Reach-Short or Long $ Price in Catalog

If you are an avid road rider you already know that this is the least expensive Shimano road braking system that incorporates an 8 speed shift system. The shifting is performed by an inward push of a lateral lever behind the brake stopping handle. The left lever, with an inward push performs shifts between the front chain rings. The calipers and levers are painted in the metallic Silver color. The brake lever/shifter comes with the set of dual pivot calipers and the vcables described above. $ Price in Catalog

SHIMANO ULTEGRA (6403) DUAL PIVOT BRAKESET

This Shimano road racing brakeset fulfills all the requirements. It's responsive and easy to adjust, thanks to the Dual Pivot system, it has the cam quick release (so you can use brakes after the wheel is out of true), convenience adjusters, light weight, and it's affordable. These are a part of the Shimano Super SLR system, the dual pivot shortens the necessary cable pull length and travel distance of the arms. In doing so it increases the actual power applied to the brake itself. The pivot bolt has a thrust bearing to reduce friction. The calipers have low profile shoes and a plastic tire guide molded into the pad holder.

The levers are aero styled, SLR and Super SLR compatible. They have built in return springs, so the caliper spring doesn't wear out and they are made for full sized hands. Levers come with Black hoods. Steel parts are chromed, aluminum parts are painted Ultegra silver. Weight of the brakeset is 819 grams as a complete set (calipers-405 grams, levers-263 grams, and cables-151 grams with aero cable shroud). Available as short reach (39-49mm) only. Specify color. $ Price in Catalog

ULTEGRA STI BRAKESET

This set includes the dual pivot calipers and cables described above, but also comes with brake lever / shifters $ Price in Catalog

SHIMANO DURA-ACE DUAL PIVOT SIDE-PULL BRAKESET with INDEXED 8 SPEED STI SHIFTER CONTROL SYSTEM

These are the 7403, high end version of Dual Pivot Caliper. Both of the pivot points have thrust bearings to reduce friction and keep the caliper centered. The caliper has a rotating cam quick release (with click stops) so the brake can be used if your wheel is knocked out of true while riding. They use a low profile brake shoe and are easy to adjust. Each of the brake arm pieces and the brake shoe holder (with tire guide) is aluminum. Available in short reach only with Black brake hoods. The set comes with the Dura-Ace ST-7400 Dual Control aero racing 8 speed indexed shift/brake levers. These are the novel levers that permit you to perform indexed shifting on both the front and the rear derailleur with your hands still on the brakes. The shifting and braking system is designed so operation can be performed with your hands on the hoods or on the drop. It is certainly a faster system for shifting because your hands work faster in one place than they would moving to the down tube first, then shifting. Here's how they operate.

The left lever system has two levers, a large full hand size lever that both brakes and shifts the chain from the small to the large front chain ring. When your pull the large lever to you it activates the front brake, just as it the left lever always has. When you push the left big lever to the right it activates the front derailleur and moves the chain from the small to the large chain ring. Inside and behind this large lever is a smaller lever. When the small one is pushed to the right it moves the chain back from the large chain ring to the smaller one.

The right lever system also has two levers, a big one and, a smaller one inside and behind the large one. The large lever, when pulled to you, activates the rear brakes just as the right lever always has. When you push the large right lever to the left it advances the rear derailleur from a small rear cog to a larger rear cog. A full throw to the left of the large right lever will advance (with clicks for indexing) the rear derailleur up to three cogs at one time, or you can accept less using a partial push to the lever. The inner smaller lever when pushed to the left shifts the rear derailleur from a larger sprocket to a smaller one. Each left push on the smaller lever shifts the rear changer down just one cog.

It must be understood that this increase in shifting performance comes at the cost of adding weight, but it's in an area of the bike where it's consequence is marginal. Wouldn't it be nice if some bike parts were, say, made of magnesium? (hint). The weight for the complete brake/shifting set is 1258 grams (calipers-425 grams, leverset-557 grams, cableset (including shift cables, new downtube cable stops, since your down tube shifts will be gone, and aero shrouds for both cable sets)-276 grams). Do not be put off by the weight, this is remarkable system!! $ Price in Catalog

This is a precisely built, highly polished, brake set using conventional side-pull calipers. The calipers have a thrust bearing installed to reduce friction at the pivot bolt. There is a rotating cam quick release so the brakes can still be used if the wheel goes out of true while on a ride. It uses low profile brake shoes, the pad holder has a tire guide for quick wheel installation. The convenience adjusters have rubber grippers on them. Weight of the brakeset (according to Shimano, we didn't have a set available to weigh) is 616 grams, and comes with calipers, levers (Black or White), cables, cable shrouds, and installation instructions. Only in short reach.

Color - BK-W $ Price in Catalog

These levers are for use with or without Shimano brakes, they are SLR compatible. Exquisitely elegant in their design, these take a small wrist movement and translate it as real force. The anatomical hood is made for full sized hands from a supple rubber, in either Black or White. The pair weighs 240 grams.

Color - BK-W $ Price in Catalog