by the bottom.. And SRAM Code Rs have an almost meme-worthy reputation among MTBers who don't like them haha! Maguras are amazing but SRAM suck when it comes to any brakes except their most expensive models.. So I had to laugh when you said the SRAM Force were shit haha! SRAM have a bad rep for brakes lol ;) If you're looking for a cheap but really good quality brake caliper, it's definitely not Dura Ace quality but Miche Performance are excellent. They came on my other roadbike I'm about to sell cos it's got the wrong geo for steep twisty hills.. But it's a beautiful carbon frame with Campagnolo Grupo.. But the Miche Performance calipers are really good, made in Italy too.. And I've seen them cheap on European sites, €50 for a set.. I'd say they'd be 105 quality or maybe Ultegra. They come on lots of Campagnolo Grupo bikes.. Anyway just thought I'd have to comment my opinion on SRAM brakes lol.. Talk to most MTBers & they're shite..

[@randallsmith7885]

My SRAM Red brakes do not stay centered on my Dogma F8. It is an ongoing nuisance.

[@GERICPLAYSYT]

can i use this on my mtb or only for road bikes ?

[@tommilano5431]

You may be able to if you have a place to mount them. If you do, you’ll be limited to 28mm road tires. Any wider and they’ll rub.

[@tsi4141]

who you think about TRP R960 rim brake?

[@tommilano5431]

They look good. I now use TRP rg957 brakes, they have more clearance and plenty of power.

[@tsi4141]

@@tommilano5431 Thank you for your answer I'm using a SRAM FORCE brake now and I'm looking to replace it with a TRP R960 brake for light weight, what do you think?

[@argeelearner3978]

Are you able to get gravel tires on any rim brake option?

[@tommilano5431]

The trp rg957 has clearance for at least 32mm if not 35mm. They work well with salmon kool stop pads, lots of power. For gravel, it’s always better to go with disc brakes.

[@michaelcollins7378]

No offense but the only thing I see you talking about is the stiffness of the brakes and that’s a very poor way to compare these brakes.

[@sbsb4995]

Rim brakes is the way to go. Disc brakes ruined the look, the weight and the aerodynamic of the bicycles.

[@tommilano5431]

Lol…. Rim brakes are simpler, but I will not run them on carbon rims, so discs for carbon rims and all road for me. Rim for simple single speed bikes. If I could only have one bike, it would probably be a disc brake road bike that can accept 35mm tires.

[@teeambird2079]

@@tommilano5431 why not on carbon rims? Is it the braking in the wet that you’re wary of?

[@reoencarcelado5904]

@@teeambird2079because the friction on the surface of the carbon eventually delaminates the carbon; remember that carbon is a fiber (like wood or fiberglass is a fiber), not a sheet like metal-is. you delaminate the carbon-fiber (what carbon-rims are made-of) and you’re screwed. plus carbon-fiber rims don’t have as good a Heat-Dissipation as Metal-Alloy rims do. (for carbon-alloy rims that use disc-brakes, this doesn’t matter that-much because the braking is always-done on a *METAL* DISC. *not* on the carbon-fiber-rim itself).

[@PinkAsAPistol]

So SRAM are much worse than Ultegra because they are harder to pull with your finger on the caliper but Tektros are very close to Ultegra although they're even harder to pull? Amazing

[@loribaerne9445]

Looking for Tektro T922 tt rim brakes. Can anyone help?

[@tommilano5431]

I couldn’t find them anywhere, looks like they are time trial brakes.

[@martinkarlovec]

What about Brake Lever to Brake Caliper Compatibility??? It isnt the same!

[@tommilano5431]

Honestly I haven’t noticed a difference, although I’m using tektro hooded levers that are for single speeds or separate shifters. I know v brakes have different pull ratios, that’s where you have to be careful. I just noticed the sram force calipers needing more “force” to operate than the ultegra calipers. A lot more.

[@martinkarlovec]

@@tommilano5431 Ask A Mechanic: Brake Lever to Brake Caliper Compatibility kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJa2hql_ftyCqtE

[@BetweenBounty]

They are making rim brake bikes though

[@tommilano5431]

Rim brake bikes have become harder to find. You can always find them used, or some boutique brands. My single speed wabis use rim brakes, all of my geared road bikes are hydro disc braked.

[@dominicfree7517]

They still make rim break bikes, just not as popular

[@tommilano5431]

I’ve seen some rim bikes, not a lot though.