Zero Gravity OG -07 (Titanium)

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Clemmons Bike

Bike Setup:
2008 Scott CR-1
SRAM Red Crank, BB, F&R derailleurs, Shifters.
Easton EA50 Wheels, stem, bar and post.

Summary:
These brakes STOP. Take special care in setting these brakes up as they are different than most. If done properly, they have a great solid feel and modulation.

I've never used a set of road calipers that stop this well. These things would stop a train.

Strengths:
Great product, light weight. Most importantly, they work!!

Weaknesses:
Others not setting them up correctly, and giving bad reviews.

Similar Products Used:
DA 7800, Record, SRAM Red

Price Paid:  $200.00 at Forum

Favorite Ride:
Old La Honda

Bike Setup:
2005 Scott CR1 Team Issue (SDV)
Record Shifters
Record Rear Derailleur
Record Front Derailleur
Chorus UT Compact Crank
Zero Gravity (0G-07) Brakes w/ Kool Stop
Campagnolo Eurus Clinchers
Thomson Masterpiece Seatpost
Thomson X2 Stem
Ritchey WCS Carbon Bars
Total Weight: 14.4 lbs

Summary:
I've been using Campagnolo Chorus brakes on my current bike and in addition to not liking the stopping power, they weigh a ton! Did a lot of reading on these zero gravity brakes which are super light and they seemed great, and I got a killer deal on top of that. I had read mixed reviews from people who praised these brakes and also a fair share of people who adamantly hated these brakes. I got a good enough deal that I decided to take a chance and try them out.

First off, these brakes are nicely machined with lots of attention to detail. Very simple design and simple operation. Contrary what other may have said, installation was no harder than Campy/Shimano brakes. Just follow the directions in the video on the zero gravity website and it's a breeze. However, tweaking them to get the right feel does take a little more patience, but I wouldn't say that they are hard to install.

Mine came with yellow Swiss Stop brake pads made for carbon rims which I immediately swapped out for a set of black Kool Stops made for alloy rims and all I can say is WOW. I briefly tried the yellow pads on Ksyriums and it felt like junk- very poor stopping power. One the Kool Stops were on these brakes rocked! There is excellent feel to the brakes and has a very progressive feel to it, similar to a motorcycle. Not sure what brake pads other reviewers who had mixed reviews were running but black Kool Stops for alloy rims matched with these 0G brakes are awesome.

Overall, it's a nice upgrade over my Campy Chorus brakes (non-skeleton) and literally dropped about a 1/4 pound off the bike weight. Great stopping power which is just as good, if not better than my Campy brakes and have very nice modulation. They're expensive, but when a product lives up to all the hype, it's worth it.

Strengths:
- Super light weight
- Great modulation
- Stop on a dime
- Sharp looking brakes

Weaknesses:
Getting them dialed in takes a little patience. Adjusting the cable tension takes patience as they don't have that orbital pad adjustment screw that Shimano and Campy have.

Similar Products Used:
- Shimano Ultegra
- Campagnolo Chorus

Price Paid:  $250.00 at used from a local.

Favorite Ride:
long and hilly.

Bike Setup:
Litespeed Teramo
All ultegra
zero g ti brakes
FSA gossamer compact crank/ Isis BB
Neuvation R28 SL3 wheels
Schwalbe ultremo tires
Specialized saddle
itm carbon seatpost
itm stem/fsa bar

Summary:
Two test rides, a long and very vertical one and I can say these are keepers. I dont understand the gaps in the different reviews: people love or hate these. May be its the finicky ajustment or that they use the wrong pads. I use the green Swisstop that came with the brakes and have no problem stopping/slowing down even going downhill at 70kmh (43 mph).

Bottom line: these are not shimano brakes and dont feel the same, they actually feel better in modulation(for me) since the response is more gradual as you apply pressure, my ultegras are more linear.

The modulation is good, the feel is different from the very ordinary ultegra stoppers i was using. I did not expect such power and it was a pleasant surprise to have that good of a feel from the relative minimalist design. It's like older 80's brakes but well designed, they are like a single pivot but the cam system really works like a double pivot.

They need a bit of patience when you do the initial setup (not as much range as typical campy/shimano) but once you get past that there sweet. I will concede that a larger rider might not get the needed confidence these provide and suggest that they look to the beefier redesigned Negative G's that have a better leverage ratio.

For adjusting just use two hex wrenches in both ends of the main bolt and rotate in the same direction, no need for a 13mm wrench.

Strengths:
Strenght to weight, design, modulation and originality. Ample braking power for my weigth(160) even with worn pads.

Weaknesses:
Price, not as easy to adjust as shimano. Front pads too close to the fork leg (I used a spacer).

Similar Products Used:
shimano 600, 105, ultegra, older single pivots (diacompe), cane creek, cantilevers etc

Price Paid:  $250.00 at Pre-owned by a local

Favorite Ride:
Triple By Pass

Bike Setup:
Spec Allez Comp, OEM Alex wheels, Ultegra shifter/levers, Dura Ace pads, Maxxis Dominator tires

Summary:
I've been using these for a little over a year now, and I like them a lot. I don't think I like them enough to pay full price for them though.

Strengths:
Very powerful. Very lightweight. Gorgeous looking stoppers.

Weaknesses:
Kind of a pain to get centered. Full price is redonkulous. The price for the gain in power is some modulation, but it's not huge IMO. Also, the release lever is tough to work without squeezing the calipers together.

Similar Products Used:
105, Specialized OEM

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
follow up to prev report,
Have put blk campag blocks in front calipers, brakes work really well now .
Did 200 km Alpine classic on them last week. Minor adjustment needed one morn with 13 mm wrench to get them to brake with good powerfull stopping action.
Looks like they are a bit susceptible to knocks and then making them only bite on one side of the rim, Happy with them now, but need to keep that wrench near by when going to race meetings.