Using titanium and new alloy parts not only lightens but enhances the braking ability of these super trick components. The satin gray finish arms are wax impregnated and all moving parts are coated with an anti-seize compound. Weight - 72 Grams. Sold in pairs.
Strengths: Light weight, very strong when set up properly, not expensive compared to Zero G's or all the other light brakesets
Weaknesses: Come as stock with mediocre pads, ugly light grey color (I painted mine), not as easy for wheel removal unless you're running Campy levers
Bottom Line:
I wanted to post this review on behalf of the Brew Lite brakes. I did not have the faith that these were going to be strong enough for my bulk originally. I was wrong. They stop really well...as good as my Zero G brakes. There are some key contributors here. Best thing was the Nokon cabling that gives no compression. I am also using Campy Carbon Record brake/shift levers. They did not work nearly as well with standard housing (no brakes really do...) or with D/A shift levers. I'm still using the stock pads.
Strengths: Weight, different, possible aestetics (definitely an eye-of-the-beholder type thing though.)
Weaknesses: Difficult set-up, you'll probably have to adjust after every few rides, stock pads very thin, seem to like to stay dirty.
Bottom Line:
They are light, really light. Power is not near da or even ultegra. Stock pads are very minimalistic, obviously to save weight. Finish is a dull, matte grey, almost porous, difficult to keep clean. Set-up is much more difficult, finicky than dual pivot brakes. I would recommend them though, esp for weight-weenie on a budget. Definitely a poor-man's zero gravity. You will save 100 grams w/these over da/ultegra/campy. Loss of power/modulation is immediately felt though.
Strengths: 200 grams
Look cool
Help get my bike to 14 lb. 14 oz.
Stop 95% as good as dual caliper
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I'm a weight weenie and wanted to shed some lbs. from my Giant TCR. The Dura Ace brakes I had weighed in at 322grams. The Brew weigh 200 even. The brakes are easy to set up, takes about 15 min. per brake including brake pads. The brakes have been totally great. I ride in the mountains and could not ask for more. I would totally recommend these if you are trying to save weight and not make any sacrifices in braking.
Bike Setup: 04 Giant TCR Team, with carbon everything.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bam-Bam
a Road Racer
from Bedrock, USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2003
Strengths: Extra-light
Good customer support
Decent dry braking
Weaknesses: Miserable wet braking
Squeal terribly without aftermarket add-ons
Bottom Line:
Very light (207 grams/pair, actual, incl. all hardware) and brake surprisingly well. Mine came with red Aztec pads. They didn't have much stopping power until I "bedded them in" by dragging the brakes slightly down several l-o-o-ng hills. But I'm coming off Campy Delta brakes, which are notoriously weak, so anything is an improvement.
They have no toe-in adjustment so I bought a set of Kool-Stop pads and scavenged the beveled washers that come with them (adding a few more grams). If you don’t properly adjust the toe-in, these brakes will howl like a werewolf under a full moon.
I wouldn’t have believed it was possible but these brakes are even worse than my old Campy Deltas in the wet. I am not exaggerating when I say they were almost non-existent in a hard rain.
The front brake pivot bolt was too short for my Columbus Muscle fork. Fortunately, Brew makes a longer Ti replacement for just such predicaments (but it, too, adds weight).
I weighed the brakes before adding the Kool-Stop washers and oversized pivot bolt, so the 207-gram weight is a bit optimistic (by maybe 15 grams).
Decent brakes, about the same $$$ and about 2/3 the weight of Campy’s new Record brakes. I’ll keep using them, at least until I scare the sh*t out of myself in the rain.
Strengths: "you get what you pay for" and in terms of weight "the more you pay the less you get."
Weaknesses: price, a little weaker than the Dual Pivot Shamys but who uses breaks? Their made to slow you down. Still have unpolished dull grey finnish.
Bottom Line:
I loved the first pair so much I got a new pair for my new road racing rig. Now at sub 17 lbs. with my training wheels. The new 2003 pair of Brews now come from the factory with brake pads and red trim insted of the blue trim as on my first pair. Still, with the pads and calipars, weight is keept to 203 grams. Calipars still at 142 grams. So the real difference is in the break pads. But as with most bike stuff "you get what you pay for" and in terms of weight "the more you pay the less you get." They still have the unpolished dull grey finnish.
Bike Setup: MonoC Quattro with carbon seat stays, MonoC all carbon fork, Record 10 shifters and rear derailur, Durace front derailur, Connex 10 chain, 3-t bar, Icon stem, Brew caliaprs, FSA Team Pro cranks, custom built Ultegra hubs on reflex rims (Training wheels), American Classic 10sp. casset, Syncros post, fi'zi:k Aliante' sadle, Profile bar tape, Arundel Carbon bottel cages (30 grams), GU, GU, and more GU (Tri-Berry rocks)
I've been testing the Origin-8 Torq Lite brake calipers for a couple of months now. They are almost identical to the Feather 199 calipers. The main differences, as far as I can t Read More »
